New Brunswick’s Acting Chief Firearms Officer says they don’t have the manpower to track the mental health of gun owners.
Lysa Rossignol testified for the Desmond Fatality Inquiry in Guysborough Wednesday.
She said Desmond had a few interactions with police which flagged his licence, including an incident where his firearms were seized, before he killed his wife, daughter, mother, and himself in their Upper Big Tracadie home in 2017, but an investigation into each instance found no need to revoke the license.
Rossignol said they found out Desmond didn’t include his PTSD diagnosis on a 2014 application to upgrade his license from unrestricted to restricted when they called his reference, but she says this could have been due to confusion with the form.
She said, after a request for addition information, Desmond’s Doctor signed a declaration which indicated Desmond’s PTSD was managed and he didn’t have concerns about Desmond owning a firearm.
When asked if firearms officers followed up to see if mental health diagnoses changed while a license was held, Rossignol said they didn’t.
“To investigate a file, we have to have a reason,” she said. “The continuous eligibility is there for the duration of the five years that they have their license, and then when they reapply it starts back up again.”
Rossignol said they do investigate licences when there is a complaint issued against it.
Testimony continues Thursday.
