At first, I couldn’t quite believe what I was hearing..The Liberals, under Justin the Younger, along with anti-gun groups, appear to want to take away every single firearm in Canada..Not just semi-automatic weapons, like the AR-15s, but everything. Rifles, shotguns, handguns … maybe even peashooters, who the hell knows..According to Rod Giltaca, CEO and executive director Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights and an instructor in good standing with the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program, they want it all..I had to take a big gulp of my morning coffee … everything, I said? Yes, they want it all, every single gun from sea to sea, he said..“Every time there is a shooting, even in another country, they choose to vilify responsible gun owners,” said Giltaca..“Automatic weapons have been banned since 1977,” he said, but that won’t stop Justin the Younger from his self-appointed and misguided anti-gun crusade..The elephant in the proverbial room is the infamous Bill C-21 which the Liberals proposed earlier this year..It was meant to introduce a voluntary buyback program for blacklisted firearms — including assault-style firearms — increase criminal penalties for gun smuggling and trafficking and allow municipalities to ban handguns. .The bill was debated only twice in the House of Commons, but, according to Giltaca, it is dead in the water because of Justin the Younger’s COVID-19 election call..He said it would have to be introduced again..The bill drew criticism from both sides. Gun groups in Canada thought it was going too far — yet again. While anti-gun groups said it didn’t go far enough. .According to a report by the CBC, Heidi Rathjen, a member of the gun-control group PolySeSouvient and survivor of the 1989 Polytechnique massacre, said the Liberals’ gun laws “sound good but hide incredibly weak, hollow, toothless measures.”.PolySeSouvient said a voluntary buyback program would leave too many banned weapons in private hands, threatening public safety and making it easier for subsequent governments to reverse the ban. .The organization is also pushing for a national handgun ban — exactly what Giltaca pointed out. They want them all. And don’t try hiding your ammo, either, pal..The Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights also took issue with the bill, arguing it’s aimed at the wrong target and stating the group would oppose any measures that lead to the “confiscation of legal guns from RCMP-vetted gun owners.”.It’s madness, nothing short of madness..I asked Giltaca what would come next should the Liberals demand responsible gun owners give up their weapons. He just laughed..Our freedoms are being diminished with every passing day, he said, and this is just one more example..If we enact nonsensical, reactive solutions we risk opening up a hellish Pandora’s Box. .This doesn’t just involve guns. It involves our very right to life in a fading democracy..I also asked Giltaca about a March Leger poll which suggested that two-thirds of Canadians favour stricter gun-control laws — and reportedly, more than half believe they should include a mandatory buyback program, the CBC reported..“It often depends on how the poll question is worded,” said Giltaca, who added sometimes the call comes when you’re cooking dinner and the simplified on-the-spot answer for a complicated issue may not really be reflective of what Canadians really think..So where do Canada’s political parties stand? We know what the Liberals want. .The NDP isn’t taking a stand either way, said Giltaca, the Tories are against a further tightening of gun laws, the Bloc Québécois’ support universal registration of firearms and psychological testing for firearm owners, while Maxime Bernier of the People’s Party, strongly opposes a handgun ban..The Conservatives, by the way, say they are committed to keeping guns out of the hands of criminals while respecting the rights of law-abiding Canadians to own and use firearms responsibly. Maybe I’m crazy, but that sounds like the right way to go..The reality is that the root of the problem involving the rash of shootings in Canadian cities has nothing to do with responsible Canadian gun owners..Government stats show more than half of gun homicides in Canada are linked to gangs — most of it in Toronto. Police say about half of the guns used to commit those crimes are smuggled from south of the border through an illegal pipeline..And then there is our wonderful prison system where many of these guys end up..Seven out of 10 people in jails in Canada today are in remand. Innocent until proven guilty. The justice system is overloaded..Why? Well, for starters, much of the crime committed in our neighbourhoods involves people with alcohol or drug issues or who are mentally ill. .So what are our prisons doing about it? How about nothing or next to nothing..I’m not talking about the real baddies who are in Drumheller pen and other federal institutions..I’m talking about people who enter jails again and again. Said one prison official: “If something doesn’t work (in the prison system), they do more of it.”.This leads to recidivism. This leads to TV news stories of dead bodies found in cars and alleyways in violent drug hits..How do we fix that? .Instead of targeting law-abiding firearms owners maybe the government should renew its focus on these societal issues, bolster border security and continue to combat the deadly effects of guns and gangs in communities across Canada with effective actions..That would be a good place to start..Dave Makichuk is a veteran journalist who has worked with both the Calgary Sun and Calgary Herald.
