The federal Liberal government is moving ahead with its agenda to ban modern sporting rifles and allowing municipalities to restrict handgun possession within their boundaries.
Several rifles banned
Calling them “military-style assault rifles,” the Liberals banned several models of semi-automatic centrefire rifles (modern sporting rifles) in the wake of the Nova Scotia shooting. The legislation to pass the bill was done through an Order in Council, where Cabinet makes the decision and the matter doesn’t come before the House of Commons. The RCMP then have the power to decide which models should be banned.
Both this move, and allowing municipalities to ban handguns, dates back to the mandate letter Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness in 2018.
“You should lead an examination of a full ban on handguns and assault weapons in Canada, while not impeding the lawful use of firearms by Canadians,” the letter said. Both were again reiterated in this fall’s throne speech.
No bidders for program
A request for proposal was held for private companies to run the buyback program, but there were no successful bidders according to Public Safety Canada. A revised request for proposals with feedback from the industry was issued.
“This will work towards ensuring that we have the work product we need to design the best buyback that ensures that affected owners and businesses are compensated fairly and implementation costs are well priced and sustainable,” said Zarak Malik, spokesperson for Public Safety Canada.
“We remain committed to introducing a buyback program during the amnesty period. We continue to look at a range of options and will work with the provinces, territories and First Nations to get this right for law-abiding gun owners and businesses.”
On the handgun ban, Malik said, “With regard to the timeline for introducing legislation to allow cities to ban handguns, no timeline has been set, but the government intends to introduce legislation at the earliest opportunity.”
OFAH speaks out
Matt DeMille, manager of fish and wildlife services with the OFAH, said there were no surprises in the throne speech, with both the modern sporting rifle and handgun issues being a part of it.
“We continue to oppose municipal firearm bans and remain very concerned with the potential implications that a patchwork of firearms policies would have across the province,” DeMille said. “We have been encouraged by the Government of Ontario’s unwavering position of not wanting to target lawful gun owners. The OFAH has been proactively working at the provincial level to seek support that would help to minimize unnecessary firearm restrictions at the municipal level.”
DeMille questioned spending money on a buyback in the middle of the pandemic but said it would be necessary if they follow through.
“First and foremost, the OFAH has maintained a position that most of the May 1 prohibitions aren’t justifiable,” he said. “If the prohibitions remain in effect, then it is absolutely necessary for the federal government to have processes in place that allow for grandfathering and/or compensate Canadians for their property. The Government of Canada shouldn’t be spending money needlessly right now with what we are facing as a nation, but unless something changes with the prohibitions a buyback is needed, and it needs to be done right.”
Complete waste of my tax dollars during a pandemic. Go after criminals not law abiding sport shooters and people who choose to hunt for meat.
What good are all these portions as they never did any good.Tredeau is doing what he wants to and nobody is putting a halt to him or even a halt and a more look into it.ķ
The compliance rate for this stalinist stupid useless bill will be about 10% while blair and turdo ranking on the hate balance will go right off the scale. I had relatives in the last two great wars who shot better people than this pair of pathetic pukes.
The sad part of all of this is that they threw our Democracy out the window. By, using an OIC that Pierre Trudeau had written into our Charter, in the 80`s. Without voting on bills and such in a sitting parliament. It is either a Dictatorship or a police state? Which brings me to the fact that they RCMP; can band more firearms on their own without parliament voting? I don`t remember them on the ballot last time I voted? I never voted them in? Did anyone else?
Canada has to make these people accountable. Stop them from hiding behind the Secrets Act. The Scary thing is, what are they hiding from us? if they have to evoke this? We vote them in, not Corporations?
My Father, as well as many Aunts and Uncles, fought for Canada in the Second and First World Wars. I was raised at a Tourist Camp in Northern Ontario. He taught me how to Hunt (look after the meat), Trap, Guide, Prospect and stake claims, etc. But the most important thing was to how to care for and keep in good shape, my Firearm. He said if you looked after it, it would look after you. He also warned me that the first thing Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini did was to band all firearms. His main rule was to always treat a firearm with due respect of a loaded one. I can still remember him saying: When they want to know who has, or start banning firearms? You better hide one, it won`t be long until you need it?
The “buyback” is a scam. It’s a scam for 3 reasons:
1. Where is the money for this “buyback” going to come from? General tax revenues? Gun owners are also tax payers. Mr. Blair wants to “buy back” our own guns with our own money!
2. Mr. Blair wants to pay me something for my gun but he is not willing to pay me anything for the accessories. I spent $800.00 for my gun and at least that much again on accessories, all of which are useless without the gun itself. His refusal to “buy back” my accessories means that I can only re- coup half of my investment. Only half? No sale, Mr. Blair!
3. These guns were never the property of the Crown of Canada in the first place. No government can buy back anything which was never its own property to begin with!
That’s it, folks. Mr. Blair can keep my tax dollars, and I’ll keep my gun.