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Justice Minister and Attorney General of Alberta Tyler Shandrocpac / YouTube

EDMONTON, Alberta  (LifeSiteNews) –– The province of Alberta is pushing back against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal gun grab by introducing a bill that would strengthen the province’s role in regulating the firearms of its citizens. 

Last week, Bill 8, known as the Alberta Firearms Act, passed its second reading in the Alberta Legislature. The bill was introduced by Minister of Justice and Attorney General Tyler Shando, who said the bill shows that the government of Alberta “stands” with legal gun owners. 

“Once passed, the Alberta Firearms Act will be the most comprehensive provincial firearms framework in the country,” said Shandro in a press release about the bill. “By establishing in legislation the role of Alberta Chief Firearms Officer, this legislation will elevate the responsibilities and legal mandate of the office to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Alberta stands unequivocally with hunters, farmers, sport shooters, and Indigenous peoples, all of whom understand the importance of responsible firearm ownership to Alberta’s heritage and culture,” added the minister. 

Bill 8, should it become law, would specifically make it so that the province’s Chief Firearms Officer (CFO) can have a clearer and stronger role in gun regulation, with the goal being to stifle as much as possible any federal gun laws, both now and in the future. 

Once passed, the Alberta Firearms Act will strengthen Alberta’s ability to regulate, administer, and advocate on behalf of firearms owners,” explained the government. 

Alberta’s CFO Teri Bryant said about Bill 8 that it will “provide stronger support to the law-abiding firearms community whose activities are essential to the economic vibrancy and cultural heritage of our province.” 

The primary motivation by the introduction of Bill 8 is to push back against the Trudeau government’s much-maligned gun buyback programs.

Critics have long blasted Trudeau’s gun grab efforts, with most of the recent ire being directed at his government’s Bill C-21.  

Much of this controversy arose because Bill C-21 was initially introduced by the Trudeau government under the guise of restricting handgun sales, and the Trudeau government only added certain hunting rifles to the list of banned firearms under C-21 after the debate period of the bill had concluded.  

The last-minute additions were blasted by Indigenous Canadians, hunters, farmers, and opposition MPs as a crass attempt to try and ban most guns and take them away from their legal owners.   

After initially denying his bill would impact hunters, Trudeau eventually admitted that C-21 would indeed ban certain types of hunting rifles.   

While the Trudeau government is standing by the controversial bill, C-21 has faced rare bipartisan pushback, ultimately leading to the legislation being placed  on hold until well into 2023. 

According to the Alberta government, Bill 8 will introduce the ability to make regulations that would allow for the “licensing of seizure agents” and develop a “Firearms Compensation Committee to set out Alberta’s expectation that owners receive fair compensation for their firearm.” 

The bill would also create a set of requirements for “forensic and ballistic testing of all confiscated firearms when deemed necessary; and the requirement that municipalities and municipal police services meet regulatory requirements before entering into any firearms-related funding agreements with the federal government.” 

Alberta is not the only place in Canada that has taken issue with the Trudeau government’s approach to guns.

In fact, a total of five Canadian jurisdictions – four provinces and one territory – have announced their opposition to Trudeau’s federal buyback schemes.    

In similar fashion as Alberta, the government of  Saskatchewan has also introduced legislation that will ensure their governments alone are responsible for enforcing federal gun laws.    

After the widespread pushback, however, reports surfaced in January that the Trudeau government was looking at potentially hiring “third parties” to carry out its plans if the provinces refuse. 

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