Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police (AACP) Statement Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs Bill C-21,

An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments(firearms) The Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police (AACP) has reviewed the amended Bill C-21 as proposed by the federal government, which aims to help reduce gun violence in Canada.

Overall, we support any efforts to enhance public safety and agree with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) that combatting gun crime requires a comprehensive approach involving public education and crime prevention to address root causes, adequate resourcing to ensure compliance and enforcement of existing gun laws and holding those responsible for gun violence accountable via the justice system. The AACP would seek the opportunity to learn more about how the proposed changes would balance the rights of lawful gun owners, while addressing those at highest risk to commit gun crime.

A handgun freeze is one way to reduce access to firearms, however we recognize that non- restricted guns are even more prevalent in our province and are used in violent crime; the bill does not address crimes committed by these firearms. We are skeptical that the proposed changes would lead to a meaningful reduction in gun violence. We will need to further explore how police services could collaborate with other bodies to effectively regulate and enforce any new compliance orders.

Police services and related bodies across our province are taxed and limited in capacity for additional administrative tasks, such as licencing, registrations, and firearms surrenders. The AACP supports efforts to implement new firearm-related offences, additional tools and greater information sharing for police to investigate firearm-related crimes, stricter border controls, and enhanced penalties for offenders. We also fully support a new ‘red flag’ law to reduce gender-based violence, intimate partner violence and self-harm by limiting access to firearms to those who pose a risk to themselves or others.

Airsoft guns continue to pose challenges to public safety. We believe there should be additional controls placed on the sale of airsoft guns that resemble realistic firearms and police should have the ability to seize these weapons more readily under a wider range of circumstances. In

summary, the AACP acknowledges that the overall impact of the proposed legislation on gun crime may be limited. We strongly maintain that Canada has laws and regulations currently in place to deal with gun offences and we need to ensure that the full justice system commits to applying existing laws. November 17, 2023