Conservative MPs are already invoking the long-gun registry, and gun lobby groups are promising to make it hurt if they don’t like the bill.

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale speaks to the media during his National Summit on Gun and Gang Violence in Ottawa on Mar. 7, 2018. Mr. Goodale has been tasked with producing a bill on gun safety that is strong enough for supporters of better gun control, without hurting his party's prospects in rural ridings, where gun control is often a more controversial subject.