The Canadian federal government has put the brakes on a gun-tracing regulation that would require every firearm be stamped with an identifiable marking.
The measure is intended to help police track lost or stolen firearms, or firearms that have been used in the course of a crime. The law was supposed to take effect Dec. 1, but Canadian legislature has pushed back the initiative for the seventh time in a row, this time until June 1, 2017.
If the measure ever does get turned into law, all domestically manufactured firearms would be required to be bear the name of the manufacturer, serial number, and “Canada” or “CA.” And imported firearms would be required to bear “Canada” or “CA” and the last two digits of the year of import.
Many Canadian police agencies support the measure, claiming it would help them solve gun-related crimes more quickly. The Coalition for Gun Control agrees, and says the bill is a must-have for law enforcement.
“Given the problems with smuggled guns internationally and on the streets of Canadian cities it is, of course, disappointing that the Canadian government has once again delayed implementing this critical set of measures,” said coalition president Wendy Cukier.
However, others argue the marking all firearms within the country will be a costly waste of time that won’t help law enforcement in the least.
“We’ve been advising them to completely dispense with this,” said National Firearms Association spokesman Blair Hagen. “Because there’s absolutely no rational argument for imposing these type of regulations on the Canadian firearms industry. It will put a lot of businesses out of business.”
The Canadian government has pushed back the bill multiple times, but they haven’t shut it down completely, leaving plenty of room for lawmakers to come up with a revised bill.
“During the deferral period, a marking scheme could be determined that will enable law enforcement to trace crime guns and permit Canada to assist international investigations without imposing unnecessary burdens on firearms businesses.”
(This article was a submission from freelance writer Brent Rogers)