Let me say right now that the Trudeau ban on assault firearms does not affect me, and I’m not against the elimination of fully automatic weapons from Canada. I also agree with Ms Campbell (“Democracy and Guns,” Citizen, 7 May) that persons who are mentally or emotionally unstable should not be allowed to bear arms. But the method of and reason for the ban are wrong.
The Order-in-Council approach for changing the law is unethical, if perhaps not unconstitutional, and must be resisted. If we do not object, PM Trudeau will think he can ban all firearms, pitchforks and oil products. That is undemocratic. Let him convene a debate and a vote in Parliament – but with a freed Liberal caucus – as Ms Campbell said he plans to do.
The 22 murdered persons in Nova Scotia were shot with one smuggled handgun, two smuggled rifles and a handgun taken from the body of the RCMP constable who was killed – not by any legal firearm.
The murderer had been denied the right to own firearms but owned, according to his father, “a helluva lot of guns.” He drove a car disguised as an RCMP vehicle, one of several he had owned, and wore a fake RCMP uniform. He should have been charged long ago with impersonating an officer. Removing that disguise alone would have saved at least the lives of two people who thought they were approached by an RCMP policeman.
Everything the killer did was already illegal. A new law was not needed.
Our “Public Safety Minister,” a former career policeman, carefully selected 1,500 firearm models (including an air rifle and a popular shotgun) to ban. He should know the difference between an AR-15 and a bb gun.
PM Trudeau allotted $600 million to buy legal firearms from legal owners, but only $60 million for security upgrades of a 5,000-mile-long border that is largely unfenced. Legal firearms have been lost in large numbers by the RCMP, the Canadian Armed Forces (likely in combat) and the Prime Minister’s personal bodyguard, but their improved security was not funded.
Every action taken by this federal government to prevent firearm deaths was misdirected and useless, and the ban was highly undemocratic. The absence of common sense is apparent; what is not apparent is how the Trudeau Liberals were elected to govern Canada. Twice.
I suspect that very few legal firearm owners believe they can protect their families from a deliberate attack by means of a personal firearm. Based on my Army experience, there is a pleasant challenge in competing against others – and against oneself – to shoot more accurately at a paper target. The sport is like any other, and patience, not rancour, is required. One Olympic competition is based on skiing and shooting.
A ban against fully automatic firearms is already in place. Do not complicate Canadian lives with unnecessary and excessive regulations.