Ottawa to review RCMP decision to prohibit Swiss Arms rifle

A rifle owner checks the sight of his rifle at a hunting camp property in rural Ontario west of Ottawa, Sept. 15, 2010. (Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

OTTAWA -- The Harper government, which has championed the rights of gun owners for years, is reviewing a decision by the RCMP to effectively ban a previously legal rifle.

The National Firearms Association says the Mounties have reclassified the Swiss Arms Classic Green carbine as a prohibited weapon, essentially banning it.

Alberta Tory MP Chris Warkentin raised the issue in question period Friday, saying the rifles had been legally sold for a decade.

He says there have never been any criminal events reported involving the weapon, but it has been banned at the stroke of a pen.

Roxanne James, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of Public Safety, says the government is troubled by the ruling and will review what she calls an unfortunate decision.

She says a number of options are being explored.

The issue is a tricky one for the Harper government, which campaigned for years to eliminate the long-gun registry and even went to court to keep Quebec from holding on to existing records from the registry.

"We are in fact very troubled by the situation that has arisen from the Swiss Arms rifle," James told the House of Commons. "This decision was made by bureaucrats and not by politicians."

The firearms association said in a statement that there are 1,000 to 1,800 of the rifles in Canadian hands.

"The government will not be offering compensation and will be demanding that the firearms, which cost between $3,000-$4,000 be surrendered," the statement said.

"The government is suggesting that all affected firearms owners contact the distributors from which the firearms were purchased for reimbursement."

James said the issue of compensation is being studied.

"I would like to let all Canadians know that all options are on the table to ensure that no firearms owner who acted in good faith suffers any consequences as a result of this terrible situation," she said.

The firearms association said the ban is part of a quiet RCMP effort to prohibit firearms in Canada.

"Access-to-information records show that RCMP have an aggressive firearms reclassification agenda and that prohibitions will not stop with the Swiss Arms series rifles," the association said on its website.

Its Facebook page is even more direct with this posting: "Has RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson declared war on law-abiding firearm owners?"

The association said the weapons have been around for years without incident and some of them were even formally listed in the gun registry before the RCMP decided on prohibition.

The RCMP has not given an explanation of its decision.

The gun association calls it an assault on the rights and private property of law-abiding gun owners.

It's urging people to contact the government and write their MPs to get the decision overturned.