Given that a period of 10 years hasn't been accepted, this amendment proposes a period of 20 years.
Let's see what might happen if the background check period was set to lifetime.
My father is 70 years old. Suppose, when he's retired, he decides to undergo firearms training in order to obtain a licence. A background check that covers his entire life, so 70 years, would be done. Logically speaking, how could that be done? It makes no sense.
Customs were different 50 years ago, in the 1960s. He could have done something that was proper then but isn't anymore. Things change in 50 years. He would be denied a licence because something might have happened 50 or 55 years ago.
That may make sense in the case of someone who is 25 or 30 years old, but not in the case of people who are 50, 60 or 70 years old. They may decide to go sport shooting or hunting because they never had the time when they were working. Now they have time and would like to go duck hunting, for example. Then we would go through their whole lives. A 20-year period is still a long time in a lifetime. Such a period would provide a profile of the individual and provide a good idea of the person.
Mr. Chair, we need to be a little logical.