Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights not pleased with latest moves by feds

The announcement Friday by the federal government about banning the sale of imported handguns in Canada isn’t sitting well with the vice-president of public relations for the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights.

The ban is set to take start Aug. 19 and will be temporary until something permanent can be passed in the House of Commons.

Tracey Wilson feels the latest move by the federal government is unfairly attacking law-abiding gunowners.

“Once again it’s the Liberals flip-flopping all over the place trying to figure out how to cover up their own mistakes,” she told Gormley on Monday.

“As you remember, in May, they announced they’d stop the buy, sell and transfer of legal handguns with the passage of C-21.”

Because of that announcement, Wilson says those with firearm licences have been running to the stores to get what they can before more rules are put in place.

Wilson thinks this latest move by the government is trying to prevent more people from purchasing guns.

“The RCMP has told us there have been 100,000 handguns transferred since that announcement. So this is their stopgap measure, using a piece of legislation that was designed to stop the importation of American cheese and they’re using that to stop the importation of legal handguns,” Wilson explained.

“At the end of the day, I wish they would put this kind of effort, resources and creativity into stopping the flow of illicit guns,” she added.

Wilson mentioned it’s shocking that those illegally bringing guns over the border from the United States are still not being punished.

“They’re completely exempt from this. We’ve got law enforcement and experts from across the country telling us that the majority of guns used by violent criminals are smuggled in from the U.S.,” she said.

“Once again the Liberal government, completely delinquent from trying to do anything credible, are one again focused on legal gunowners knowing they can use this type of stuff to use the average Canadian into supporting it,” Wilson added.

Wilson said the ban would also negatively impact those who participate in the sport of handgun shooting.

She thinks it’s a failure that the government won’t do more to stop crime and guns illegally coming into the country, but it’ll do whatever it can to prevent law-abiding gunowners from owning a gun legally.