Firearms advisory committee for Saskatchewan established

Government has appointed a Firearms Advisory Committee to provide recommendations on firearms policy to the Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety and the Chief Firearms Officer.

The committee will provide input and feedback from the Saskatchewan firearms community on firearms education, licensing, transportation, the licensing of firearms ranges and public safety concerns.

“I look forward to working with the members of the new Firearms Advisory Committee to strengthen our firearms program in Saskatchewan and improve services for responsible gun owners,” Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Christine Tell said.

The following individuals have been appointed to the committee:

• Gilbert White, Chairperson

• Geoffrey Dufour, Board Member

• Dan D’Autremont, Board Member

• Garry Breitkreuz, Board Member

• John Lawson, Board Member

• Joyce Lorenz, Board Member

• Darryl Yausie, Board Member These appointees represent a broad range of organizations and groups, including the Sask. Association of Firearm Education (SAFE), Sask. Wildlife Federation, Sask. Trappers Association, Sask. Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM), the Canadian Sport Shooting Association, firearms safety instructors, hunters, sports shooters and anglers.

“This committee will allow us to engage directly with the Saskatchewan firearms community and use their feedback to inform the decisions we make on firearms policy in our province and provide a Saskatchewan perspective on these issues at the federal level,” Tell said.

In 2021, Sask. moved transitioned oversight of the province’s firearms program from the federal government to the province with the appointment of its first provincially appointed Chief Firearms Officer.

The office now administers the Firearms Act in Saskatchewan, which includes jurisdiction over the licensing, storage, transportation and carrying of firearms.