Public Safety committee  Thank you. I'll put that question over to Mr. Wan, as our technical expert.

Public Safety committee  There has been the opening of meetings. It's in the preliminary stages at this point. We're hoping to develop far more connections and more meetings, so—

Public Safety committee  Safety in storage and transportation is something that we absolutely are interested in, and our community is not against it.

Public Safety committee  Yes. The U.K. model brings into place a requirement to be a member of an insured association before you can purchase an airsoft gun. There's a two-tier system in there in which the lower tier of airsoft items is coloured or partially transparent, and these are widely available.

Public Safety committee  Yes. I'll pass that over to Mr. Wan. He's a business owner himself.

Public Safety committee  Thank you for the opportunity to answer that question. I've been involved in the community since 2005. I've seen people...mostly young men, because the demographic does slide to young men participating in airsoft, although that's broadening now. The appeal is broadening. I've seen young men change before my eyes over a period of a couple of years, from basement dwellers who don't see the light of day to young men who are empowered and who become leaders and mentors in their own right.

Public Safety committee  Thank you. Specifically, we're seeking to empower the government to make regulations in the context of this bill, because regulations are where the rubber hits the road. We're looking for regulations that clearly define what a replica is, rather than the broad definition we have now, and hopefully define, specifically and exactly, what an airsoft gun is and how it fits within the context of the regulations.

Public Safety committee  Thank you for the question. I'll put that question over to my colleague Nicholas Martin, who is our community liaison. He can answer that question.

Public Safety committee  That's another very good question. The airsoft community and industry have been operating in an absence of regulation for a very long time, and one of the things we want to achieve by this process is to bring clear regulations into place so that not only players but importers and retailers all know the lay of the land and can predict outcomes.

Public Safety committee  Thank you. I appreciate that.

Public Safety committee  Thank you for your question. It's a very good one, and the answer to that question is no. The government did not consult the industry or the player associations that exist in various provinces before this bill was tabled. I think the volume of the response from our community, including direct submissions to this committee, perhaps made it clear to the honourable members that this is a serious issue, that many people are engaged in it and that when looking at legislating an industry away, consultation should be part of that process.

Public Safety committee  I'm going to pass that question over to my technical specialist, Mr. Ziming Wan.

Public Safety committee  Thank you, Chair. My name is Brian McIlmoyle. I'm a director at ASIC, the Saving Airsoft in Canada Association. I'm joined by Ziming Wan and Nicholas Martin by video conference. Thank you for inviting us here today. Airsoft is a sport practised by tens of thousands of Canadians all across the country.