Alberta Attorney General Tyler Shandro issued a stern notice to the Trudeau Liberals, announcing the province is seizing back constitutional power from the feds to protect legal gun-owners from being persecuted under Bill C-21.

“Albertans have had enough. So today we are taking action,” Shandro said.

“First, as Alberta’s attorney general, I have directed that the Alberta crown prosecution service takeover the handling of charges involving the Firearms Act starting January 1st 2023.”

He said as things currently stand, the federal government handles these matters. 

Shandro’s announcement on Thursday effectively protects legal gun owners from suddenly becoming criminals if Bill C-21 comes into force.

Shandro said he sent a letter to the federal minister of justice to let him know of the shift of jurisdictional duties.

“Alberta’s crown prosecution service already has the expertise to take on this work, and any further resources will be provided.”

Shandro further stated that “a new protocol has been issued to crown prosecutors, which outlines how to handle charges related to the Federal Firearms Ban.”

He said Alberta’s new protocol instructs crown prosecutors not to pursue criminal charges for anyone in possession of a banned firearm if: 

• The accused lawfully obtained the firearm or prohibited device prior to May 1, 2020.
• The firearm or prohibited device was reclassified as prohibited on May 1, 2020.
• The accused has not been charged with any other offences related to the possession or use of that firearm.

Last month, the Trudeau Liberals snuck in an amendment to Bill C-21, intended to ban virtually all semi-automatic firearms. 

Subsequently, Conservative MP Raquel Dancho accused the Trudeau Liberals of lying about their intentions.

Shandro said the amendments entail thousands of Albertans would become criminals unless they turned in their guns.

“If these amendments are successful, Bill C-21 will be the most sweeping and arbitrary ban in Canadian history. The ban will not only be unenforceable, but it will criminalize hundreds of thousands of Canadians.”