Opinion
Fairfax, VA – -(Ammoland.com)- Much like their U.S. counterparts, Canada’s gun control advocates are using tragedy to advance their pre-existing civilian disarmament agenda. Last week, following a shooting in Toronto’s Greektown neighborhood in which two died and 13 were wounded, the Toronto City Council voted in support of a federal ban on all handguns and semiautomatic firearms, and a requirement that gun owners store their firearms at repositories rather than at home. This week brought further anti-gun activism as the third largest party in Canada’s House of Commons called for urban handgun bans and Liberal Party Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his government’s intent to consider a wide array of gun controls.
Under Canada’s current gun control regime, those seeking to possess any firearm must obtain a Possession and Acquisition License. To obtain a PAL, and applicant must submit to a background check, garner references, and complete of the Canadian Firearms Safety Course.
Those who wish to possess a handgun or certain semiautomatic long guns (Restricted firearms) must also complete Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course. Restricted firearms must be registered with the government. In regards to storage, Restricted firearms must be,
(i) rendered inoperable by means of a secure locking device and stored in a container, receptacle or room that is kept securely locked and that is constructed so that it cannot readily be broken open or into, or
(ii) stored in a vault, safe or room that has been specifically constructed or modified for the secure storage of restricted firearms and that is kept securely locked
There are multiple reports that the Toronto gunman obtained the firearm he used in the shooting illegally.
In April, Canada’s Liberal government announced Bill C-71. The legislation would further restrict possession of some semiautomatic firearms, require more onerous background checks, and create a backdoor gun registry.
Despite the Liberal Party’s promises to restrict guns, Canada’s New Democratic Party (Social Democrats) is demanding more. In an August 2 letter to Trudeau, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh wrote,
your government must address the availability of guns in our cities by taking steps to immediately allow municipalities to ban handguns. Half of all firearms involved in gun crime originate from legal domestic sources. These guns are then stolen or sold illegally and end up on our streets. The federal government should not stand in the way of municipal leaders who know their communities best, and want to ban these weapons to keep their residents safe.
The demand is similar to part of the Toronto City Council’s demands, specifically, that they be granted the authority to ban all handguns from the city.
Trudeau appears open to this proposal and more. On July 26, the Globe and Mail reported, “A proposal to ban handguns is under serious consideration, according to a senior official, who was not authorized to speak on the record,” and that Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Ralph Goodale “and senior civil servants have been tasked with examining the idea of a ban.”
At a memorial for one of the Toronto shooting victims this week, Trudeau seemed open to all manner of firearms restrictions. The prime minister told reporters,
People need to be safe and we need to take the right measures to do that and we’re looking at things that have been done around the world, things that have been done in other jurisdictions, looking at the best evidence, the best data, to make the right decisions to make sure that we are ensuring our citizens, our communities are safe into the future.
When asked about a handgun ban, Trudeau replied, “We’re looking at a broad range of things.”
On Thursday, Goodale’s spokesperson, Scott Bardsley echoed the prime minister’s sentiment, telling the press, “The recent shootings in Toronto are senseless tragedies and reminders of the devastating effects of gun violence and criminal activity in our communities. When it comes to keeping communities safe from gun violence, we are open to all options.”
The latest moves from Trudeau’s government were met with opposition from the Conservative Party. In a statement, Conservative Shadow Minister for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Pierre Paul-Hus explained, “We know that whenever the Liberals attempt to curb crime with new gun laws, they always end up targeting law-abiding firearms owners instead of gang members and other criminals who use guns to commit violence.” Paul-Hus went on to add, “[i]t’s lazy government to ask all Canadians to follow new laws, while the real work is in targeting and going after criminals. That means strengthening penalties for gun crime and keeping known gang members behind bars, two areas where the Liberals have failed.”
NRA-ILA is following the developments in Canada and will keep Grassroots Alert readers apprised of this developing situation.
About:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org
Watch out for someone to hook up their scuba tank with an illegally modified safety wired open fully semi-automatic supercoil sized nailgun and go for a walk by a dance studio and watch twinkletoes-truedoh piss himself. If that is him in the picture, do us all a favor, twist till you hear breaking. You seriously are even more moronic than your commie daddy. Go piss up a lit rope. Commie pussies like you that blame your freudian problem on real redblooded men and women, dispise the air you pollute with your every breath. Why dont you take your commie buddies… Read more »
Never waste a crisis.
If you want a gun controller’s dream, look south to Mexico. There civilian firearm ownership is totally banned. You should know the results.
Weak
Banning any legal toys in Canada will be easy since all legal toys are registered when purchased. This should be a lesion to reasonable American toy owners who want universal toy registration at purchase and transfers. Now In Canada all known toys could be confiscated in less than a week. No sympathy for Canadians. They are really Europeans who live North of the American boarder. They have free health care since America is carrying Canadians’ boarder defense burden. They elected a fare left liberal “French” prime minister. Yet they have some of the strictest immigration laws, and have the nerve… Read more »
Ivsan, I think you’re a bit of an idiot. Well, I think you’re all idiot. First off, not all legal toys are registered. Calling them toys is your first mistake. They are not toys at all. Free Health Care ??? You are the most misinformed person we have ever heard from. Your mouth breathing, slack jawed yokel viewpoint is what is wrong with gun laws worldwide. You know none of the facts, nothing about Canadian gun laws and have no evidence to back up your false claims. Do us all a favour and have a nice hot mug of “Shut… Read more »
Fun and games ahead!
Yep, the Canadians need to ban firearms and import more muslimsand while they’re at it just spead more illegal drugs around too. After all….it’s always worked….right?
LMAO, ROFL, Tee Hee and Hardee Har Har.
Say while we are at it why don’t we send all of the drug head homeless from LA and San Francisco to Canada so they will have the TRUE Paradise they desire. Perhaps we could send some MS 13, Crips, and Bloods to put a Cherry on top.
GUN CONTROL IS CONTROL OF THE PEOPLE.
Over all of these years the people of Canada have failed to secure any Civil Rights. Not my country, not my problem. Here, however, we better get with it. Our federal and state government employees are planning to abridge our Civil Right to communicate with one another using the same deceptions and machinations that they are using to abridge our Civil Right to arm and protect ourselves.
About 60 years ago while visiting relatives in Toronto they told me about a Toronto police officer was murdered with a Colt Woodsman Target .22 handgun. So they banned the Woodsman. The Huntsman, same gun with a lighter weight barrel remained legal. The United States citizens have the Bill of Rights that says we can KEEP our arms, safe from government armories, safe from confiscation. WE can BEAR arms to protect ourselves and to restrain government. The qualification to be a legislator is that your hearty beats and your lungs function a few times per minute. The brain is not… Read more »
Requires a brain – but, in the immortal words of Igor (Marty Feldman) in Young Frankenstein, the brain must be ABBIEnormal. 😉
Typical reaction. when guns are used to kill someone, it’s the guns fault. Not the criminals, but the guns. I guess if we could eliminate all the guns, the criminals would stop killing people.
Unless the bad guys figure out that they can rent a truck from home cheapo and take out dozens. But that would never happen.
Oh, wait – – –
Way too much common sense. Liberals can’t think that way.
People still don’t get it, It is NOT the gun that kills, That is just a TOOL, It’s PEOPLE that kill PEOPLE if not with a gun then a knife (has been done already) someone wants to kill they WILL find a way.
Exactly…..the only thing these idiots would accomplish is the disarmament of the law abiding. Criminals and gangs will still be armed.
Oh, look, more laws targeted at lawful gun owners.
I am sure criminal will drop their guns off at the city limits before entering.
Wankers.
If you are a criminal, you can keep your firearms with impunity – as long as you don’t get caught. Law-abiding citizens should definitely be disarmed by either criminals or the government, both of which want to steal your guns. Of course, you could vote out the socialists. . . .
What do u expect from fake eyebrow justa true-dope?