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Saskatchewan has a new chief firearms officer.
Murray Cowan is to start in that role, and that of deputy commissioner of the Saskatchewan Firearms Office, on Monday.
Cowan will report to Robert Freberg, who now is Saskatchewan’s firearms commissioner.
Freberg was named the province’s first chief firearms officer in September of 2021. Previously, the federal government had appointed the people who held that office in the province.
According to the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety, Cowan has more than 45 years of firearms-related experience and nearly 40 years of service in public safety. He served with the Estevan Police Service for 30 years, attaining the rank of deputy chief in 2017.
An active member of the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police, Cowan is an avid outdoorsman, hunter, target shooter and firearms enthusiast.
“I am excited and honoured for the opportunity to become a part of the Saskatchewan Firearms Office and will be dedicated to upholding the rights and safety of legal firearm owners in our province,” Cowan said in a release.
“I am eager to collaborate with dedicated and skilled professionals of the Saskatchewan Firearms Office in my new role, to navigate the complexities we face, and to seize the potential for positive change. This includes working alongside our law enforcement partners, Indigenous governments in Saskatchewan and all our community stakeholders.”
While Saskatchewan still follows federal gun laws, the province’s chief firearms officer has discretion over how those rules are applied.
“We are thrilled to welcome Murray to our team,” Freberg said in the release. “His breadth of experience, firearms knowledge, and deep understanding of the Saskatchewan people we serve will be instrumental in guiding our office toward achieving our objectives and delivering effective programming.”
In April of last year, the provincial government passed the Saskatchewan Firearms Act, which is aimed at improving public safety and protecting the rights of lawful gun owners. The act set up a provincial firearms regulatory system to “promote the safe and responsible use of firearms.”
The legislation also took steps to minimize the impact of federal gun bans on lawful gun owners.
