Nunavik police won’t penalize unregistered gun owners
“It’s important for us to know who owns a firearm”
KRPF chief Jean-Pierre Larose, pictured on the right, said his officers will not be actively seeking to ticket gun owners who have not yet registered their weapons with Quebec’s new registry. (Photo courtesy of KRPF)
The chief of Nunavik’s police force says gun owners in the region shouldn’t worry about being penalized if they haven’t yet registered their weapons.
Quebec launched its firearms registry in January 2018, but it gave the province’s gun owners a one-year grace period to register their guns.
The deadline to do that was Jan. 29.
While many Nunavimmiut registered their weapons at the last minute this week, the registry remains controversial in the region, where Inuit hunters say they should be exempt because of their harvesting rights under the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement.
Jean-Pierre Larose, chief of the Kativik Regional Police Force, said the organization recognizes Inuit hunting rights and does not intend to actively seek out unregistered gun owners.
Under the new registry, any gun owners who have not complied by Jan. 30 are meant to be subject to penalties up to $5,000 if they’re found in possession of a non-registered firearm.
“We will not be ticketing the communities,” Larose said. “For us, the main goal is to encourage people to come and register their weapons.”
Larose said the only time when KRPF officers will enforce the province’s new rules is if they respond to gun-related incidents in which the owner’s weapon is not registered.
“This is not to have a trace on them,” he said.
“It’s important for us to know who owns a firearm. Practically everyone in the region has at least one firearm at home.”
Once more Nunavimmiut have registered their firearms, Larose said KRPF officers will have direct access to important information about the number of weapons in a particular household when they respond to calls.
The KRPF hosted a registration clinic with the Kativik Regional Government’s hunter support program on Jan. 28 in Kuujjuaq, where 115 guns were registered. Larose said police also handed out 51 trigger locks to local gun owners.
Nunavimmiut gun owners can continue to register their weapons, he said, by bringing them into their local KRPF detachment or to the KRG’s Department of Renewable Resources, Environment, Lands and Parks office in Kuujjuaq.
The Ministry of Public Security has also provided Inuktitut-language instructions on how to register directly on the government’s website (see document embedded below).
As a response to some of concerns raised by a number of gun owners throughout the province, the Quebec government announced last week that it would loosen some restrictions to simplify the process of registering firearms.
Those modifications include giving long-gun owners more time than the 15 days currently required to inform the registry of a change in the location of a gun.
Gun owners also no longer need to register the length of the barrel of their firearm; the gun’s serial number is sufficient.
“It’s a good change,” Larose said. “A lot of hunters go out hunting on the land for long periods of time.”
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“This is not to have a trace on them.” – Then why do you need a registry if it’s not to “trace” firearms, an thus firearm owners?
“Practically everyone in the region has at least one firearm at home.” – If that’s the case, why bother registering them? If it’s important for you to know who has a firearms, and everyone has a firearm, you already know everything you need to. I’d be happy to ask any serving officer of any police force anywhere in Canada: Would you trust a registry to know whether or not there are firearms in any particular location? The answer would be “No.” This is the same answer being received by the Quebec Government from firearms owners who are being asked to participate in a policy they know to be ineffective and wasteful.
Exactly Sir.!
In Newfoundland & Labrador you are not required to record your PAL ID # in order to apply and obtain a Moose, Caribou, Bear, Seal, Coyote & Small Game, or any Bird Licence! Our Provincial Government insists it’s a Federal Question & Only RCMP should have the right to ask a Hunter if he has one! However,
Mr.Trudeau is still trying to add more laws to rightful gun owners.
Why not make an honest effort
to enforce the laws that are in place now? The head don’t seem to know what the tail is doing❗️
The only reason they need to know who has a gun is for control of the people, that’s it. There is no other logical reason for them to need to know anything. Do they know who has a microwave? How about kitchen knives? Ooh, how about gasoline? No, of course not. Gun control is not about controlling guns, it’s always about controlling people.
Police officers should approach every house as if there were firearms there,they should not rely on a system that says there are or there is not any firearms there, someone might not have registered their guns and therefore they think there is none and go in and get there heads blown off, this just makes it sound good to register them,
When are we going to understand?
Registering your rifle, guns will not affect you, it is just to have it in files, in case if your rifle/gun was stolen, either from breaking and entering, or temporary storage upon your arrival from your hunting while temporary leaving your vessel, or kaligak-sled.
And, also, the stolen rifle/gun can lead being used as criminal reasons, if your rifle/gun is not registered, you may or could face being charged for unlawful storing your rifle/gun, if your rifle/gun was seized.
Qangalii tukisilaarqisi?
Why make a big fuss about registering your rifle/gun?
Would you rather be blamed then being secured?
Please be kind to yourself and to others!
We are still so lucky to own rifle/guns, we can just lose privilege to own our hunting rifle/guns after, what has been happening in Nunavik