Firearms Safety Education Service of Ontario (FSESO) Submission to the Senate Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs Chair: Senator Hassan Yussuff Re: Impacts of Bill C-21, Amendments to the Firearms Act and other acts proposed by the Government of Canada October ABOUT THE FIREARMS SAFETY EDUCATION SERVICE OF ONTARIO Founded in 1993, the Firearms Safety Education Service of Ontario (FSESO) is an association of more than active firearms safety instructors for whom public/community safety is the number one priority.

The FSESO is a private, not-for-profit organization consisting of member Firearm Safety Instructors who are independent contractors designated by the Chief Firearms Office to provide non-restricted and restricted firearms safety training to tens of thousands of people each year in Ontario alone. The FSESO’s Board of Directors is responsible for its stewardship, while the Board delegates management and operational functions to an Executive Manager. Our instructors are passionate professionals and safety training enthusiasts with backgrounds in military, policing, security, sports shooting and hunting.

With our commitment to public safety and providing a positive learning experience for every student, the FSESO has earned a positive reputation throughout Ontario, across Canada, and beyond. CORE FUNCTION The FSESO is the sole service provider for the Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CFSC) and the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course (CRFSC) for the Province of Ontario by virtue of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chief Firearms Office.

Designated Instructors fulfill restricted firearms safety training that is required for some employment purposes such as armed security guards, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) applicants, Ontario Power Generation security personnel and others as stipulated in legislation. They also provide non-restricted firearms safety instruction to Ontarians for the safe, lawful acquisition, possession, use and storage of firearms for permitted activities such as hunting and sport shooting.

SERVICE PERFORMANCE Designated FSESO Instructors deliver approximately 55-thousand courses across rural, urban, northern and Indigenous communities in Ontario every year (54,207 in 2019 [pre-pandemic]; 69,452 in 2022). Instructors are contacted directly by clients – as independent contractors – to determine where and when to offer courses to clients.

IMPACT OF BILL C-21 ON THE FIREARMS SAFETY EDUCATION SERVICE OF ONTARIO The Firearms Safety Education Service of Ontario {FSESO) is the sole service provider for the Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CFSC) and the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course (CRFSC) for the Province of Ontario. The Chief Firearms Office of Ontario designates FSESO instructors to teach and examine the CFSC and/or the CRSFC in Ontario.

Certified and designated instructors who are working in conjunction with the FSESO are acting pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding between the FSESO and the Chief Firearms Office (CFO) for the Province of Ontario.

FSESO Safety Instructors are independent contractors who provide firearms training to fulfill requirements for some employment purposes – such as armed security guards, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) applicants, Ontario Power Generation (i.e. nuclear energy plants) security personnel and others as stipulated in legislation – along with Canadians/Ontarians who are interested in safe, lawful possession, use and storage of non-restricted firearms for permitted activities such as hunting and sport shooting.

The FSESO and its Firearm Safety Instructors support any legislation that enhances public/community safety and the safety of instructors and their law enforcement/border security partners. The Government of Canada introduced amendments to the Firearms Act and other acts – known as Bill C-21 – in May to enhance public/community safety. New restrictions, if passed and given Royal Assent, include a ‘freeze’ on the purchase, sale, importation, and transfer of handguns and introduces more stringent firearms legislation.

We believe aspects of Bill C-21 – if not amended – will have a negative impact on the FSESO and its Firearms Safety Instructors’ ability to provide the services that are their sole responsibility under the federal Firearms Act.

If passed as written, Bill C-21 could impact the Firearms Safety Education Service of Ontario (FSESO) and its current and future instructors by causing: • fewer students wanting/needing to take the Canadian Restricted Firearm Safety Course beyond those required for lawful employment purposes; and, • stalling/obstructing the ongoing need for FSESO Instructor-provided training to fulfill requirements for some employment purposes such as armed security guards, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) applicants, Ontario Power Generation (i.e., nuclear energy plants) security personnel and others as stipulated in legislation.

The Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course curriculum includes a practical component where restricted firearms are required. This is a mandatory component pursuant to the legislation and forms part of the approved Canadian Firearms Program (CFP) curriculum. Designated instructors must have the proper tools to perform this valuable training and hands- on examination. Legacy (current) designated firearms safety instructors and examiners must have the firearms to provide this training.

However, should one of their handguns fail to operate, under Bill C-21 as proposed, the instructor would be unable to purchase a replacement firearm to allow them to continue teaching all components of the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course as required by legislation. Put another way, Bill C-21 has hampered the ability of our firearm safety instructors and will hamper our firearm safety instructors into the future, especially once we have identified and trained new instructors.

This issue is the ability for instructors to purchase restricted firearms and then render them disabled (i.e. by removing the firing pins) to do the practical component of the test. The FSESO is calling on the Government of Canada to amend Bill C-21 to exempt current and future Firearm Safety Instructors to allow them to lawfully purchase, possess, use, replace (when necessary) and transfer restricted firearms. The FSESO welcomes any opportunity to provide helpful input and expertise to assist any future deliberations by any parliamentarians or their respective Standing Committees as appropriate.