Four months after a national police oversight group called for restrictions
on an exotic Israeli assault rifle, officials in Public Safety Minister Vic
Toews' office would not say whether the government had made a decision. In
August, the Canadian Association of Police Boards, the national organization
of civilian police oversight boards, called for tighter restrictions on a
list of weapons which "are not typical hunting rifles or shotguns and should
be traceable."
One rifle cited was the Israeli-made Tavor Model 21, which at the moment has
a non-restricted status, the same as more traditional rifles and shotguns
used by farmers and hunters. The Tavor has a "bullpup" design, which
shortens the overall length of a rifle by placing the bolt and magazine, and
the rear of the barrel, much further back than on a traditional rifle, at
the firer's shoulder. This significantly reduces the length of the weapon -
the Tavors sold in Canada are much shorter than a traditional long arm like
a Lee-Enfield, despite being a fully functioning rifle. "The (Calgary)
police had brought forward a list of the more serious weapons that could be
used in a shooting incident that could compromise public safety, could
compromise police officer safety, that should not be as freely available and
should be restricted," explains Brian Edy, a lawyer who sits on the Calgary
Police Commission, where the resolution originated. "Any firearm that can be
easily concealed is a concern," cautions Doug Carlson, a retired OPP staff
sergeant who worked as a regional firearms officer in Ontario for six years.
"That's just common sense. As a police officer, when you're going to an
incident, if you know somebody can easily conceal a high-powered rifle, that
certainly raises a concern."
The British and French armies have used a bullpup rifle design since the
1980s, and the Israeli Defence Force is in the process of introducing one (a
shorter version of the Tavor sold in Canada, capable of automatic fire). A
redacted copy of the gun registry released to Global News earlier this year
under access-to-information laws - before it was largely deleted - showed at
least 341 bullpup rifles privately owned in Canada. Most are Tavors, with
some examples of Belgian- and Chinese-made weapons as well. Only two
bullpups were registered in 2007, but that number grew to 193 by 2010.
British Columbia has the highest number, followed by Ontario and Alberta.
All were classified as non-restricted weapons, meaning that they could be
owned without a special licence, like conventional rifles and shotguns, and
that, outside Quebec, registration records have since been destroyed along
with the long gun registry. It also means that they aren't restricted to
shooting ranges, unlike many other military-style semiautomatic weapons.
(The Tavor) "... is constructed to be a military-type weapon. That's who
should be using it, or the police. It shouldn't be available to the public
without severe restrictions," Carlson says.
A firearm can be reclassified from non-restricted to restricted. However,
with the long gun registry no longer in existence outside Quebec, it's an
open question how the federal government would notify affected gun owners.
In such a situation, " ... the Canadian Firearms Program would actively
communicate the change by posting a notice to its website, informing callers
to its toll-free information line, in addition to issuing special bulletins
to firearms businesses, police and provincial Chief Firearms Officers," an
RCMP spokesperson explained in an e-mail. "Obviously a registry makes it
easier to prohibit firearms," said Wendy Cukier of the Coalition for Gun
Control. "Not having one doesn't prevent you from prohibiting them, it just
makes it much more difficult to enforce if you no longer have any
information."
"If they were to designate a non-restricted firearm as restricted, you have
no way of finding out who's got them any more," Carlson says. "You're just
hoping that people are going to be honest." The Tavor 21's importer,
Toronto-based North Sylva, and retail sellers of the rifle would not comment
to Global News. A Tavor owner Global contacted would not comment for the
record.
on an exotic Israeli assault rifle, officials in Public Safety Minister Vic
Toews' office would not say whether the government had made a decision. In
August, the Canadian Association of Police Boards, the national organization
of civilian police oversight boards, called for tighter restrictions on a
list of weapons which "are not typical hunting rifles or shotguns and should
be traceable."
One rifle cited was the Israeli-made Tavor Model 21, which at the moment has
a non-restricted status, the same as more traditional rifles and shotguns
used by farmers and hunters. The Tavor has a "bullpup" design, which
shortens the overall length of a rifle by placing the bolt and magazine, and
the rear of the barrel, much further back than on a traditional rifle, at
the firer's shoulder. This significantly reduces the length of the weapon -
the Tavors sold in Canada are much shorter than a traditional long arm like
a Lee-Enfield, despite being a fully functioning rifle. "The (Calgary)
police had brought forward a list of the more serious weapons that could be
used in a shooting incident that could compromise public safety, could
compromise police officer safety, that should not be as freely available and
should be restricted," explains Brian Edy, a lawyer who sits on the Calgary
Police Commission, where the resolution originated. "Any firearm that can be
easily concealed is a concern," cautions Doug Carlson, a retired OPP staff
sergeant who worked as a regional firearms officer in Ontario for six years.
"That's just common sense. As a police officer, when you're going to an
incident, if you know somebody can easily conceal a high-powered rifle, that
certainly raises a concern."
The British and French armies have used a bullpup rifle design since the
1980s, and the Israeli Defence Force is in the process of introducing one (a
shorter version of the Tavor sold in Canada, capable of automatic fire). A
redacted copy of the gun registry released to Global News earlier this year
under access-to-information laws - before it was largely deleted - showed at
least 341 bullpup rifles privately owned in Canada. Most are Tavors, with
some examples of Belgian- and Chinese-made weapons as well. Only two
bullpups were registered in 2007, but that number grew to 193 by 2010.
British Columbia has the highest number, followed by Ontario and Alberta.
All were classified as non-restricted weapons, meaning that they could be
owned without a special licence, like conventional rifles and shotguns, and
that, outside Quebec, registration records have since been destroyed along
with the long gun registry. It also means that they aren't restricted to
shooting ranges, unlike many other military-style semiautomatic weapons.
(The Tavor) "... is constructed to be a military-type weapon. That's who
should be using it, or the police. It shouldn't be available to the public
without severe restrictions," Carlson says.
A firearm can be reclassified from non-restricted to restricted. However,
with the long gun registry no longer in existence outside Quebec, it's an
open question how the federal government would notify affected gun owners.
In such a situation, " ... the Canadian Firearms Program would actively
communicate the change by posting a notice to its website, informing callers
to its toll-free information line, in addition to issuing special bulletins
to firearms businesses, police and provincial Chief Firearms Officers," an
RCMP spokesperson explained in an e-mail. "Obviously a registry makes it
easier to prohibit firearms," said Wendy Cukier of the Coalition for Gun
Control. "Not having one doesn't prevent you from prohibiting them, it just
makes it much more difficult to enforce if you no longer have any
information."
"If they were to designate a non-restricted firearm as restricted, you have
no way of finding out who's got them any more," Carlson says. "You're just
hoping that people are going to be honest." The Tavor 21's importer,
Toronto-based North Sylva, and retail sellers of the rifle would not comment
to Global News. A Tavor owner Global contacted would not comment for the
record.
