Federal Govt Believes Assault-Style Rifle Prohibition Can Be Accomplished In The Near Term

[C2C3PO]

WINNIPEG — The prohibition of assault-style rifles across Canada is among the portions of a federal gun control plan that the governing Liberals believe they can accomplish “in the near term,” Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair revealed to reporters in Winnipeg, Man., Monday afternoon.

Blair — who led a conversation about the government’s gun-related platform commitments on Monday morning, as part of a three-day cabinet retreat that’s drawn federal ministers to the prairies — also promised that new details about actions the government believes can be accomplished quickly would be revealed “in the coming weeks.”

Those actions will likely not include a potential buyback program for prohibited weapons, with Blair telling the press that such an effort could take “a little bit more time” to set in stone. “I think it’s really important that we get good value for the expenditure of taxpayers’ dollars,” Blair explained. “And at the same time, we’re mindful that we’re dealing with law-abiding Canadians, and I want to make sure that they’re treated fairly and respectfully.”

READ MORE: Completion of 2019 gun control unfinished while Liberals plan more firearm restrictions

Blair has previously indicated that the government’s promised prohibition law, and the adjoining regulations concerning military-style rifles, could take up to two years to be put in place. He reported that gun owners he’d spoken with, who possess what will be banned weapons, have voiced a preference for a buyback compensation system versus a prohibition where they would be able to keep their guns, but not take them out of their homes.

While Blair demurred when asked by reporters to detail exactly how quickly the federal government expected to introduce its pledged gun-control legislation — explaining there was a “certain complexity” to the file — Blair also noted that the prohibition of “certain types of weapons” would be executed as quickly as possible. Money for community programs is also likely to be among federal actions that can be taken in the shorter term, with Blair saying on Monday afternoon that the Liberal team needed to ensure that sufficient funding for community supports was part of discussions leading up to the reveal of their first budget as a second-term government.

“There are some things that I think we can proceed with very very quickly, and some investments that we can begin making in communities that I know will be very helpful and constructive,” Blair noted.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised during his campaign this fall that the Liberals would ban all “military-style” assault rifles in Canada if re-elected, including the AR-15, and would work with the provinces and territories to give municipalities the power to restrict or ban handguns. The latter half of that proposal has been met with opposition from some politicians — including Ontario’s Doug Ford, who has said that he doesn’t see a handgun ban presenting an effective solution to rising gun violence — and, conversely, calls for strengthened action from others.

Winnipeg’s mayor, Brian Bowman, reiterated his support for a national handgun ban on Monday morning, following a sit-down discussion with Trudeau and deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland at the hotel where their retreat is taking place. While Bowman confirmed that the issue wasn’t raised during their sit-down, he said his preference would still be a national or even a provincial ban, if the issue was going to be pursued. Trudeau has faced pushes for a Canada-wide prohibition on handguns from several mayors across the Greater Toronto Area, as well.

READ MORE: GTA mayors ask Trudeau for national handgun ban during Richmond Hill event

The federal Liberals ruled out a national ban in 2019, with Blair saying such a move could be “very expensive” and questioning its effectiveness in reducing criminals’ access to handguns, citing the proliferation of weapons that are smuggled into the country across the Canada-U.S. border. (Blair, at the time, was serving as Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction.) Since then, a handful of politicians — including at least one within Trudeau’s own caucus — have floated ideas such as automatically including municipalities in the ban, putting the onus on them to opt out rather than opt in. Asked about that option Monday, Blair did not give a specific answer.

Blair acknowledged to reporters that they had heard from “many mayors” who wanted the opportunity to bring forward additional restrictions. “But I think fundamentally, one of the things that we want to ensure is that we take all effective measures possible to keep guns out of the hands of people that would commit crimes with them,” he said.

The Trudeau government is also currently looking at legislation that would allow individuals such as doctors to identify “red flag” situations — including cases of suspected intimate partner violence, or cases where an individual might be contemplating suicide — and have any firearms present removed from that environment, Blair confirmed.

While mulling over new measures, the Trudeau Liberals are also in the throes of completing some gun-control measures that stem from legislation passed during their last term in government. Public Safety Canada and the RCMP confirmed to iPolitics this month that cabinet orders have not yet been passed to put into effect renewed controls over firearm sales, license verification and other restrictions that were contained in Bill C-71.

