Mr. Speaker, I well remember the meeting in St. John's to which the hon. member referred. I met on that occasion with two mothers whose young children had each lost an eye as a result of the misuse of BB guns or air guns.
As a result of that meeting I examined the manner in which air guns or BB guns are regulated in this country. I discovered that at present some of them are classified as firearms and therefore regulated as other guns are, the distinction being the muzzle velocity of the projectile. If the muzzle velocity is above a certain threshold, then they are regulated in terms of acquisition or possession as others guns are. The question is whether that threshold should be lowered to capture the commonly available BB gun and perhaps save the eyesight of children.
A recent research study at the University of Ottawa demonstrated that BB guns are the leading cause of eye loss among children in Canada which has to be troubling to us all.
May I tell the hon. member in conclusion that I am keenly aware of the problem. We have it under consideration and I will communicate further with the House when we have completed our analysis.