Gun Control

OTTAWA – Seven members of a parliamentary committee studying the Liberal gun bill have requested two special meetings to hear from witnesses on the government’s proposed definition of an assault-style firearm.

The definition, put forward by the government as an amendment, has prompted confusion and controversy as MPs go over Bill C-21 clause by clause.

The seven Liberal, Bloc and New Democrat MPs want clarity on the amendment amid concerns that the measure would outlaw many firearms commonly used by hunters.

OTTAWA — Cracks are beginning to form in the Liberal caucus over the government’s contentious gun control bill, and the Conservatives were quick to jump on it during question period on Wednesday.

Addressing the Liberals across the aisle, Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre wasted no time in bringing up comments made by Yukon Liberal MP Brendan Hanley, who said on Wednesday he won’t be supporting Bill C-21.

The public safety committee won’t be calling independent, non-government experts to help members wade through controversial amendments to the government’s gun control legislation, after failing to reach an unanimous consensus on the issue.

Calling amendments that the government attempted to quietly insert into already wide-ranging gun control measures “poorly-presented,” Bloc Quebecois MP Kristina Michaud urged fellow committee members on Tuesday to allow independent experts to address their concerns.

Let me see if I’ve got this right.

It’s OK for the federal Liberal government to try to sneak the largest gun confiscation in Canadian history into a bill after second reading; lie repeatedly that it’s not targeting law-abiding hunters and farmers (when it very clearly is); then use the anniversary of the Ecole Polytechnique shootings as cover to prevent criticism.

OTTAWA — Don’t worry, Carey Price, the federal government isn’t coming for your gun.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino made that promise Monday to the Montreal Canadiens’ goaltender after the debate over gun control in Canada found a wider audience over the weekend thanks to a social media post in which Price trashed the government’s latest effort to expand the list of banned firearms in Canada.

OTTAWA — As criticism mounts against the government’s attempts to outlaw scores of hunting and sport rifles, questions are arising as to how the federal Liberals’ gun policy will impact their relationship with the NDP.

One prominent New Democrat came out against the policy on Monday, calling it a massive overreach that must be fixed.

This is the closest the NDP will ever get to power so they won’t risk that, besides they don’t want anyone to be able to defend themselves either.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is “listening to feedback” from firearms owners about amendments to proposed gun-control legislation that would place a federal ban on an additional 300 to 400 firearms in addition to the 1,500 already illegalized in May 2020.

“We’ve just put forward a list and we’re consulting with Canadians on that,” Trudeau said during a press conference in Ingersoll, Ont., on Dec. 5, while referring to the list of guns the Liberal government is proposing to ban through amendments to Bill C-21.

Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price has taken a stance against Ottawa’s controversial Bill C-21, a proposed amendment that would further restrict access to certain firearms in Canada.

In a photo posted to Price’s Instagram account Saturday afternoon, the Habs player is shown dressed head-to-toe in camouflage with a shotgun tucked under his arm.

In the past few years, the Liberal government has prohibited millions of firearms with a total value over $4 billion. To avoid criminal charges, owners must surrender the newly banned firearms to the police. All of these firearms are owned by hunters and sport shooters who have been vetted by the RCMP. Based entirely on vague claims about potential threats to public safety, these confiscations will do basically nothing to make Canadians safer. No violent criminals are involved.

Gena Hoyer’s Nissan has 189,000 miles on the clock. Her local mechanic has gently suggested it’s time to get a new one. But she’s not yet ready to: she used to drive Luke, her youngest son, to school in it. “It’s the last place he was with me,” she explains.

That was on Valentine’s Day, 2018.“I dropped him off at school. I said, ‘I love you Lukey bear,’ and he said, ‘I love you too,’ ” she recalls. “And that was the last time I saw him.”

OTTAWA – A mass shooting survivor and spokeswoman for gun-control group PolySeSouvient says it is “incredibly disrespectful” for firearm rights advocates to invoke the group’s name in a merchandise sale discount code.

The Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights’ online shop recently offered 10 per cent off clothing, mugs and other items to customers who used “POLY” as a promo code.

… Tracey Wilson, a firearm rights coalition spokeswoman, said the promotion is not about the tragedy, but PolySeSouvient’s Twitter account, which has referred to coalition supporters as gun trolls.

Sometimes a Poly is just a Poly.

OTTAWA — Canada’s firearm classification system would baffle students of Byzantium, but even the uninitiated can figure out the fundamental unfairness in the government’s proposed amendments to its gun control law.

OTTAWA – A firearm advocacy group says the Liberal government’s effort to ban a wide variety of rifles is being driven by ideology, not public safety.

But the federal Liberals say it’s all about prohibiting guns designed to kill people, and hunters will still have thousands of types of rifles and shotguns available to them.

The government wants to include an evergreen definition of a prohibited assault-style firearm in gun-control legislation being studied by the House of Commons public safety committee.