A look at whether they should ban hunting rifles and shotguns just shows how corrupt the Liberal government is, says the head of a Canadian firearms lobby group..A Western Standard story on Tuesday revealed the Liberals have been surveying Canadians – with results that show more than a third of Canadians want a ban on hunting rifles and shotguns..Public Safety Minister Bill Blair’s department commissioned the poll with those wanting the ban saying they were “not very or at all familiar” with firearms regulations..“Clearly, the Liberals are once again showing how deeply corrupt they are by releasing this report during the final days of an unnecessary election,” said Rod Giltaca, head of the Canadian Coaltion for Firearm Rights..“Gun control is not an issue in this election, but the Liberals are using the Ministry of Public Safety to make it one..“The results of this survey speak volumes about the real issue. People who know nothing about firearm regulation and ownership respond to simple, fear-based messaging and they’ll go along with what the government is advocating,” Giltaca said..“Those who know more on the topic understand what’s required to reduce violence and don’t support bans — it’s really a knowledge test.” .The findings are detailed in a March 24 report Firearms Public Awareness Research released on Monday..A quarter of Canadian households, 25%, own a firearm. Only 15% of Canadians surveyed rated gun-related violence “a major threat to public safety.” A total of 13% said it was “not at a threat at all.”.More than a third, 39%, said rifles and shotguns should be illegal. Sixty-three per cent said handguns should be banned. Findings were based on questionnaires with 2,000 Canadians nationwide and twenty focus groups in all regions of the country. Environics Research was paid $223,528 for the survey..Cabinet on May 1, 2020, banned the use of some 1,500 high-powered weapons. Owners have until 2022 to surrender their property to the police under a buy-back program..The Parliamentary Budget Office in a June 29 report put costs at $756 million, much higher than the Department of Public Safety’s estimate of a maximum $400 million..“An altruistic, responsible government would provide educational resources or at least, form an honest dialog with Canadians so they truly understand the issue. This is the exact opposite of what the Trudeau Government has done,” said Giltaca..“We’ve said from the beginning that the goal is to take everything, all guns from Canadians. The only variable is how long it takes to accomplish it..“It’s really hard to get our entire community to work together because gun owners are so diverse in what guns they own and what they mean to them. But I’d like to assure everyone that if you stand by while others are losing their guns, there’ll be no one left to help you when you’re losing yours.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
