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NUNAVUT
Police and wildlife officers are teaming up in a door-to-door, radio, and TV campaign to reduce the incidence of gun violence in Nunavut, RCMP and government officials said Sept. 28.

RCMP officers are teaming up with Nunavut wildlife officers to help reduce the incidence of gun violence in Nunavut, RCMP Chief Supt. Steve McVarnock said Sept. 28. - Casey Lessard/NNSL photo

"We want every firearm in the territory to have a trigger lock and we also want to make sure everybody feels very comfortable in where we are going and the benefits of where we're going," said Chief Supt. Steve McVarnock, commanding officer for Nunavut.

With 73 firearms-related complaints from January to September – on average one every four days – the RCMP is teaming up with the departments of Justice and Environment to spread a gun safety message. The campaign started Sept. 25 in Clyde River, where RCMP and justice officials hosted a town hall meeting. The conversation continued after three hours, at which point they had to stop the discussion.

"There was so much positive feedback that the two hours got extended to three hours and actually had to close due to other time constraints," McVarnock said. "There was definitely a large level of interest from the community."

Detachment commanders, who will be in Iqaluit at the end of October, will receive training and a soon-to-be released video they can share with education partners in their communities.

"The faces and voices are Inuit RCMP members on that video," which was created by an RCMP crew from Alberta, and will be used "to engage with our partners in education and deliver this information to the kids in the schools," he said.

Justice Minister Daniel Shewchuk praised the initiative as "vital to keeping our communities and children safe."

For Environment Minister James Arreak, whose wildlife officers will help spread the message in communities, it is important to find a balance that reduces gun violence but doesn't discourage responsible gun use.

"Preserving and respecting our Inuit hunting traditions is always a priority to us, as is the safety of our families and children."

Gun owners have a shared responsibility to keep their communities safe, McVarnock said.

"When somebody comes back into a community after being out on the land hunting, what we want to embrace in the thinking is that people will make that firearm safe and secure immediately upon returning to the community and going to their residence," he said.

The military is providing storage lockers for Canadian Rangers to secure their rifles. And in their door-to-door visits, RCMP officers will have gun locks available for gun owners.

"I liken it to impaired driving. If you come out of a bar or party, and you're going to a vehicle, if you don't have the keys to that vehicle, that vehicle no longer becomes a threat in your hands. If a weapon is laying there loaded in the house and has immediate access, that's where we have problems," McVarnock said. "We want to engage people in a positive and proactive way. Hopefully we can reduce the incidence of gun violence in the North here."

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