Public Safety committee  These are mainly technical changes, and the conditions would be further described in regulations. The technical impact of that is to ensure that transfers of firearms done by mail are done according to the requirements set out in the Firearms Act and the regulations in terms of ensuring that people are licensed.

Public Safety committee  If they have a licence, then it will not impact them.

Public Safety committee  The amendment proposes “other than handguns” in terms of criteria for the changes with regard to collection. It defines the criteria for an individual to be designated as a gun collector with respect to acquiring restricted or prohibited firearms and it just lists the criteria.

Public Safety committee  That's correct.

Public Safety committee  Because handguns are restricted firearms, you do have to register that transfer. Then, because of the regulations that were put in place and that came into force in October 2022, you would therefore not be able to transfer that back.

Public Safety committee  It would have to be a little bit earlier in the Firearms Act. Again, we would have to have a look at exactly where it would be, but it's a little bit earlier before section 28 of the Firearms Act.

Public Safety committee  Again, a transfer is a sort of permanent transaction. If your intent, or the intent of the amendment, is to go towards temporary storage, then I think at that point it's not a question of a transfer. It's not that permanent “from one party to another”.... It's a temporary hold. I'm just wondering if there might be—

Public Safety committee  Thank you. The motion proposes to amend clause 23 by adding to section 28 of the act. That whole provision deals with the approving of transfers, those permanent transfers of “sell, barter or give”. Then at that point, it might be better, if that is the intent, to maybe look at amendments to the “authorization to transport” sections in the act.

Public Safety committee  That's right.

Public Safety committee  I just want to ask the committee a clarifying question. Are we talking about temporary storage or are we actually talking about a transfer, where somebody is giving the firearm? You may want to consider, because those two words, in terms of “temporarily store” and “transfer” are in conflict.

Public Safety committee  Then in that case, if it's a question of temporary storage in which the clarity the committee wishes to provide is to the the chief firearms officer, it may be better to not put it in the transfer provisions, if it's a temporary storage issue, and to look at it going into the authorization-to-transport provisions elsewhere in the Firearms Act.

Public Safety committee  Perhaps I could add just a little comment. Transfer, with regard to the handgun freeze, again I'll go back to [Technical difficulty—Editor] which is barter, sell or give. Somebody who is temporarily storing it is not transferring the handgun. Therefore, there already is a mechanism, as my colleague from the CFP has outlined.

Public Safety committee  Can you repeat again?

Public Safety committee  Essentially it's treating it exactly like ammunition today.

Public Safety committee  Non-residents when they come to Canada get essentially—and I don't know the exact term for it, I'll turn to my colleagues—something like a temporary firearms licence when they enter Canada with their firearm.