The Federal Government has introduced a significant amendment to Bill C-21 at the committee stage that, if adopted, would expand the definition of a prohibited firearm to included semi-automatic rifles and shotguns “designed to accept a detachable cartridge magazine with a capacity greater than five cartridges of the type for which the firearm was originally designed”.
There are few details available at this point about what, where, when, or how the government sees this playing out, and during committee discussion on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, there was even obvious confusion among government officials about what would and wouldn’t be included.
As of right now there is no formal list of firearms captured in the amendment, however the definition as proposed is extremely broad and will almost surely include many traditional hunting firearms.
We have requested technical clarification from the Department of Justice and Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and will share those details in our Bill C-21 FAQ as we get them.
A clause-by-clause debate of the amendments is scheduled to continue at committee on Thursday.
WHAT CAN YOU DO? Many firearms owners have contacted their elected officials on Bill C-71, the OIC prohibitions, the first round of Bill C-21, and the latest version of C-21 that is being discussed right now. We will once again be providing access to an easy-to-use online form to send emails to Members of Parliament, so stay tuned.