CA: Justin Trudeau's Ban on Guns is Withering on the Vine

In Canada, PM Justin Trudeau's gun ban is in trouble. Delay has followed delay as the government finds resistance to the leftist gun ban plans.

In 2020, Canada's Liberal government, headed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, signed an emergency order to "freeze" handgun sales, imports, and transfers.

Under increasingly strict restrictions on handgun ownership and use, most handguns in Canada are required to be kept locked up and unloaded, except when being transferred while locked up and unloaded to an official range, where they may be loaded and shot, before being unloaded, locked up and transported back to where they are registered, and then locked up again. In Canada, 85% of handguns which are confiscated come from the United States, not from Canada.

In addition to the "freeze" on handguns, the executive order banned 1,500 models of firearms which were currently legal, labeling them as "military grade" or "assault style". They included bolt action or single shot rifles whose cartridges have more than 10,000 joules of energy (7,300 ft-lbs), or whose muzzles are greater than 20 millimeters (.8 inches) in diameter. Some large caliber hunting rifles exceed the energy limit, and many target rifles exceed the .8 inch muzzle diameter limit.

The pushback wasn't long in coming.  The Communist surplus SKS rifle, estimated at 500,000 in Canada, was included, then removed from an amendment to the proposed bill. First Nations, the equivalent of Indian Tribes in the United States, came out strongly against the bill.

The excuse to push the emergency order was a mass killing in Nova Scotia by a Canadian citizen who obtained the firearms used from illegal sources. Three of the four were firearms smuggled in from the United States. A handgun was taken from one of the Canadian officers murdered by the man.

Implementation of the ban has become a nightmare for Trudeau's government. The cost has escalated from an estimated 756 million.  The cost estimate has increased to between 4-6 billion dollars. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) labor union opposes the ban.  The Trudeau government attempted to recruit post office workers as gun collection agents. The National Post was not happy. From tnc.news April 3, 2024:

Government sources told Radio-Canada that the feds expected Canada Post to be involved in the collection of the 144,000 now-banned “assault” and “military-style” firearms, as the crown corporation is already responsible for delivering guns purchased by Canadians online. 

However, Canada Post is declining to do so, saying in a recent letter to Ottawa that it is concerned for the safety of its employees, who would have to be the ones out knocking on doors.

About 67 million dollars have been spent on the program so far, without any significant number of guns being turned in. Opposition leader Poilievre has promised to reverse the Trudeau policies. From tnc.news on June 1, 2024:

Poilievre promised to reverse every law that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has implemented to attack legal gun owners.

Speaking at a news conference, Poilievre fielded a question from a concerned firearm owner about how his party planned to change the narrative around firearm ownership.

“We (will) just reverse everything that Trudeau has done,” said Poilievre.

With the Canadian Parliamentary election system, a national election must be held by October of 2025. From time.com:

Though the direction of polling appears clear, the timing of the next vote remains uncertain. Federal elections are currently scheduled for October 2025, but Trudeau’s Liberals lead a minority government in a hung Parliament, and opposition parties could join forces to compel an early vote at any time.

It has been four years of attempting to implement Trudeau's gun ban.

Analysis:

Much depends on the next election. As with President Biden in the United States, the Trudeau administration is not popular in Canada. If Pierre Poilievre becomes the Prime Minister in the next election, the current gun ban will go away. If not, the fight against it will continue. Canada has no equivalent to the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights in the United States. This correspondent recalls riding with a someone with dual citizenship 50 years ago. When asked about Canadian gun laws, he said: It's no big deal. If you want a handgun, you only have to apply and register it.

As seen around the world, gun registration is primarily useful for gun confiscation.

©2024 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch