Thread by @ThatLibertyGuy

"The first purpose of a firearm is to kill."

--Nathalie Provost, shooting victim

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Harper government weakened gun control measures.
Trudeau government has not lived up to its promises made in Eelction 2015

--Heidi Rathjen

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Trudeau government cuts to crime labs for tracing guns. Not fulfilling their promises to Canadians.

--Heidi Rathjen

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Bill C-71 is one step foward. While we would like to see it amended, we want Senators to vote for it before summer break.

--Heidi Rathjen

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talks about discredited Ontario study claiming kids are injured or killed at the rate of 1 per day. Cases she cites are paintball and pellet gun injuries, not from firearms.

--Dr. Natasha Saunders, Hospital for Sick Children (Canadian Paediatric Society)

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Claims there is a strong correlation between firearm in the home and suicide.

--Dr. Natasha Saunders, Hospital for Sick Children (Canadian Paediatric Society)

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Following measures MUST be put in place
- safe storage and transport laws
- merchant record keeping and license checks to stop straw purchasing

--Dr. Natasha Saunders, Hospital for Sick Children (Canadian Paediatric Society)

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Wants anything that shoots a projectile, like pellet guns, bb guns and paintball guns to be registered as, at a minimum, Non-restricted firearms.

--Dr. Natasha Saunders, Hospital for Sick Children (Canadian Paediatric Society)

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C-71 is a step in the right direction, but it's not enough. Add new eligibility criteria, restrict Minister's ability to re-classify a firearm to a less restrictive category.

--Wendy Vasquez, Spokesperson (NOT HERE)

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We represent the majority of Canadians who want stricter "gun control." We should not cave to the powerful gun lobby. They represent a small portion of Canadians.

--Wendy Vasquez, Spokesperson (NOT HERE)

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Quebec Mosque terrorist used registered guns to kill members of his mosque. His weapon of war became unusable so he pulled his handgun and shot 2 of my friends.

--Boufeldja Benabdallah, President (Centre culturel islamique de Québec)

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This shows how people can walk around with a handgun with impunity. We need to restrict these weapons, whether handguns or assault weapons.

--Boufeldja Benabdallah, President (Centre culturel islamique de Québec)

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People are afraid of guns. People are afraid when they pray now. They turn and look toward the door because they are afraid.

--Boufeldja Benabdallah, President (Centre culturel islamique de Québec)

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I don't think Canada should become like a Hollywood film. We must strengthen our laws. We can't have firearms killing people in Canada.

--Boufeldja Benabdallah, President (Centre culturel islamique de Québec)

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The killer had those guns, and psychologists say he had those guns and felt powerful, was drunk with power and shot people who were praying in the mosque.

--Boufeldja Benabdallah, President (Centre culturel islamique de Québec)

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It is the circulation of these unrestricted firearms that is responsible for the killing of people.
--Boufeldja Benabdallah, President (Centre culturel islamique de Québec)

TLG -- Do you still believe they'll stop at a handgun ban?

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Senator Jean-Guy Dagenais asks if mandatory minimum sentences are required.

Heidi Rathjen says prevention is more important. Punishing a person is not effective. wants to reduce access to guns.

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Senator Jean-Guy Dagenais if Bill C-71 can prevent gang crime.

Dr. Natasha Saunders ignores question, responds saying her organisation wants a ban on handguns and assault-style weapons.

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Senator Jaffer: Does Bill C-71 go far enough? Would a stronger bill have made a difference in mosque shooting?

Boufeldja Benabdallah: Yes, stronger legislation & regulations would make people think twice about walking around with guns.

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Heidi Rathjen: Bill does not go far enough to prevent illegal diversions. Police must have a search warrant to access sales records.

TLG: What about Section 102? No warrant required for CFO to access any gun store record.

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Health care providers are not firearms experts so including paintball guns, etc, is okay. So is including 24-year-olds in our definition of youth.

Do I stop caring for patients on their 19th birthday? No.

Dr. Natasha Saunders

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Just as many injuries from handguns and pellet guns. We need to rethink not including non-powder guns in firearm legislation.

Dr. Natasha Saunders

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Firearm classification system is broken. Government must fix it. RCMP must interpret new law to classify firearms.

--Heidi Rathjen

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Senators, all politicians must take responsibility for future generations. If we allow people to have access to guns, where are we going? We are not a Hollywood movie.

--Boufeldja Benabdallah

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Senator McIntyre: Are there gaps in Quebec's Anastasia Law?

Heidi Rathjen: reporting responsibilities for doctors, shooting ranges, etc., but shortfalls. We need to make more restrictions on firearm licences. Need stronger enforcement.

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Senator Gold: What do you consider essential measures in C-71?

Heidi Rathjen: Obligation to check validity of license is essential, ridiculous to us this is not required. Register of sale is good, but we want to go further.

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Senator Gold: What about Authorizations to Transport?

Heidi Rathjen: Conservative govt. removed ATT requirement. restricted firearms are supposed to be restricted. If you restrict transport you minimize possibility of guns being used.

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Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: Bill C-71 expands background checks to lifetime, but health care providers are already backlogged.

Dr. Natasha Saunders: If backlogs exist, that's no reason not to expand background checks.

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Senator Kutcher: Why is it important to consider injuries,not just homicide/suicide?

Dr. Natasha Saunders: Unintentional injuries are a huge problem. Parents don't always store guns safely. Survey shows 50% don't store guns safely.

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Dr. Natasha Saunders: We can't normalize gun ownership.

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Heidi Rathjen: If person is subject to restraining order or on probation, CFO should take into account this is the case. In United States, this is automatic. If restraining order exists, why is this not mandatory?

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Heidi Rathjen: "Non-criminal" gun owners who represent half of homicides in Canada seem not to be a priority [for government].

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Stepping away from live tweeting to take my wife to appointment with her surgeon. Will resume when we return...

Jérôme Gaudreault: It is the gun owner's responsibility to ensure they are aware of the mental health of the people around them. Regardless of MH of others, guns must be stored so others can't access them.

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Dr. Caillin Langmann up now...

Dr. Caillin Langmann: Multiple studies find the same results as his work. No correlation between stricter gun laws and homicide by firearm.

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Dr. Caillin Langmann: Suicide by firearm on steady decline since the 1980s.

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Dr. Caillin Langmann: Steady increase in licensed gun owners in Canada over past 3 decades. No corresponding rise in suicide rate.

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Dr. Caillin Langmann: Drop in suicide by firearm at the same time as dramatic increase in suicide by hanging.

[see my graphic of rates of both in this thread]

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Dr. Caillin Langmann: Evidence suggests reducing youth gang entry into life of violence is a large part of how we can deal with violent crime in Canada.

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Dr. Gary Mauser: The problem is criminal violence, not guns. More knives are used to commit murder than guns. Bill C-71 misses the target completely. Asks Senate to use their power of "sober second thought" with this legislation.

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Dr. Gary Mauser: Moose kill more people annually in Canadathan licensed fierarm owners.

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Dr. Gary Mauser: Suicide, even when guns are readily available, hanging is the preferred method of suicide in Canada. Mental health is the problem.

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Dr. Gary Mauser: No evidence presented about issues with Authorisations to Transport.

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Dr. Gary Mauser: Handguns remain murder weapon of choice, gangs overwhelmingly use handguns, despite government banning over 50% of all handguns in 1990s.

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Dr. Gary Mauser: Bill C-71 is fundamentally misguided. Bureaucratic busywork will not solve the real problems facing youth in our cities.

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Senator Jaffer: Spousal abuse higher in native communities, women substantially higher rate of abused...

Irwin Cohen: Range of explanations: family continuity, isolated communities, alcohol and drug abuse, and more contribute to this.

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Senator Dagenais: nothing in Bill C-71 will change how criminal gangs use guns or prevent them from getting guns.

Irwin Cohen: Quicker timelines around tracing and preventing illegal importation. Adding restrictions to law-abiding will not do anything to stop criminal misuse.

Senator Stan Kutcher: Dr. Mauser, did you infer harm by haircuts equals harm by firearms?

Does not allow Mauser to answer or clarify what he said earlier.

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Senator Plett: Gives Dr. Mauser opportunity to rebut Wendy Cukier's allegation that Dr. Mauser's study methodology equalled people who claim they were abducted by aliens.

#GreatJob @DonPlett

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@Dr_Langmann - Great job navigating the minefield some senators placed in front of you. #JobWellDone

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Dr. Caillin Langmann: We need to put more resources into mental health. When I tell someone I can't get them help for 3 months, it makes their position worse. We need to get people who need it, the mental health assistance required.

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Wes Winkel, Director (CSAAA): Recommends Bill C-71 be amended to contain an appeal process for RCMP firearm classifications/reclassifications.

