Quebec provincial police (SQ) have started contacting the spouses of licensed gun owners as part of an initiative to try to identify potential cases of domestic violence, where a firearm is present in the home. Over the years, there have been numerous campaigns to try to curb intimate partner violence. Now, the SQ is going beyond awareness. “What we do is we do random public safety calls to the spouses of firearm licence holders with the objective of breaking that barrier, making that initial contact, and providing, a preventative measure,” said SQ investigator Justin Nolette. Officers who call will ask whether the spouse has any concern or fear for their safety. If the answer is yes, the case is transferred to an investigator. “We want to remove firearms from the households where there’s a potential risk,” said Nolette. Otherwise, the call ends. “We’ve been getting a lot of responses of people, being appreciative of the call, mostly surprised,” said Nolette. For advocates working with victims of domestic violence, the presence of a gun in the home is a major red flag. “When they hear that, this is something that really elevates the danger level to 200 per cent,” said Melpa Kamateros, the head of Shield of Athena. Kamateros says proactive measures like this, and a new Quebec bill that would allow people to obtain the conjugal violence history of their partners, are steps in the right direction. “What we’re looking at is to bolster the whole system,” said Kamateros. “More resources, more awareness, and more services for women and children who are caught up in this type of violence.” Canada’s gun owners lobby says that while it is supportive of initiatives to prevent domestic violence, they have questions about how high the bar will be for confiscation. “I would be curious what these questions are, and at what level do they start revoking licences?” said Rod Giltaca of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights. The SQ says that each case would require a thorough investigation, and the Firearms Act of Canada lays out specific criteria for revoking licences. “We always took domestic violence very seriously, as it doesn’t mix well with firearms,” said Nolette. “That’s the basis and the uptick of femicides and, is definitely a motivation.” There has been a 155 per cent increase in tips called in by spouses to the SQ firearms bureau in the past six months. Police are encouraging more people to reach out if they are concerned for their safety.
