The government of Canada’s newly announced ban on “assault style” firearms has some in Saskatchewan, including the premier, raising concern.
“I am extremely disappointed by today’s announcement by the federal government of a firearms ban that only serves to penalize law-abiding gun owners,” Moe said in a statement on Friday.
“Our government will have more to say in regards to this federal policy in the coming days.”
Darryl Schemenauer owns Regina’s T’nT Gun Works. He said the announcement, which sees 1,500 assault-style firearms immediately banned for use, sale, import or transport in Canada, puts the livelihood of his business in jeopardy.
“It’s pretty shocking,” he said.
“It’s a 1,500 gun and variant ban. So that tells me that pretty much every semi-automatic shotgun or rifle that would be entailed here. So as a business owner that could take me right down.”
Referencing the perpetrator of the recent tragedy in Nova Scotia, Schemenauer added that he would rather see resources spent on addressing mental health problems and curbing gun smuggling at the US border.
“They’re going after the tool, not the problem. This does nothing for crime. No gun law in the world in the world will stop that person from what he did,” he said.
“Most of the firearms that are a problem are smuggled in.”
Recent data from the Canadian Border Services Agency shows that 647 firearms were seized at the border through the first three fiscal quarters of 2019.