A prominent Canadian firearms retailer has closed its doors, citing "increased uncertainty, mounting regulatory pressure, & a political environment that's made it progressively more difficult for lawful firearms businesses to survive."Alberta Tactical Rifle Supply of northeast Calgary has announced that it will be closing its doors effective Tuesday."This is not the ending we envisioned, nor one we reached lightly," the firearms retailer wrote in a statement posted to their website.The statement cites the political environment, regulatory stress, and market uncertainty as reasons for their closure, saying that "government policy and ineffective firearms prohibitions have taken a very real toll — not on crime, but on Canadian companies, workers, and responsible firearms owners who have done everything asked of them.".ATRS says that government policy has made it increasingly difficult to operate.Despite their closure, ATRS says that they hope the Canadian firearm community will remain strong and resilient in the face of mounting regulatory and political pressure."We remain hopeful that the Canadian firearms community will continue to endure, adapt, and push forward. This industry has always been built by resilient people who refuse to let poor policy extinguish legitimate passion, craftsmanship, and innovation."Reactions have poured in from across the Canadian firearms community, with people lamenting the closure of ATRS and the current state of firearm ownership in Canada."Aw man, ATRS was a mainstay for eons. This sucks," one wrote. "Liberals destroying law abiding businesses & fueling black markets," wrote another.ATRS also noted how thankful they are for the customers they had, saying that "your loyalty allowed us to do work we were genuinely proud of, and for that we will always be grateful."
