By Canadian Press

Senate passes Liberal gun bill that will expand background checks for gun-buyers

May 28, 2019 | 3:35 PM

OTTAWA — The Senate has passed a Liberal government bill expanding the scope of background checks on those who want to acquire guns.

Question about an applicant’s history will cover their entire lifetime, instead of just the five years immediately preceding the licence application.

The bill also forces gun retailers to keep records of firearms inventory and sales and requires the purchaser of a hunting rifle or shotgun to present a firearms licence, while the seller will have to ensure its validity.

The legislation has been criticized by gun-control advocates as too weak, while some firearms owners have called the bill an attempt to revive the long-gun registry the Conservatives ended in 2012.

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The group PolySeSouvient, which pushes for stricter gun control, welcomed passage of the bill, even though the final package was far from what it had hoped to see.

PolySeSouvient thanked the majority of senators for rejecting Conservative amendments the group says would have weakened the legislation.

Conservative Sen. Don Plett said in a news release Tuesday the legislation will do nothing but hit law-abiding gun owners with more paperwork, more hoops to jump and more threats of criminal charges.

“The bill is full of aspirational notions that are designed to leave the impression of taking action, while accomplishing absolutely nothing of value,” Plett said.

“The government is making scapegoats out of law-abiding gun owners, while ignoring the real problems. This is regrettable.”

Blaine Calkins, Conservative MP for Red Deer – Lacombe, is also disappointed.

“I share in the frustration with my fellow 2.1 million law abiding citizens across Canada that now have to deal with more red tape and ineffective regulations because the Trudeau Liberals are more interested in the optics of solving a problem rather than focusing on criminal behaviour. I know we are not the problem” said Calkins. “This Liberal government has proven time and time again that they are soft on crime, and don’t prioritize the safety of Canadians.”