Saskatchewan is choosing to appoint its own chief firearms officer, Premier Scott Moe announced on Wednesday.
Under the federal Firearms Act, Saskatchewan has the right to hire within. Currently, a federal employee is filling that role.
Moe addressed the issue at the annual Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) convention.
He said the decision was made in large part due to the federal government’s indication in January that it would be making changes to firearm legislation.
Moe said he is unsure what changes are coming federally regarding firearm legislation, but wanted to take some sort of action.
“What we are going to do is take control of the things we can control. Appointing a firearms officer, most certainly, is one of those things this province has the opportunity to do,” Moe said.
“Other provinces have exercised that opportunity; we’re going to do just the same.”
In November, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said the province would consider appointing its own chief firearms officer.
A chief firearms officer deals with issues surrounding licences and authorizations.