The Liberal government announced new legislation of Federal Bill C-21, which was tabled on Monday, and it has many gun enthusiasts frustrated. 

The bill includes a national freeze of purchases, sales, and transportation of handguns in Canada. The government also mentioned that magazines for long guns would be limited to less than five rounds. 

The federal government pledges to buy back any type of banned assault-style weapons before the end of the year. 

“Federal Bill C-21 represents a major infringement on the property rights of law-abiding Albertans. It fails to address the substantive issues at the root of violent gun crime and does not take meaningful steps to help protect Canadians. The money being spent on this misstep could be used in so many better ways that could actually help keep Albertans safe,” says Tyler Shandro, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General. 

A provincial news release states that creating a mandatory federal confiscation and compensation system to purchase arbitrarily banned firearms from owners who acquired them legally is an unnecessary and expensive overreach into personal property rights.  

It also says the new measures amount to a federal ban on handguns, which puts a burden on law-abiding firearms owners instead of on violent criminals. New limits on magazine capacity for modern sporting rifles also target responsible firearm owners who already follow the rules, rather than those misusing guns to commit crimes. 

“Once again, the Federal Government is targeting law-abiding firearms owners instead of going after the criminals who are the source of Canadians’ public safety concerns. We need to put more boots on the ground to ensure only those fit to possess a firearm responsibly are licensed to stop the flow of illegal guns at our border. The federal approach does not reflect what Albertans want or need,” says Teri Bryant, Chief Firearms Officer. 

The proposed changes, according to the news release, will drastically alter the landscape of firearms legislation, lawful sports, and target shooting without offering Albertans any increased public safety.