Recent amendments proposed by the Saskatchewan government will, they hope, not only prevent what they refer to as a patchwork of different laws but also support legal gun owners. New amendments to Bill 194 will limit the ability to ban firearm and handgun ownership within the province through municipal bylaws. 

Bill 194, introduced in November of 2019, was designed to "promote accountability, enhance efficiency and protect workers from reprisals". The new amendments prevent them from setting their own list of banned firearms, and Estevan MLA and Minister of Government Relations Lori Carr was among the vocal proponents of the amendments. 

"I think this amendment is very important," Carr said. "These are actually proactive steps that will ensure law-abiding citizens maintain the right to safe, legal firearm ownership in Saskatchewan. We really do look at this as preferring to take a position of encouraging education and safety with a focus on enforcement, while taking a tough stance on criminals who are actually breaking the law."

Carr said that what she's heard from her constituents that they would rather see a focus on enforcement and those who obtain and use firearms illegally. On this issue, she's seen some disconnect between what the province wants and the rhetoric coming from the federal government. 

"The Prime Minister has signalled and has put some wording in some of the stuff he's done lately regarding firearms," she said. "Now it still has to go through a bit of a process to get through the House, so whether that comes to fruition or not, we're not going to wait for that to happen. We're going to take proactive steps within the province."

The federal government had recently announced legislation that would allow municipalities to pass their own firearm laws. Though no municipalities in Saskatchewan had approached Carr about actually doing so, this removes the possibility of multiple different gun laws within a few small jurisdictions. 

"No one had actually indicated they were actually going to consider banning firearms," she said. "But we just really can't have that patchwork of legislation across the province. We need to have clear, consistent firearm rules right across the province."  

Carr added that the new rules won't prevent municipalities from opening up shooting ranges. They would be allowed to make bylaws regarding zoning and noise complaints. She also said she expects the official opposition, the provincial NDP, to actually side with them on this one, as she has heard leader Ryan Meili say he doesn't think patchwork laws are a good idea either.