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CORRECTION: Wes Winkel is President of CSAAA

Wes Winkel, President (CSAAA): Recommends government appoint a member from CSAAA to Firearms Advisory Committee so small businesses will be considered.

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Adam Caruana, Director (Firearms Outlet Canada): Guns and Gangs Summit presented statistical evidence firearm crime was one half (1/2) of one percent of all violent crime.

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Adam Caruana, Director (Firearms Outlet Canada): Places administrative burden for firearm tracing on businesses.

Wes Winkel, President (CSAAA): Gov't is doing this so they can claim they did not create a new gun registry.

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Adam Caruana, Director (Firearms Outlet Canada): Invest in people so they have the opportunity to succeed, instead of wasting money on ineffective programs.

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Matthew Hipwell (Wolverine Supplies): Left 17-year career in RCMP to work fulltme at Wolverine Supplies. I understand what good legislation looks like.

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Matthew Hipwell (Wolverine Supplies): Classification of firearms is open to wide-ranging interpretation. No appeal process for classifications. Lots of work to be done to fix this process.

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Alison de Groot, Director (CSAAA): Bill-c71 turns the RCMP into the regulator of the firearms industry in Canada. They have carte blanche over our products with no oversight and no appeal process. Can take 2 years to get a classification

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Wes Winkel, President (CSAAA): RCMP changes to classification are not the result of any changes to the law, it's an arbitrary change made by the RCMP, often with no notice to industry.

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Alison de Groot, Director (CSAAA): What does compliance with Bill C-71 look like? Ministry answer, "We thought you would just do it."

Businesses must be able to prove compliance. There is no thought on how it can be done by government.

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Wes Winkel, President (CSAAA): Seems ridiculous to us to make a licensed firearm owner take a registered firearm to a licensed firearm business for repair.

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Matthew Hipwell (Wolverine Supplies): Registration of firearms does not decrease violent crime. Criminals don't register their firearms.

TLG: or apply for Authorizations to Transport to Jane & Finch to shoot rival gang members.

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Matthew Hipwell (Wolverine Supplies): Nothing in Bill C-71 addresses gang or criminal misuse of firearms.

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Great job by panel: Nothing in Bill C-71 addresses criminal misuse of firearms.
#JobWellDone

Alison de Groot, Director (CSAAA)
Wes Winkel, President (CSAAA)
Adam Caruana, Director (Firearms Outlet Canada)
Matthew Hipwell (Wolverine Supplies)

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Great job by previous panel on research and statistics: Nothing in Bill C-71 addresses criminal misuse of firearms.
#JobWellDone

Irwin Cohen
Dr. Gary Mauser
Dr. Caillin Langmann

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Senator Tony Dean: I've been in your stores. I've had to wait days as a result of the delays you talk about. Nothing goes out of your stores without a valid license check.

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Jooyoung Lee, Associate Professor of Sociology, U of T:

Having better gun laws than US is hardly a good way to make public policy.

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Jooyoung Lee: Current law places an arbitrary 5-year window for background checks for gun buyers.

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Jooyoung Lee: Laws that restrict legal gun ownership could constrain the supply of guns used in violent crime.

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Senator Jean-Guy Dagenais to Jooyoung Lee:

You said Canada is one of the countries with good gun control laws. Why should we add more?

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Jooyoung Lee: Canada doing better than US on indicators we're talking about. Canada is not doing better than other industrialized countries in the world.

Bill C-71 takes modest steps to make background checks better. Still work to do.

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Jooyoung Lee: Spins the majority of guns traced coming from "domestic sources" lie that's been debunked so successfully in recent weeks.

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Jooyoung Lee: Once a person has gone through the hoops to get a firearms licence and buy a gun, we're essentially working on the honour system. We don't know where those guns are going.

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Jooyoung Lee: Getting a gun shouldn't be easier than getting a car.
Stricter laws make it easier for police to trace guns.

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Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: RCMP Stated there is a significant backlog for background checks. In BC alone there is over 2000 files backlogged for these checks. How will Bill C-71 reduce these backlogs?

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Jooyoung Lee: My comment was not about making them speedier, but making them more thorough by going through their entire life history.

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Jooyoung Lee: Basically says current 5-year window does not allow RCMP to make correct determinations of who will be responsible with firearms if they are allowed to own them.

#WhereIsTheEvidence?

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Senator Stan Kutcher: Really loves the IDF (Israeli) study of military personnel and the methodology used in it.