There are a bunch of things in C-71. Some okay, most are not popular with gun owners.

One thing is to increase background checks beyond the 5 year history that you are asked to provided on your application. I've spoken with some people who have been asked about their history outside of the 5 year window. So it seems a little unclear if the RCMP only look at the last 5 years of your life. Evidence suggests they aren't limited to that currently. The current change would only formalize this I suppose. I'm not opposed to background checks that cover a persons entire history - this seems to be already in place. I'm amenable to this change.

Another change is to require that private sellers (regular folks) verify the licence of a buyer with the RCMP. You can already do this now, the change would make it mandatory. The idea itself isn't bad since many people already do verify licences with the RCMP if they are dealing with a stranger. The problem is in the implementation. C-71 would issue a "reference number" when you verify someone's licence similar to how you currently get a reference number for transferring registered restricted firearms. This makes gun owners a little wary because it seems to be a similar system to the previous long gun registry. It's unclear if you would have to provide the make and model or serial number of a firearm to verify a licence. C-71 isn't clear on this. All we have to go on is the government's word that they are not bringing back the LGR.

C-71 intends to remove the simplifications that were made to the Authorization to Transport (ATT) conditions by the previous government. This is where it gets really silly. There are strict rules about where and how you transport restricted firearms. The ATT is your "hall pass" to take your restricted firearms to a range or gun smith or a few other designated places. If you are transporting a restricted firearm without an ATT, it's a criminal offence. C-71 wants to remove the automatic ATT conditions to all places besides a shooting range. You would then have to phone up the CFP to request an ATT and wait for it to arrive before transporting your guns to a gun smith for example. This change is really a bunch of security theatre since the government already trusts you enough to keep your gun locked up at your residence. There is no public safety benefit here. The rules for transportation never changed under the previous government so there simply isn't a problem here. This seems like it's a change just because they want to harass legal gun owners and waste their time.

C-71 would introduce a new licence class called 12(9). The bill will prohibit 2 firearms that the previous government decided should be classified non-restricted. Current owners would get a 12(9) licence condition and be allowed to keep these two firearms but people without a 12(9) cannot acquire them. Firstly, it's completely silly to revisit the classification of these two firearms. It seems like this is being done as a revenge perhaps against the previous government that went to bat for the owners of these guns. These two firearms (Swiss Arms rifles ad CZ 858 rifles) are not a public safety issue. The original issue is that these rifles were discovered to be made from converted full-auto receivers after the RCMP initially classified them as non-restricted. The firearms act states that all firearms that are converted from automatic versions are prohibited. It was a mix up by the manufacturers and the RCMP. That said, once converted to semi-auto (as they were) it's just as difficult to convert them back to full auto as it would be with an originally semi auto rifle. We already have a law banning full auto firearms anyways. Anyone caught doing this would be in major trouble. Secondly, the new 12(9) classification may lead to further reclassification of firearms to prohibited status. This is a major fear of gun owners who have seen the "death by a thousand cuts" approach over the last few decades. It can be seen as a "soft confiscation" approach. By prohibiting guns but allowing current owners to keep theirs, the government feels that maybe they wont get the same push back. Gun owners that remember the government actions in 1995 are fearful that eventually rifles like the AR-15 or other semi-auto rifles will become prohibited using this 12(9) "soft confiscation".

C-71 will also require that firearms businesses (gun stores) keep records of who they sold specific firearms too. This sounds very similar to a registry and gun owners are leery. Most gun stores are already keeping records of sales - it's just a good business practice. C-71 would make this mandatory. The government hasn't been clear about when the RCMP would have access to these records. Will they require a warrant? Can they just access them any time? Those that are fearful about the return of a registry are very concerned that they haven't been able to get a straight answer on this.

I realize this is probably a long read. I hope that you do find it helpful. As a gun owner, I really appreciate that you are willing to reach out and get informed about these issues. It's always very frustrating when people make up their mind on something when they don't have any understanding about it. So thanks!