Tony Bernardo is the Executive Director of the Canadian Shooting Sports AssociationWhen Ottawa spends billions attacking the people who already obey the law, you have to wonder if public safety was ever their goal.From Victoria, British Columbia, to St. John’s, Newfoundland, law-abiding Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) holders watch Ottawa waste more resources, strip more rights from lawful Canadians, and protect more violent criminals from prosecution and incarceration while calling it, in true Orwellian fashion, “public safety.”Illegal guns keep flowing across our southern border, violent crime keeps rising, and trust in federal institutions keeps dying..EDITORIAL: Not every forest fire is ‘climate change,’ majority are human stupidity.For Mark Carney’s Liberal government, like Justin Trudeau’s before it, this is “business as usual.”The truth that politicians and “gun control” advocates love to ignore is that PAL holders are vetted, trained, and monitored more closely than police recruits. Statistically, they’re safer citizens than sworn police officers.Yet they are the ones losing property, livelihoods, and in some cases the ability to feed their families..In rural Alberta, a rifle isn’t a symbol. It’s a tool for food, for work, and for sport and a tangible example of rural culture and tradition.On August 3, 2025, Alberta legalized .22 calibre centrefire firearms for big game hunting.This wasn’t just a hunting policy change, it was a message..Christian artist Sean Feucht’s Alberta legislature concert to proceed.Ottawa may ignore the rights of responsible gun owners, but Alberta will not.As the byelection in Battle River–Crowfoot gets closer, voters referred to the federal government’s Firearms Confiscation Compensation Scheme honestly, something the federal government and its bureaucrats cannot."It's a gong show" because the political machine treats hunters and sport shooters like criminals-in-waiting..Illegal guns and those who smuggle them into Canada, the real drivers of criminal violence committed with guns, remain untouched.Billions of taxpayer dollars wasted.Trust in government and police agencies destroyed..UPDATED: Saskatchewan court allows challenge to Parents Bill of Rights.A once-thriving Canadian firearms industry dismantled.It’s political theatre at its worst.Every PAL holder, to receive their firearms licence, must pass written and practical safety training tests, RCMP background checks, and screening of past and current romantic relationships..They are also continuously monitored by the RCMP via the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) system.Here’s how continuous screening works.Every PAL holder’s information is kept in the Canadian Firearms Program (CFP) system..The RCMP runs daily automated checks through CPIC to see if a licence holder has been charged with or convicted of certain offences, is subject to a court order, or has run afoul of other eligibility issues.If a match comes up, the CFP alerts the Chief Firearms Officer (CFO) for that province/territory, who can review the case and, if necessary, suspend or revoke an individual’s firearms licence.Criminals skip all of it, yet Ottawa keeps tightening the screws on those who comply with the law, not those who break it..“As of 2024, Canada has about 250 more homicides per year than it did in 2014, before Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister,” writes Kostas Moros. “According to Statistics Canada, homicides steadily rose almost every single year Trudeau was in office, finally falling slightly in 2023 and 2024 (while falling even more in the US in that time frame). The obvious lesson for Americans: never make the same mistake as our gullible neighbours to the north.”Canada’s gun laws oppress lawful owners without reducing crime..OLDCORN: Pharmacy rules hurt New Brunswick smokers trying to quit.In 2014, firearms lawyer Ed Burlew confirmed with Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney that the RCMP’s Firearms Reference Table had no authority in law.Burlew’s brief on the CZ-858 and Swiss Arms rifles caused the RCMP to change the language on the FRT to state it is not law, that it’s only an opinion.The Chief Judge in the recent Federal Court of Appeal decision confirmed that the FRT is not law and has no effect in law..That doesn’t stop the RCMP and other police agencies from using that RCMP “opinion” to charge unsuspecting firearms owners and “let the courts sort it out.”The process is the punishment, as we’ve said many times before, and police brass don’t seem to care so long as their statistics look good..STEPHAN: Alberta does not need French.If the federal Liberal government truly wanted public safety. It would target illegal gun trafficking and gang violence, respect lawful owners, increase regulatory transparency, support regional realities, and clarify self-defence rights and the applicable sections of the Criminal Code.The Liberal government has no desire for any of those measures, reinforcing the belief that they’re not now, nor have they ever been interested in true public safety measures..If you’re tired of being the government’s scapegoat, speak up. Refuse to be silent. Because silence is exactly what Ottawa is counting on.Talk with your friends. Share with your neighbours. Take them to the range and show them what true Canadian gun culture looks like..RUBENSTEIN: Did Sir John A. Macdonald engage in genocide against indigenous children?.Educate everyone within your personal sphere of influence about the truth about Canada’s firearms laws, and how politicians use lies, damned lies, and statistics to mislead voters at election time.In the battle for public opinion, educating people about the truth is our greatest weapon.Tony Bernardo is the Executive Director of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association
