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Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters
Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters

The Politics of Firearms
Written by Matt DeMille
Registered Lobbyist & OFAH Manager of Fish and Wildlife Services

A recent Alberta-based petition directed at the Government of Canada calling for "any new firearms laws, bans, buyback programs or changes to licensing before the House of Commons to be debated" has been making the rounds.

The petition highlights how Canadian firearms owners feel about the government's plan for firearms: it targets law-abiding firearms owners, it will siphon serious government funds away from where it is needed most, and it won't take firearms away from criminals.

We can assume the petition is designed to create some open, transparent and rational dialogue. As firearms owners, we all feel the frustration, but I'm skeptical that we will find good solutions through parliamentary debate. We had debate on Bill C-71 and look where that ended up.

The OFAH was deeply involved in the C-71 debate, providing testimony to both the House of Commons and Senate Standing Committees studying the bill, and speaking with parliamentarians of every political stripe.

In the end, the democratic process was just that, a process – one that felt like we were simply going through the motions, and needlessly spending Canadian taxpayer dollars to do so. There was seemingly no willingness to deviate from the pre-determined political agendas on all sides and no honest desire to use the democratic process to actually solve the real issues underlying this debate.

Like C-71, the government's new plan for firearms is designed to solve a problem. Unfortunately, it's a political one and it won't give Canadians the short or long-term results they deserve. Firearms, more so than most other political discussions, draws out an extreme level of partisanship and politicization that paralyzes good debate and good outcomes for Canadians.

We would be guilty of slanting the conversation if we didn't acknowledge that the government at least seems to be listening to some of our proposed solutions, including commitments to build a national system to flag bulk purchases, impose stronger penalties for gun smuggling, and provide resourcing for the Canada Border Services Agency and Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Not only will these actions carry a greater potential to solve real issues facing all Canadians, they are solutions that the firearms community AND gun control advocates can agree on. So, why don't we start there and use this common ground to find solutions that all Canadians can be happy with?

Unfortunately, firearms have become a political wedge that seems to serves us well when it does and sewers us when it doesn't. I for one, am sick and tired of firearms being a political yo-yo when it doesn't need to be. There doesn't always need to be winners and losers when it comes to firearms policy. As responsible, law-abiding Canadians, why should we need to fear for our firearms future every election?

Regardless of what political debate may occur this time around, we are likely to be on the losing end. Even with a minority government where you would expect greater opportunity for political debate, firearms could very well become a political bargaining chip – the devil we know is scary, but the devil we don't scares the hell out of me. We can't forget that other political parties called for even stronger gun control measures than what are proposed. The Green Party of Canada actually called for a ban on all semi-automatics, but also talked about respect for hunters. This position shows the extreme lack of understanding we are dealing with.

The politics of firearms isn't going to change and it will continue to be driven by pressure from an uninformed public. Gun control advocates claim that the majority of Canadians support further restrictions and bans, but in reality, it has been shown that this support is based on a lack of understanding about current laws and what firearms ownership actually looks like in Canada.

We need to be unapologetic about our desire to own and use firearms, and about our expectation for law-abiding firearms owners to receive open, transparent and respectful treatment from our federal government. We have every right to be metaphorically ‘up in arms' with the false rationale being used, but even when backed into a corner we need to maintain a level of composure that reinforces the fact we are NOT part of the problem, but that our community wants to be a part of the solution when it comes to gun violence. The world is watching, and we need to undermine and disarm gun control propaganda instead of personifying it through social media banter. We can't play into their hand.

The passion and energy the firearms community has put into the discussion about firearm bans this past fall is powerful. We need to channel our frustration and our voices into coordinated, professional and unified action to ensure Canadians and political decision makers at all levels know the undeniable truths about firearms ownership in Canada. Despite my personal growing skepticism that the Parliamentary process will produce a good result for the firearms community, we need to work every angle and maintain pressure on Parliament. The creator of the petition, Bradley Manysiak, has taken a stand and done it in a professional way that reflects well on the firearms community. We should all support him in taking this action.

At a time when national unity is fragile, the OFAH continues to galvanize the hunting and shooting communities, imploring them to work together from coast-to-coast-to-coast to create a rational dialogue about responsible firearms ownership, while continuing to push back against bad government policies. Stand with us as we stand up against bad firearms policy from Parliament Hill and right into your local communities. The time for unity is now.

For more on OFAH firearms advocacy, visit www.ofah.org/firearms.

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PO Box 2800 / 4601 Guthrie Dr, Peterborough, Ontario Canada, K9J 8L5
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Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters
PO Box 2800 / 4601 Guthrie Dr
Peterborough, Ontario Canada
K9J 8L5
Phone: 705-748-OFAH (6324)
Fax: 705-748-9577
© 2024 Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters