Canadian officials acknowledged they have recorded only one reported use of the country’s firearm “red flag” law since it took effect, while critics argue the government cannot demonstrate whether the policy has improved public safety.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Canada’s federal government has collected virtually no measurable data on the effectiveness of its nationwide firearm “red flag” law since the legislation was introduced nearly three years ago, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation report.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government unveiled Bill C-21 in May 2022 as part of a broader firearms package that sought to halt handgun transfers, establish a mandatory confiscation program for certain semi-automatic firearms, and create emergency firearm prohibition provisions commonly referred to as “red flag” laws. The legislation later received Royal Assent in December 2023.
Despite the law being in effect for well over a year, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported in March that authorities had not maintained meaningful records detailing how frequently the measure had been used.
According to statements provided to CBC by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, only one “red flag” order had been entered into the Canadian Firearms Information System since Dec. 15, 2023. The same number was later repeated in an official parliamentary response to Conservative Member of Parliament Frank Caputo of British Columbia.
The Canadian Ministry of Public Safety told the Daily Caller News Foundation that courts and judicial officials are responsible for notifying Chief Firearms Officers whenever prohibition orders are issued, amended, or revoked.
“Courts, judges, and justices must inform the Chief Firearms Officer (CFO) of jurisdiction of any prohibition order that they make, vary, or revoke, including emergency prohibition orders (‘red flag’ laws),” the ministry stated. “These court orders are held in the Canadian Firearms Information System (CFIS) and accessible to CFOs.”
The ministry also directed further questions about the data to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and provincial firearms officials.
Gun-rights advocates in Canada said the lack of tracking undermines the government’s claims that the law improves safety.
“The real story here is the government isn’t even trying to dispute the reality that their new regulation isn’t working,” Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights Executive Director Rod Giltaca told the DCNF. “They need only continue to gaslight our people and attack the reputations of those who disagree with them. Actual public safety continues to elude Canadians.”
Blair Hagen, executive vice president of Canada’s National Firearms Association, also criticized the law and the rationale behind it.
“The position of Canada’s National Firearms Association is that these laws have failed to have any effect on reducing violence and that they were imposed on dubious ideological grounds at the behest of the civil disarmament lobby,” Hagen told the DCNF.
“Red flag” laws allow courts to temporarily confiscate firearms from individuals deemed to present a danger to themselves or others based on reported behavior or alleged threats. Similar laws currently exist in 22 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, according to the United States Concealed Carry Association.
Following the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, multiple states enacted similar statutes.
American Second Amendment advocacy organizations have continued to oppose the measures, arguing they can deny constitutional protections without criminal convictions or traditional due process safeguards.
“The problem with laws that preemptively strip gun owners of their rights without appropriate due process is that they provide runaway government carte blanche to abuse people that have committed no crime,” the Second Amendment Foundation told the DCNF.
“It’s all too common for politicians to happily spend taxpayer money on press tours announcing their most recently enacted infringement, but there’s rarely the same investment in accountability for that new policy in action,” the organization continued.
The group also argued that the Canadian government’s inability to provide detailed usage figures raises additional concerns about transparency and oversight.
“It’s entirely reasonable for Canadians to want to know exactly how many people have been disarmed as a result of this Red Flag Law, and a dismissive shrug from the government does not communicate its respect for the rights of the governed,” the organization stated.
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