Other steps have yet to be taken that would put into force amendments to the Firearms Act, including funding approval for new systems and regulations that Parliament has to review. As reported by iPolitics’ Tim Naumetz, the funding approval would likely come in the Liberals’ first budget following their re-election in the fall.


iPolitics.ca

[Twisted Canuck]

I hope that they have budgeted for the consequences involved with non compliance, and kicking in doors on a quarter million law abiding citizens, as well as having the court system bogged down with appeals for the next generation....but please, don't deal with crime, gangs, drug dealers, smugglers. No, we need to ban scary 'military style rifles' that aren't being used in criminal activity at all. They still need to go back 30 yrs to dance on the Poly graves, just to have any instance where a semi automatic was used by a mentally ill individual!!!!

[32-40win]

The man is a master of the mantra; if you tell a lie enough times, it will become the truth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6uf...MY&app=desktop

[DiabeticKripple]

they can come and get them!

[WhiteTailAB]

Trudeau added that the government will be introducing "ammunition restrictions at the border," as well as "strengthening border support to interdict guns flowing in from the United States."


https://www.freshdaily.ca/news/2020/...sault-weapons/

Banning surplus ammo? Banning cases lots of regular ammo? Banning FMJ? Hollow points? Specific calibers?

[JWCalgary]

I Sent My Letters Today To Sparkle Socks And Blair.

[huntinstuff]

Non compliance and direct ramifications to those involved in the implementation and execution of this is the only way to win.

[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

Non compliance and direct ramifications to those involved in the implementation and execution of this is the only way to win.

Yes. Talking and writing letters isnt going to change anybody's mind. Ramifications....Will.

I like that word. Considering how many police chiefs and front line LEOs are against bans and persecuting the law abiding, one has to wonder who is going to try and enforce this?

[guywiththemule]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

Non compliance and direct ramifications to those involved in the implementation and execution of this is the only way to win.

This ^^^^ .

[Pioneer2]

We should do what they did in Virginia last week?

[IR_mike]

Originally Posted by Pioneer2

We should do what they did in Virginia last week?

I think for the most part we gun owners are to complacent and it would start a "war of the worlds" panic among non gun owners that have been indoctrinated by our media via the CBC and the education system over the last 30 years or so.

Unless we have a few provincial governments say a resounding"NO" to the feds as well as majority non compliance our future is pretty grim.

[huntinstuff]

Originally Posted by Twisted Canuck

Yes. Talking and writing letters isnt going to change anybody's mind. Ramifications....Will.

I like that word. Considering how many police chiefs and front line LEOs are against bans and persecuting the law abiding, one has to wonder who is going to try and enforce this?

Yup

They have more to lose than I do

Never EVER give up your guns. Never.

Always keep one. Even if its just a Cooey .22 or single shot 12g. Keep it. Youre gonna need it.

[SuperCub]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

Never EVER give up your guns. Never.

Always keep one. Even if its an SKS. Keep it. Youre gonna need it.

Fixed it for you.

[Twisted Canuck]

I did my part today, I transferred one of my M&P 15s to a friend who didn't own any of these so called military style assault rifles....one more lawful owner to disarm 'in a fair and respectful way' as Billy Blair would say.

[^v^Tinda wolf^v^]

Posted an hour ago


https://www.thepostmillennial.com/wa...rol-narrative/

Justin Trudeau can lick perch

[elkhunter11]

Even Trudeau's appointed puppet doesn't agree with him.

https://thegunblog.ca/2020/01/23/rcm...qJaz-onHOqB4x4

[antmai]

So curious how big mike from canmore's gun room is! I just met up with him.

[urban rednek]

CTV News video clip posted earlier today with Joel Lightbound (Liberal), Michelle Rempel Garner (Conservative), and Peter Julian (NDP House Leader) discussing the upcoming firearms legislation. Hilarity ensues for 8 minutes and 33 seconds.
https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1885089

[BC7stw]

Why is it every liberal I hear seems to be reading from a script, and they don’t quote numbers or facts. Well that’s because they are, and they won’t use supporting data because it would literally torpedo their upcoming firearms policies. It’s obvious when seeing these types of interviews that they’ve been instructed what to say, and all they seem to do is repeat the same simple sentences over and over.

I expect that there will be parallel programs to help with gun crime, and of course they will wave that flag at election time to support the gun bans, even though it had little to do with the improvement in gun crime numbers.

Thanks for posting the link , it is nice to see someone so well spoken looking out for responsible law abiding Canadians.

[32-40win]

Pretty obvious the Lib doesn't have a clue what he is talking about, and the NDP rep is dodging on their position. I would like like to have seen Michelle represent a buyback as forced confiscation, which it is. But, given the format, she got about 1/2 of that said.