When it comes to legislation, terminology is everything. Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette introduced Bill S-223 on April 12. This bill proposes to change the categorization of "non-restricted firearm" to "hunting firearm" and "restricted firearm" to "circumscribed firearm."

A "hunting firearm" will now be defined as:

a firearm — other than a prohibited firearm or a circumscribed firearm — that is prescribed to be a hunting firearm and that



(a) has a smoothbore barrel that is more than 470 mm long,



(b) has a striated barrel that is more than 470 mm long and that can discharge 22-calibre rimfire ammunition in a semi-automatic manner, or



(c) is designed or adapted to be fired when reduced to a length of less than 660 mm by folding, telescoping or otherwise;

What this seems to imply, is that you will be able to hunt with ONLY shotguns, smoothbore black powder, and .22 rimfire rifles.

You will not be able hunt or possess any center fire rifles for hunting purposes.

All center fire rifles might then be re-categorized as a "circumscribed firearm."

A "circumscribed firearm" will now be defined as:

(a) a handgun that is not a prohibited firearm, (b) a firearm — other than a prohibited firearm — that has a barrel equal to or less than 470 mm, (c) a firearm — other than a prohibited firearm — that is capable of discharging centre-fire ammunition in a semi-automatic manner, or (d) a firearm that is designed or adapted to be fired when reduced to a length of less than 660 mm by folding, telescoping or otherwise;

This will effectively ban all semi-automatics, as there are also new storage provisions:

17 (1) Subject to subsection (2) and to sections 19 and 20, a prohibited firearm or circumscribed firearm, the holder of the inscription certificate for which is an individual, may be possessed only at a shooting club or a storage facility recorded in the Canadian Firearms Registry.

This means that all firearms, except for "hunting firearms" and 12(6) for a gun collection, will be stored at a central storage facility.

If you want to transport your firearms from the central storage facility, you will have to get someone "approved" to do it for you:

19.‍1 Only a carrier may transport a prohibited firearm or a circumscribed firearm referred to in section 19.

This is only the beginning of trouble for Canadian gun owners, as the regulations that will accompany this bill have yet to be written.

I predict MASSIVE non-compliance for this proposed law.

I call on all law-abiding Canadian gun owners to rise up and help defeat Bill S-223.











