With a new handgun ban in the works for 2022, questions are being asked about the purpose of the proposed Liberal bill..“A handgun ban for lawful owners while reducing penalties for the criminal use of handguns? How stupid does the prime minister think Canadians are? The Liberal’s agenda is clearly about civilian disarmament, not crime control,” Tony Bernardo, executive director of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association, told the Western Standard..“Police from across Canada have clearly spoken out, stating Trudeau’s handgun ban scheme is silly fluff and will have no impact on firearms crime at all. Why isn’t the prime minister listening to his own experts?”.Early in the new year, the Liberals will move to set aside a billion dollars for provinces to use to ban handguns and enforce new laws, says a media report from the Toronto Star..The report said cities may also be able to access money from the fund to make handguns illegal in their areas..“Since the inception of Trudeau’s silly handgun ban idea, the only province or city that has shown the tiniest sincere interest has been Quebec, specifically Montreal. This begs the question, is this simply another tactic to funnel a billion dollars plus into Trudeau’s constituency?” said Bernardo..It’s the latest move by the Justin Trudeau government against firearms, starting with its gun grab scheme earlier this year..Just last week the Liberals announced it’s moving again to eliminate the mandatory minimum prison (MMPs) times handed to people convicted of some gun crimes..A proposed Liberal bill would affect 14 Criminal Code sections and six drug-related offences..The gun offences that would see MMPs dropped include possessing a restricted firearm with ammunition, weapons trafficking, discharging a firearm while committing an offence, reckless discharge of a firearm, and extortion and robbery with a firearm..It follows a similar bill the party introduced in February that died without being passed when the election was called in August..Details on a buy back program for the nearly 1,500 “assault rifle style” firearms have not been announced yet. Some experts said the costs could soar into the billions and certainly become a “boondoggle.”.Under the new regulations, these guns could not be legally used, transported, sold, transferred or bequeathed.“They cannot be used legally as firearms,” said Public Safety Minister Bill Blair when he announced the gun grab..The new restrictions will also include new “red flag” and “yellow flag” laws that would allow people, such as concerned friends or relatives, to apply to the courts for the removal of a person’s firearms..Blair said these laws could be used in cases of domestic violence and concerns about mental health..The program will pay some compensation to owners of firearms that were made illegal – but some experts say it will cost taxpayers billions of dollars and turn into a boondoggle..Gary Mauser, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute, said whatever plan the Liberals come up with will likely end up being a billion-dollar boondoggle, adding any buy back plan could cost up to $5 billion..“Minister (Bill) Blair claimed the cost for the “buy back” of roughly 250,000 firearms would be between $400 million and $600 million — $375 million for the guns and presumably the rest for overhead. That is, if owners comply,” Mauser wrote in a January blog, published before the firearms ban was announced..“However, the actual full cost of the ‘buy back’ won’t be $600 million; it will be much more.”.Ewa Sudyk is a reporter with the Western Standard
