COLUMN: On Parliament Hill – Targeting law-abiding firearms owners does nothing to stop gun crime

The Trudeau Liberals have doubled down on yet another failed policy by announcing another attack on legal firearms owners.

The Trudeau government announced the new measures late last week, adding an additional 300 models to the “banned” firearms list, including popular hunting rifles.

This should come as no surprise to persecuted legal firearms owners. Justin Trudeau has been clear he plans to ban hunting rifles. In December 2022 he confirmed it:

“Our focus now is on saying okay, there are some guns, yes, that we’re going to have to take away from people who were using them to hunt.”

Instead of going after illegal guns used by criminals, Justin Trudeau is focused on taking hunting rifles and shotguns from law-abiding farmers, hunters, and Indigenous peoples.

To make matters worse, the Liberals have used the tragic circumstances of Canada’s worst mass shootings in Nova Scotia (committed with illegal guns) and (with these new additions) the anniversary of the 1989 Ecole Polytechnique shootings in Quebec as justification. That’s not symbolic, it’s disgraceful.

On May 1, 2020, Justin Trudeau first announced a ban on “assault-style firearms” and promised “to implement a buy-back program as soon as possible to safely remove these firearms and to introduce legislation as early as possible.”

Overnight, 1,500 models of legal firearms became illegal. With the stroke of a pen, Justin Trudeau criminalized legal, trained, licensed, law-abiding hunters, farmers, sports shooters and indigenous and rural Canadians. All while completely ignoring the rising rate of crimes committed with illegal guns by criminals.

Four years later, the government has spent $75 million on the firearms “buyback” program—without collecting a single gun.

The gun confiscation is not dissimilar to Trudeau’s carbon tax in that he keeps doubling down despite the policy having made absolutely no difference—except to make the lives of Canadians more difficult and expensive.

In reality, under Trudeau, gun crime in Canada has just been getting worse.

Violent gun crime has increased 116 percent since Justin Trudeau was elected as Prime Minister.

Police Associations across Canada have been clear that Justin Trudeau’s gun bans are not working.

The Toronto Police Association says: “Criminals did not get your message. Our communities are experiencing a 45 percent increase in shootings and a 62 percent increase in gun-related homicides compared to this time last year. What difference does your handgun ban make when 85 percent of guns seized by our members can be sourced to the United States? Your statement is out of touch and offensive to victims of crime and police officers everywhere. Whatever you think you’ve done to improve community safety, has not worked.”

The Surrey Police Union says: “The federal handgun freeze fails to address the real issue: the surge of illegal firearms coming across our borders and ending up in the hands of violent criminals. Our members are on the front lines of gang violence daily, risking their lives to protect the public. How can we truly ensure community safety when 85 percent of seized firearms are traced back to the U.S.?”

The President of the Vancouver Police and BC Police Association says: “Stopping legal sales won’t stop criminals from getting guns illegally. You’re only restricting law-abiding citizens while doing little to address actual crime and violence.”

Violent gun crime is also on the rise because of the disastrous catch-and-release bail system the Liberals created with Bill C-75. Now, violent repeat offenders (including those who have used guns) are back out on the streets within hours, committing more crimes.

Inexplicably, at the same time the Liberals have law-abiding firearms owners in their crosshairs, they have lowered the penalties for actual criminals. With Bill C-5 the Liberals have reduced penalties for at least nine gun crimes, including:

• Using a firearm or imitation firearm in commission of an offence

• Possession of firearm or weapon knowing its possession is unauthorized

• Possession of prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition

• Possession of weapon obtained by commission of offence

• Importing and Exporting knowing it is unauthorized

• Discharging firearm with intent

• Discharging firearm — recklessness

• Robbery with a firearm

• Extortion with a firearm

It makes no sense.

Nobody knows better the responsibility and social covenant of owning a firearm than law-abiding, licensed gun owners.

Only Conservatives support common-sense firearms policies that keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals (like securing our border and jail not bail for violent repeat offenders).

Only Conservatives will repeal Justin Trudeau’s ineffective bans and respect law-abiding firearms owners.

Only a common sense Conservative government can bring home real policies to stop the crime and keep Canadians safe.