Ruling in Inuit gun challenge expected soon
WebPosted Jul 7 2003 10:17 AM CDT
IQALUIT, Nunavut - The deadline for gun owners to register their firearms has come and gone. But Inuit in Nunavut are still waiting for a court ruling that will determine if the new federal law applies to them.
James Eetoolook, the first vice president of the Nunavut Tunngavik, says until the ruling, Inuit are protected from prosecution by an interim court injunction.
"This could change very suddenly, depending on the court decision that we expect to hear any week now," Eetoolook says.
Eetoolook says his organization isn't telling Inuit whether to register their guns or not. But he says since the forms aren't in Inuktitut, it makes it hard for many to comply.
So far police in Nunavut have not charged anybody with not registering their guns. Iqaluit RCMP Sgt. Harvey Sedden says his detachment is not looking for unregistered guns.
"It's not something that we're actively going around with a specific intent of enforcing," Sedden says.
"Typically it would be circumstances where we come across an offence while we're investigating something else."
Sedden says the RCMP is closely following the Nunavut Tunngavik court case challenging the gun law. He says the police will enforce the court ruling, whichever way it goes.
Copyright 2002 CBC
