Federal Government Ban on Military Assault Rifles Heavily Criticized

Federal Government Ban on Military Assault Rifles Heavily Criticized

Michelle Pinon News Advertiser

The federal government’s decision to ban military assault rifles came 13 days after the mass shooting in Nova Scotia which claimed the lives of 22 people.

Prime Minister Trudeau immediately banned the use, purchase, sale, and transport of 1,500 models of assault weapons. While details of the ban are still being drafted, owners of banned guns would have a two-year amnesty period to either surrender their weapons or sell them to buyers outside Canada if they acquire a permit.

Lakeland MP Shannon Stubbs reacted to the announcement by saying, “The vast majority of gun crimes are committed by thugs with illegally obtained firearms.

“In fact the Liberals previously reduced sentencing for violent crimes. All that changes today, (May 1), is that law-abiding firearms owners are at immediate legal risk of serious jail time if they unknowingly don’t comply with every new condition imposed by Prime Minister Trudeau’s regulatory order.”

She went on to say, “Without discussion, debate or a vote in Parliament, the Liberals will use a procedural tactic called an order in council that directs this ban from Prime Minister Trudeau’s desk through his Cabinet into law.

Canadians are rightly upset by the horrific attack in Nova Scotia and want answers. As the RCMP made clear, the Nova Scotia murderer did not have a firearms licence, so all of his guns were illegal. Taking firearms away from lawabiding citizens will not stop dangerous criminals who obtain their guns illegally.”

She said the ban does nothing to prevent gangs and thugs without a licence from using illegally sourced firearms, many of which are smuggled in from other countries. In addition, “It does not increase penalties or punishment for crimes committed with firearms or increasing monitoring or mental health supports for at-risk individuals.”

Stubbs said the Liberals forced through Bill C-71 before the 2019 election, disregarding the recommendations of Conservatives and the voices of thousands of Canadians, and ignoring more than 165,000 letters opposing Bill C-71. She pointed to her PC colleague Rachael Harder initiated Petition E1608 to stop Bill C-71 in Spring of 2018 received a total of 86,000 signatures. No direct action was taken as a result.

Conservative MP Glen Motz also initiated an online petition opposing the Liberals plan to ban military-style assault rifles he said they intended to do through an Order in Council. That petition that was open until February 15, 2020, had garnered over 170,000 signatures.

Al Rusnak, a firearms safety instructor from the Vegreville area, said he was also surprised the federal government would make a decision of this magnitude through an order in council.

Rusnak also questioned the logic behind blaming the object, in this case, military assault rifles are not the cause of the problem. For example, the tragedy in Toronto where the van was used for mass murder did not result in vans being blamed and owners’ vans being banned and confiscated. He said the money would be better spent on cracking down on drugs and weapons’ smuggling and making jail sentences appropriate for the crime. He pointed out that information collected regarding crime guns’ classification is inconsistent through the various police organizations and jurisdictions. In preparing statistical data the information cannot vary in how it is collected to be complied in an accurate statistical report. Minister Blair did not have a lot of facts or figures to back up his claims. Rusnak added campaign promises touted transparency and accountability and that parliamentary decisions would be made on fact-based data “How can you debate the facts without all the information?”