A new bill proposed by the British Columbia government on Wednesday aims to curb gun violence and make the province’s streets safer.
If passed, the Firearm Violence Protection Act would make it harder for gang members to buy, transport or possess real and imitation firearms by introducing a number of new measures, including a penalty for drivers who transport illegal firearms and impound their vehicles as well as curtail gang members’ use of shooting ranges.
“We are putting expert advice into practice to reduce shootings related to gangs and the drug trade,” Mike Farnworth, B.C. minister of public safety, said in a statement.
“These new measures targeting illegal and imitation firearms will give police additional tools and help make our communities safer,” he said.
“At the same time, we recognize most firearm owners in B.C. are law abiding. As such, these changes should have little to no impact on them.”
The bill would stop the sale of imitation firearms and low-velocity guns to youth and make it illegal for youth “to fire or display the weapons anywhere provincial, federal, First Nations or municipal law prohibits discharging firearms.”
Other measures include prohibiting people from having real or imitation firearms in specific areas such as hospitals and schools and protections for social workers and health professionals who breach client confidentiality by reporting information to the police to prevent gun violence.
“These recommendations targeting illegal and imitation firearms will provide police with the necessary tools to advance investigations and combat gun violence in our communities,” said Dwayne McDonald, the assistant commissioner of the B.C. Royal Canadian Mounted Police criminal operations division.
In addition, the bill would strengthen existing laws regarding armoured vehicles and body armour by allowing the government to collect fingerprints from people applying for armoured vehicle and body armour permits.
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