SHOT IN THE FOOT

Grit attempt at gun control so bad it’s shocking

It was just about a month ago that the Trudeau Liberals made a decision that derailed a piece of legislation that was broadly popular.

In the ensuing weeks, it has been shocking to watch how badly they’ve handled this situation.

Bill C-21, sold to the public as a way to enact a handgun freeze and to ban what the government describes as “military-style assault weapons,” had strong public backing.

That is, until the Liberals went too far and added hundreds of hunting rifles and shotguns to the banned list.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau went from insisting anyone claiming hunting guns were being banned was lying to saying he was listening, and the government will consider changes. From a communications and political strategy point of view, this issue should have been dealt with by now.

Instead it remains a mess and will continue to cause the Liberals headaches as they head into Parliament’s winter break.

“Will he announce he’s backing down from attacking our hunters today?”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre asked in the house of commons last Wednesday.

“Our intent with this legislation is to target guns designed for the battlefield, not ones commonly used for hunting,” Trudeau said.

The problem is, of course , that this legislation – and amendments his own government tabled on its own bill – do target hunting rifles and shotguns. His government has also had horrible messaging on this from the start, telling people they were lying despite a list in black and white showing the indisputable truth.

Since then, it has tried to assure gun control advocates that it will stand firm while telling Indigenous leaders it’s hearing them.

Two weeks ago at their annual meeting, the Assembly of First Nations passed a unanimous resolution against C-21, saying that the federal government didn’t consult them and the bill infringes on treaty rights. If the bill passes in anything close to its current form, it will be subject to legal challenges, which will only extend the government’s headache.

It should have simply reverted to the original bill by this point, rather than fight with groups the Liberals like to consider allies.

“All Canadians want to see less gun violence in this country. That’s what we’re going to deliver,” Trudeau said last Wednesday while defending his bill.

I wish that were true, because no one wants more gun crime except the criminals. Trudeau’s plan won’t deliver, though. He made it easier for criminals to get bail, scrapped mandatory minimum sentences for gun smuggling and using a gun in the commission of a crime, while making life more difficult for law-abiding, licensed gun owners.

If the hundreds of gun models added to the banned list remain there, it will also push up the cost of the government’s buyback program. That was said to cost a few hundred million when first announced, but that figure was estimated to be just over $1 billion before these new guns were added.

It could rise to several billion dollars if the government extends compensation for the ban.

It also hasn’t come up with a plan to collect any of these guns to ensure they’re destroyed.