Canada Already Meets the Requirements of the UN Marking Scheme

* This is Part 2 in our series on the UN Marking Scheme and what it means for Canadian gun owners

United Nations of Gun Control
United Nations of Gun Control
Canadian Shooting Sports Association
Canadian Shooting Sports Association

Canada-(Ammoland.com)- The Firearm Marking Regulations, introduced on December 23, 2004, have been postponed for 11 consecutive years by 3 separate governments for one simple reason. No government wanted to be responsible for killing Canada’s legitimate civilian firearm industry.

Until now.

On June 1, 2017 – ten short months from now – the shoe drops.

The Trudeau government seems to have great faith in all things United Nations, but unfortunately they seem to be unwilling to examine all of the facts when it comes to the UN’s Firearm Marking Scheme.

Canada’s already strict firearm import process accomplishes every goal specified in United Nations Protocol 55/255, formally called the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

That protocol, under Article 8, specifies the rationale for marking all firearms.

1. For the purpose of identifying and tracing each firearm, States Parties shall:

(a) At the time of manufacture of each firearm, either require unique marking providing the name of the manufacturer, the country or place of manufacture and the serial number, or maintain any alternative unique user-friendly marking with simple geometric symbols in combination with a numeric and/or alphanumeric code, permitting ready identification by all States of the country of manufacture;

(b) Require appropriate simple marking on each imported firearm, permitting identification of the country of import and, where possible, the year of import and enabling the competent authorities of that country to trace the firearm, and a unique marking, if the firearm does not bear such a marking. The requirements of this subparagraph need not be applied to temporary imports of firearms for verifiable lawful purposes;

(c) Ensure, at the time of transfer of a firearm from government stocks to permanent civilian use, the appropriate unique marking permitting identification by all States Parties of the transferring country.

The goal of the UN Firearm Marking protocol is to ensure every firearm can be tracked back to its point of origin. The protocol does not specify how that marking is to be accomplished, preferring to leave the entire implementation process up to individual party states.

Canada’s implementation of this protocol is spelled out in the regulations of Bill C-10A, Marking of Imported Firearms. These regulations, passed on December 23, 2004, were postponed every year since then by three separate governments. They will finally come into force on June 1, 2017, unless the Trudeau government can be persuaded that doing so is a needless duplication of already existing Canadian import procedures.

All firearms imported into Canada already contain a “unique marking providing the name of the manufacturer, the country or place of manufacture and the serial number”.

All firearms imported into Canada already contain “appropriate simple marking on each imported firearm, permitting identification of the country of import and, where possible, the year of import and enabling the competent authorities of that country to trace the firearm.”

Research into current practices reveals that virtually all firearms imported into Canada already meet the requirements of Article 8 of the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms.

The “make” of a firearm easily permits the identification of the “manufacturer” and the “country of manufacture” as required by Article 8. For example, a firearm with the “make” of “Browning” can easily be identified as being manufactured by Miroku in Japan.

Each firearm contains a serial number that is “unique” to that make and model of firearm. That serial number also identifies the year of manufacture. Commercial firearm manufacturer’s records are so meticulously detailed that the make, model and serial number of a specific firearm will reveal when and where the firearm was manufactured, when it was shipped and to which country, when the firearm was released from Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the name and address of the company who imported the firearm.

All of the information required by the UN Firearms Marking Protocol is ALREADY available quickly and easily using the existing firearm markings and the systems in place to track their movement from point of manufacture to their final destination at one of Canada’s firearm importers.

Duplicating this process adds exorbitant costs to every single firearm imported into Canada for no discernible benefit. The only possible exception would be if the “benefit” is one not stated by the United Nations, namely; the removal of firearms from civilian hands.

If that is the ultimate goal of the Firearms Marking Regulations, then it likely will be somewhat effective. Adding over $200 to the price of every single firearm sold in Canada will have a devastating effect on the sale of firearms in Canada.

Canada’s firearm market is less than 3% of the world firearm market. Our few remaining firearm manufacturers and our firearm importers cannot withstand hundreds of millions of dollars in startup costs to implement these needless regulations. Our existing firearm businesses most certainly cannot withstand an additional cost of $60 million per year to mark the 350,000 firearms imported every year.

Should the Trudeau government implement these regulations, it is debatable how long we will have a retail firearm industry in Canada. Sure, we may be able to purchase ammunition still, but that is small comfort if we cannot purchase the firearms to use it?

If you disagree with Canada’s looming implementation of the Firearm Marking Regulations, please write to the following people and express politely why you believe implementing these regulations is a very bad idea for Canada:

  • The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
  • The Hon. Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety
  • Michel Picard MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety
  • Bob Zimmer MP, Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Outdoor Caucus
  • Yvonne Jones MP, Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Outdoor Caucus
  • Your own federal Member of Parliament

You can find the contact information for MPs and Ministers here: https://www.parl.gc.ca/Parliamentarians/en/members

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Mike

Since Canada already fully complies, importation should just carry on as the firearms are already marked in accordance to the treaty requirements…

fishunter

It is amazing how ignorant the Executive Branch of governments is. To repeat what has already been done is ignorant, but to what end? I believe that these laws, regardless of the country making them, are to slowly eat away freedom and choice of the people. We in the US must be just as vigilant as anyone else because we are the prime target, actually we need to be more vigilant. It seems that we need a direct line to our congress man/woman and our senators, just to give them our position on new laws which, it often seems, are… Read more »

TRUTH BE TOLD

Rock – when has the un been a helping hand? It was created to destroy countries and bring on the one world government…. heavy handed? Their purpose is to destroy american so they should all be gathered and hung.

Rock

The UN needs to be sent packing ! What was once a helping hand has become a heavy hand, it’s time to remove it.

Janek

As President Donald Trump will save the ‘Free World’ when he converts the UN headquarters building into condominiums.