Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Trudeau’s Gun Control: A Brief Respite for Law Abiding Canadians

Monday, March 28, 2022

Trudeau’s Gun Control: A Brief Respite for Law Abiding Canadians

Two years ago, Canadas Liberal Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced a sweeping, immediate ban of thousands of firearm models and variants, imposed unilaterally through Orders in Council. The rationale was that these previously lawful sporting and hunting guns were military grade assault weapons,” a term that doesnt exist in Canadian law.

Although the transfer, transport and use of these firearms was almost entirely prohibited as of May 1, a two-year amnesty period allowed affected firearm owners to continue to possess their guns pending the implementation of a government confiscation program (buy-back”) and grandfathering option, with details to be announced.

Late in 2020, IBM Canada Ltd. was retained by the government to develop a range of options and approaches to inform the design and implementation” of the gun confiscation.

Through an access to information request, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) has obtained a copy of IBMs advice document on comprehensive program design options” for implementation. Dated May 14, 2021, large portions have been redacted, notably the part titled Collection” (options, feasibility assessment, risk assessment, other considerations) and the amount for Cost of Firearms Purchased” (Table 2 on page 50). An attached document, Compensation Model Options, Draft Final Report (Public Safety Canada, last updated April 22, 2021), likewise has its estimated costing analysis” and a reference to potential range of estimated compensation” completely removed.

The Liberal government has still not indicated how it plans to implement the confiscation, compensation, and grandfathering associated with the May 2020 Orders in Council. Now, on the threshold of the expiration of the amnesty, the government has done the only thing possible short of scrapping the gun ban and confiscation law entirely and quietly announced an extension of the amnesty period until October 30, 2023.

The relevant Order in Council, SOR/2022-45, supersedes the original May 2020 amnesty regulation. Besides extending the amnesty, this addresses several problems that had not been thought through at the time the law went into effect, as outlined in the Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement at the end of the order. (One example of these awkward omissions was that the Bank of Canada, a Crown corporation and the nations central bank, could not use part of its inventory [of firearms], which it possessed and used prior to the May 1, 2020, ban, to protect its assets, premises, and individuals because some firearms are now prohibited and its personnel are not currently legally permitted to use them.” The new order now allows the banks security personnel to resume use of its current inventory to effectively defend its premises, assets, and individuals from an armed attack.”)

It is not clear why Trudeaus government has developed a case of cold feet over its confiscation program. The Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement disingenuously advises that the extension of time would be beneficial to affected owners who have not yet come into compliance and who must either avail themselves of the future buyback program or deactivate their firearm” – essentially, the extension is useful because its impossible to comply with a nonexistent program.

Were guessing there are at least two possible reasons for the delay: finances and optics.

According to a recent study by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian think-tank, Prime Minister Trudeau has already broken the record for the highest level of per-person federal spending in Canadas history … This was before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country. In other words, Canada entered the pandemic with spending levels that were already at record highs,” and the situation has not improved with the added financial pressures of the pandemic.

The available estimates for enforcing Trudeaus pointless gun ban and confiscation law have climbed drastically from an initial figure of CAD$200M, to $300-400M, and to just short of $800M (which did not include administration costs which could add billions of dollars to the final tab”). Federal officials have consistently dodged questions about the price tag, and the above-mentioned government documents, for some reason, have scrubbed all references to implementation costs and compensation amounts. Commenting on the program last year, Franco Terrazzano of the CTF taxpayer watchdog group warned that, [w]e continue to find more and more evidence of rising costs, and that should be a huge red flag for a government that is already more than $1 trillion in debt and hasnt bought a single gun.”

Trudeaus government has faced criticism at home and abroad after Trudeau invoked, for the first time ever, the federal Emergencies Act and declared a public order emergency” in response to protests over a federal vaccine mandate last month. Besides the warrantless seizure of private property, suspension of commercial licenses and insurance, and freezing of personal and business bank accounts and crypto-wallets without court order (here and here), shocking images from the protest that went viral included a 4-foot, 10-inch great-grandfather being handcuffed, shoved to the ground, and arrested for honking his car horn; an unresisting protester apparently being kneed repeatedly; and horses trampling peaceful demonstrators, including an elderly woman on a mobility scooter.

