Thanks so much, Chair, and thanks so much to the committee members.
Everybody should have a hard copy. Basically the change now is going to happen in subclause 18(0.1).
I move that Bill C-21 in Clause 18, be amended by replacing line 1 on page 17 with the following:
Paragraph 19(1)(b) of the Act is amended by adding the following after subparagraph (iii):
(iii.1) wishes to transport the firearm to another individual or business who holds a licence authorizing that individual or business to possess prohibited firearms or restricted firearms for purposes of storage for the time necessary for the individual to address a mental illness or similar problem, or
Then it says at the bottom of that:
(1) Subsection 19(2.1) of the Act is replaced by
As I discussed last night with those committee members who were here, the purpose of this is to provide that clarity to the firearms community, so that they understand that if they're dealing with a mental health challenge, especially for veterans dealing with PTSD and others, they have an ability to have their firearm temporarily stored with another appropriately licensed individual. It's important they know that this is an option that's available to them and that it's quite clear to them. Then they can seek the help they need and not turn away from it.
As well, it provides initial clarity to our chief firearms officers across the country to know that this is an avenue, and from my discussions with the officials, especially within the firearms program, it would likely help them from a prioritization standpoint to address these types of requests when they come in.
I'll leave my comments at that for now, Chair.