Government of Nunavut urges safe firearms, ammunition storage
“Let’s keep our communities and families safe!”
The Government of Nunavut put out a reminder to properly store firearms. (Screenshot of the RCMP fact sheet)
The Government of Nunavut’s Department of Justice wants to remind Nunavummiut to properly store firearms and to practise firearm safety, through a public service announcement sent out on Friday, Aug. 23.
When not in use, firearms can be properly stored in gun cabinets or secured with a trigger lock, which is a two-piece lock that fits over a gun’s trigger and trigger guard. Storing ammunition separately, that is, away from the gun, is also part of proper gun storage, said the release.
Trigger locks are available for free at local RCMP detachments, hunters and trappers organizations, or hunters and trappers association offices.
Inuusittiaringniq, a GN website highlighting health and wellness practices, also recommends taking a Canadian firearms safety course and locking up gun-cleaning supplies.
In June, Nunavut’s housing minister announced that new housing units would be equipped with gun cabinets.
“Let’s keep our communities and families safe!” said Friday’s public service announcement.
“In June, Nunavut’s housing minister announced that new housing units would be equipped with gun cabinets.”
That caught my attention. Maybe an extra feature to put on your Airbnb profile.
Seriously we were treating a gunshot victim in the porch of a house and during that short time the Mounties removed (at least) six long guns from the house.
6 guns in a house is not a lot. you might have multiple families in that house with guns, and different guns for different hunting.
The fact that you were treating a gunshot victim is not because they had 6 guns (yes I agree with proper storage of guns) but often it is a case of over crowding in the homes.
Also I do not see over crowding as an excuse, but when you cant get away from someone (this person may be a siblings partner, so you have no control over the person being there) because you have no space in your house, issues can not be resolved and can escalate.
I gotta agree with Consistency on this one. 6 guns is really not that many in a house of avid hunters. If you have 2 hunters in the house, you could easily have at least two 22s, at least two shotguns, some medium calibre like a 243 or 22-250 or 223, and a bigger calibre like a 30-06 or 300 win mag. And there’s your 6, easy. Could very well have more than that.
More importantly, I don’t think it matters if you have 1 or 6 improperly stored firearms in the house, it only takes one to make a gunshot victim. I definitely think proper firearm storage is very important, and although I know it seems silly at first, I’m in favour of the gun cabinets in new builds. Honestly, when you get home from being out and you’re already drained, taking bolts out and putting a trigger or cable lock on a few guns is not a big task, but it seems like it. Opening one cabinet and setting all your guns in there is a simpler step that I think more people are likely to comply with.
The problem is the people not the guns, or storage. Yes lock guns away from lunatics, but what makes the lunatic in the first place is the challenge. In my house, as I live my life , lunatic don’t live.
How about making the firearms safety course offered in Nunavut communities? One hasnt been offered in Kugluktuk for almost 5 years I heard
There was an Instructors level course held in Cambridge Bay 2 years ago. Two people from Kugluktuk attended that course and received their certification to teach the non-restricted firearms safety course. Not sure why they have not been running courses. I will tell you that if newly certified Instructors don’t teach at least 2 courses in their first year they lose their certification.