In a surprise move, the Liberals have withdrawn their amendments to gun control Bill C-21, which would have targeted rifles and shotguns popular with hunters in an effort to ban assault-style weapons..Liberal MP Taleeb Noor Mohamed (Vancouver Granville Province, BC) announced the amendments would be withdrawn at the the House of Commons public safety committee on Friday morning..Bill C-21 builds on a May 2020 regulatory ban of more than 1,500 models and variants of what the government calls "assault-style firearms." The bill was initially intended to target handguns, but late-stage amendments expanded the law to include assault-style rifles..The amendment also would have banned long guns that generate more than 10,000 joules of energy, or guns with a muzzle wider than 20 millimetres, which that would have rendered many common firearms illegal..Last Dec. 5, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, QC) claimed Bill C-21 was being reviewed to ensure it wouldn't target legitimate gun use. He later accused the Conservative Party of spreading "misinformation and disinformation" about the Liberals going after hunting rifles and shotguns..But on Dec 20, Trudeau admitted there were some hunting rifles and shotguns that would be targetted by the bill. "Our focus now is on saying 'OK, there are some guns, yes, that we're going to have to take away from people who were using them to hunt.' But, we're going to also make sure that you're able to buy other guns from a long list of guns that are accepted that are fine for hunting, whether it's rifles or shotguns," he said..NDP leader Jagmeet Singh (Burnaby South, BC) also said his party would not support the bill with its amendments because of the impact it would have on indigenous communities. “Any amendment in any way that contravenes your treaty rights is an amendment we will not support,” Singh said..On Friday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre (Carleton, ON) said the Liberals had "backed down" after launching the "largest attack on hunters, farmers, & sport shooters in Canadian history."."You spoke up, Conservatives fought back, and the Liberals were forced to withdraw their hunting rifle ban," he said.."This is a temporary pause, not a total victory," said Conservative MP Raquel Dancho (Kildonan—St. Paul Province, MB). "Make no mistake, Justin Trudeau wants to end legal civilian gun ownership in this country and he was only stopped thanks to the efforts of Conservatives, grassroots firearms owners and indigenous groups.".Dancho said the party will "stay vigilant" and oppose any new Liberal measures that will divide urban and rural Canadians and "distract from the government's disastrous record on law and order.".Tony Bernardo, executive director of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association, said while he is pleased by the decision to remove the amendments, the original firearms bill still bans nearly one million lawfully-owned handguns..The Liberals will still push ahead with Bill C-21, which will enact a handgun sales ban, crack down on gun smuggling, and automatically revoke firearms licences held by domestic abusers. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino (Eglinton—Lawrence, ON) has claimed this move will reduce gun violence in Canada.."Canadian sport shooters have safely stored and used these firearms throughout Canada's history and they are almost never involved with crimes," Bernardo said. "But that being said, the Liberal government seems intent on depriving Canadians of millions of dollars in property value."
