Cabinet received a warning that Canadians were unhappy with the country's ineffective gun laws just seven weeks before they abandoned their gun grab plan to limit the use of hunting rifles.. GunsGuns .According to the Privy Council's internal polls, Canadians were frustrated that gun crimes were not being properly addressed, while the cabinet continued to focus on passing pointless gun grab legislation..“All participants felt gun control was an important issue and needed to be a priority for the Government of Canada,” said a pollsters’ report..According to Blacklock’s Reporter, participants in federal focus groups were divided on whether more legislation was needed, but agreed initiatives to date had not worked..“Participants were informed as of May 1st, 2020, the Government of Canada had prohibited over 1,500 models of assault-style weapons including the AR-15,” said the report Continuous Qualitative Data Collection of Canadians’ Views..“Sharing their reactions, a number of participants questioned the effectiveness of this initiative given their impression that crimes involving firearms had largely continued unabated in the over two years since this announcement.”.The report is dated last December 9. Weeks later, on Feb. 3 cabinet abruptly abandoned plans to restrict hunting rifles under Bill C-21 An Act to Amend Certain Acts..“Nobody is going after hunters,” Mark Holland, government house leader, told reporters at the time..“Nobody wants to see hunting end in this country. Where that position, which is an immovable object, comes up against our concern about keeping our communities safe. [This] is the line we draw between those two worlds and that is not an easy line to draw. But we are committed to not affecting hunting.”.Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre called it “a humiliating climb down” for cabinet but only a temporary reprieve for licensed rifle and shotgun owners..“If God forbid he ever got a majority, Trudeau would ban hunting rifles and he would ban all civilian firearms ownership in Canada,” said Poilievre..“That’s his agenda. He’s made it clear. We won’t let him do it.”.Canadians’ Views found focus group participants were skeptical that other federal initiatives, like a proposed buyback of prohibited firearms, would do any good.. Guns .Some respondents said “this action would be ineffective in addressing gun crime in that those seeking to obtain these weapons would still likely be able to do so via illegal channels,” wrote researchers..Findings were based on focus groups commissioned under a $2.4 million contract with The Strategic Counsel..“Discussing current regulations concerning firearms, a roughly similar number of participants felt gun laws in Canada should be stricter as those who felt they were more or less at the right level,” said the report.
