Chief Firearms Office Offside with New ATT Restrictions

OFAH FILE: 842
February 7, 2013
For Immediate Release

 CHIEF FIREARMS OFFICE OFFSIDE WITH NEW ATT RESTRICTIONS

OFAH questions timing and rationale of new regulation

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) is strongly opposed to an onerous new requirement being imposed on legal, law abiding firearms owners by the Chief Firearms Office (CFO). 

Anyone who owns and transports a prohibited or restricted firearm to a shooting range or club for the purpose of recreational sport shooting was previously required to have an Authorization to Transport (ATT) issued by the CFO. The new requirement will see every person who visits a range for the purposes of recreational sport shooting that is not their home club, required to obtain a letter of invitation from that range, in addition to the ATT they already have, before transporting their firearm. For some ranges, which are largely staffed by volunteers, this will mean a huge increase in the amount of paperwork that will be necessary before shooting competitions.

“Every trained and licenced firearms owner who uses firearms for recreational shooting at ranges is already subject to a stringent set of rules governing the use and transportation of their firearms. Authorizations to Transport (ATTs) have been in place since 1978 and the system has worked well. The sudden and seemingly arbitrary decision to add another layer of bureaucratic red tape to the process appears to be nothing more than a questionable attempt to fix something that’s not broken,” said Greg Farrant, OFAH Manager of Government Affairs & Policy. “The fact that the CFO imposed this new requirement, and did so with no prior notice or consultation with the affected parties is unacceptable.”

In a letter to shooting ranges and clubs dated January 28, 2013, the Chief Firearms Officer outlines the new changes, without providing any rationale for the change. 

“The letter refers to the vested interest that clubs and their members have in ensuring that shooting sports are pursued safely and in accordance with the law. In fact, these same clubs and members have been conducting their activities for decades under the previous rules, and doing so in a safe and responsible manner. What is missing from the equation is any justification of why the changes are necessary,” said Farrant.

The OFAH is the largest charitable, non-profit conservation based organization in Ontario, with 100,000 members, supporters and subscribers, over 710 member clubs and is the voice of anglers and hunters. For further information, visit our website at www.ofah.org.

-30-

Contact: