Handgun sales at Saskatoon gun shop shot up before ban

For Saskatoon’s Back Forty Guns and Gear, the lead-up to the freeze on handgun sales was great for business.

“Someone would be calling for a firearm. Somebody would bring one in — it was sold before we even put it on the on the counter,” said Back Forty employee Lance Kelsey.

In May, the federal government announced a freeze on importing, buying, selling or otherwise transferring handguns in order to help stem firearm-related violence.

Prior to the ban coming into effect on Oct. 21, Back Forty Guns and Gear handgun sales roughly doubled.

Since the freeze, the store feels the impact — and not just to gun sales. The store’s Canada Restricted Fire Arms course has seen an intake drop by roughly 40 per cent.

“I’m not happy at all. It's a waste of government money. The money could be definitely spent somewhere else. Maybe (towards stopping) gang violence,” said Kelsey.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino held a news conference in the Vancouver area to announce the regulations had come into effect.

A temporary ban on the importation of handguns into Canada that kicked in Aug. 19 remains in place.

"We have frozen the market for handguns in this country," Trudeau said. "This is one of the strongest actions we've taken on gun violence in a generation."

In response to the announcement of the ban, the Saskatoon Wildlife Federation saw its membership surge.

“We saw a huge spike and the spike never really slowed down right through the summer and into the fall,” said Executive Director of the Saskatoon Wildlife Federation, Todd Holmquist.

In total it added about 500 people to its membership of roughly 3000.

Holmquist says he’s confident that even with the ban in place membership will continue to grow.