Quebec government responsive to gun registry demands: Makivik
Inuit birthright org has asked for years for an exemption for Nunavik Inuit
Allen Gordon brings his rifles to the Kattitavik town hall in Kuujjuaq Jan. 28 to have them registered at a KRPF-coordinated clinic. Quebec’s firearm registry set a deadline of Jan. 29 for all gun owners to comply. (Photo by Isabelle Dubois)
Makivik Corp. says it continues to seek accommodations under Quebec’s new gun registry.
The registry was introduced in Quebec last year, but came with a one-year grace period. As of Jan. 29, all gun owners in the province are required to register their legal weapons.
Since the legislation was first tabled in 2016, Makivik Corp. has asked for Nunavik Inuit to be exempt from the registry, citing traditional harvesting practices in the region.
“We are seeking accommodations under the act to ensure that Inuit will be able to register with minimal barriers,” Makivik President Charlie Watt said in a news release on Tuesday, Feb. 19.
Makivik has said the legislation must be in compliance with subsistence activities and traditional culture defined in both the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement and the Northern Inuit Land Claims Agreement.
Neither Quebec’s previous Liberal government or its newer Coalition Avenir Québec governments had been responsive to the region’s demands—until now, Makivik says.
The organization said it’s been able to communicate its concerns about Quebec’s firearms legislation with Premier François Legault.
Makivik has pitched the creation of an Inuit working group to help propose adjustments to the legislation. In the meantime, the Inuit birthright organization has asked the province to suspend the registry in Nunavik until it can be adapted for the region.
Makivik said it’s received “a promising verbal reply” from Quebec, but did not elaborate on any set plans to meet with the province.
“A firearm is equally a tool and our currency,” Watt said in the release. “It puts food on our table and plays an important role in both feeding our families and defending us when we are on the land.”
Gun owners who have not yet registered their weapons are now subject to penalties up to $5,000 if they’re found in possession of a non-registered firearm.
The Kativik Regional Police Force has been offering its help to Nunavik residents who need help registering their weapons online, including these Inuktitut-language instructions.
While the police force’s chief Jean-Pierre Larose supports the need for a registry, he has said the KRPF won’t ticket unregistered gun owners as long as they follow gun laws.
“A firearm is equally a tool and our currency,” Watt said in the release. “It puts food on our table and plays an important role in both feeding our families and defending us when we are on the land.”
What about defending the growing number of people who have lost their lives to guns that are not registered, not stored safely and accessible. Many have used guns to end their own lives and many have been brutally murdered. Lets not use our hunting culture as an excuse to have guns lying around.
Safety is the most important practice no matter what culture owns guns.