The last thing that the Liberal government should want now is to be associated with scenes of thousands of decent citizens – farmers, hunters, sports shooters, veterans and other everyday Canadians – having their property confiscated by the police and other government officials. The advice document recognizes as much: the point at which [gun owners] relinquish ownership of their NPF [newly prohibited firearm] will be the defining experience of the entire program” and [t]his is also true for media coverage … which will use the imagery of this part of the program to represent the entire program.”          

For now, the amnesty extension means gun owners have some time before they have to face this defining experience of the entire program.” Unfortunately for Canadians – gun owners and taxpayers alike – the government has opted to defer rather than drop the gun-ban-and-grab program, despite it showing every sign of being as astronomically expensive and completely ineffective as the Liberals previous spectacular failure in gun control, the national long gun registry.

TRENDING NOW
Federal Legislation Introduced to Ban “Gas Operated Semiautomatic” Firearms

Friday, December 1, 2023

Federal Legislation Introduced to Ban “Gas Operated Semiautomatic” Firearms

Joe Biden has long insisted he would ban what he calls “assault weapons” and has enlisted a motley succession of extreme anti-gun legislators to aid in that effort. Now, Senators Angus King (IND-ME) and Martin ...

NBC Poll: Majority of Voter Households Own Firearms

News  

Monday, December 4, 2023

NBC Poll: Majority of Voter Households Own Firearms

The last few weeks haven’t been kind to gun grabbers - and we’re not just talking about President Joe Biden’s woeful poll numbers. Black Friday is typically the largest day of the year for gun sales. This year, gun buyers set ...

Crime in “America’s largest outdoor shooting range” – Lies, damned lies, and statistics

News  

Monday, December 4, 2023

Crime in “America’s largest outdoor shooting range” – Lies, damned lies, and statistics

In a press conference late last month, Chicago’s progressive new mayor, Brandon Johnson, shifted the blame for the crime epidemic and migrant crisis plaguing his city on his predecessor, Lori Lightfoot (another Democrat), and on “right-wing extremism.”

Following Terrorist Attack, Israel Relaxes Gun Laws and Arms Civilians

News  

Monday, October 16, 2023

Following Terrorist Attack, Israel Relaxes Gun Laws and Arms Civilians

Following an unprecedented terrorist attack on civilians that indiscriminately targeted even the elderly, women, and children, Israel has loosened its gun laws and is distributing firearms to civilians. As of press time, the number of victims killed in ...

Virginia: Omnibus Gun Control Bills Filed Ahead of the 2024 Legislative Session

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Virginia: Omnibus Gun Control Bills Filed Ahead of the 2024 Legislative Session

In Virginia, the pre-filing of legislation has begun for the 2024 session and anti-gun legislators are wasting no time in aggressively laying out their agenda. 

Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Strikes Maryland’s Handgun Qualification License Requirement in NRA-Backed Case.

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Strikes Maryland’s Handgun Qualification License Requirement in NRA-Backed Case.

On Tuesday, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals ruled that Maryland’s Handgun Qualification License (“HQL”) requirement is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. 

Canadians on Canada’s Gun Control Measures: Expensive, Ineffective, Political Posturing

News  

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Canadians on Canada’s Gun Control Measures: Expensive, Ineffective, Political Posturing

More than three years have passed since Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a ban and mandatory confiscation (“buyback”) of what he called “military grade assault weapons,” which was followed by a national handgun “freeze” ...

Seventh Circuit Strains to Uphold Illinois’ Gun and Magazine Ban

News  

Monday, November 13, 2023

Seventh Circuit Strains to Uphold Illinois’ Gun and Magazine Ban

At this point, gun owners and other productive Americans don’t anticipate much good news out of Chicago. On November 3, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit lived up to those expectations when it upheld Illinois’ ...

Massachusetts: Anti-Gun Bill Passes House

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Massachusetts: Anti-Gun Bill Passes House

This evening, anti-gun politicians in the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed H. 4135, “an act modernizing firearm laws” by a vote of 120-38. This bill, formerly known as HD 4420 and HD 4607, now heads ...

Federal Judge in Colorado Insists There is No Second Amendment Right to Buy a Gun

News  

Monday, November 20, 2023

Federal Judge in Colorado Insists There is No Second Amendment Right to Buy a Gun

Honest people can disagree with the Founders’ decision to enshrine the Second Amendment within the Bill of Rights. They cannot, however, pretend that decision never happened. For much of the 20th Century, however, gun control activists ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

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.