NOT FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS
Province in need of qualified firearms instructors
The RCMP’s apparent unwillingness to register more firearms instructors has created a massive backlog of people waiting months or even years to take the Canadian Firearms Safety Course, according to the president of the Saskatoon Wildlife Federation.
Saskatoon’s roughly 30 instructors — most of whom are volunteers — can’t cope with the “hundreds and hundreds” of people waiting to obtain a firearms possession and acquisition licence (PAL), Robert Freberg said Friday.
“We’ve got everything we need to start taking care of this backlog,” Freberg said, referring to the SWF’s classroom space and shooting ranges. “The one thing we don’t have is the ability … to get these instructors approved.”
Following the June 2015 passage of Bill C-42, the Common Sense Firearms Act, everyone applying for a PAL must first pass the RCMP’s firearms training course. Previously, the course was optional and applicants with experience handling guns could “challenge” the exam.
Freberg said the former Conservative government’s 2012 decision to scrap the long gun registry led to a “big uptick” in the number of people interested in shooting sports, many of whom are now waiting to take the course and obtain a PAL.
The SWF has plenty of seasoned firearms instructors willing to teach, but none have been approved by the RCMP, he said. Inquiries sent to Public Safety Canada have gone unanswered, and it remains unclear why approvals aren’t forthcoming, he added.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale was not available for an interview Friday, according to a federal government spokeswoman.
The RCMP declined an interview request. An spokeswoman for the force said in an emailed statement that each province’s chief firearms officer (CFO) determines how many certified instructors are needed to meet demand.
“The (CFO) of Saskatchewan confirms that the number of instructors in Saskatoon meets the demand for courses in the area and that the Saskatoon Wildlife Federation has not communicated its concerns to the CFO of Saskatchewan to date.”
The shortage of firearms instructors is endemic, and there are backlogs of people waiting to take the course across the country, according to the longtime executive director of the Oshawa-based Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA).
Many approved firearms instructors work or volunteer for awhile and then “fade out,” but the RCMP is ensuring those who want to teach the course to “hundreds and hundreds” of waiting students can do so, Tony Bernado said.
“Make the course mandatory? OK, nobody’s got any objection to safety,” he said. “But you can’t make the program illusory. If you’re going to make people take the course, then you have to make the course available.”
Freberg said it’s not clear why new instructors aren’t being approved, but the SWF likely wouldn’t have the same problem if it was in the business of teaching people to drive safely.
“We’re confused,” he said. “I’d love to see somebody explain to me how the Liberal government can say, ‘No, we’re all about responsible owners owning firearms,’ yet the indication has been that, across the country, this is a national problem.”