Motz claims gun bill won’t stop criminals

Medicine Hat’s member of parliament says he can’t see proposed federal gun-control legislation reducing crime or getting firearms out of the hands of criminals.

Glen Motz told the News on Thursday that Bill C21 doesn’t adequately address the trade in illegal guns and would hamper “law abiding gun owners.”

“Conservatives have always stood for common-sense gun laws, but if we get past the rhetoric it will have little effect on criminals,” he told the News. “It’s lazy governance.”

This week, the Liberal government introduced a slate of regulations they say would address gun crime, access to firearms and help prevent deadly mass shootings.

The maximum penalty for illegally obtaining a gun would rise from 10 to 14 years, but Motz argued that is at odds with other proposed measures bills that would reduce mandatory sentences for some cases involving firearms.

The current bill reintroduces potential measures left from before last year’s election.

It would reinstate a buyback policy for a number of rifles that would be reclassified from “restricted” (requiring special licensing) to “prohibited.”

The bill would not technically ban handgun ownership, but would freeze the sales, purchases or transfer of such weapons. The effect would limit them to only current owners.

It also seeks to reduce the capacity of long-gun magazines to no more than five rounds, which Motz said could be impractical to apply for certain models that would remain legal to possess.

The proposal would also create a specific process for citizens to warn authorities about potentially dangerous or unstable people who have access to firearms, and begin a process to have guns seized in situations of domestic violence or threatening behaviour.

Motz, a former Medicine Hat police inspector, said police already have the ability to address such “red flag” situations.

“The (government is pandering to big city Liberal donors,” and doing little to address smuggling or stolen guns, said Motz.