[…] National Telegraph […]
Written By Wyatt Claypool, Posted on January 8, 2021
Although many firearms owners can be quite pessimistic about the future of firearm rights in Canada everything is far from over as things currently stand.
Canadians opposed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Bill Blair’s “assault-style” rifle ban, and proposed local handgun bans, need to understand that one cannot just simply sit at home voicing opposition to the government’s attempts to seize people’s firearms because with that strategy it will eventually happen sooner or later.
Just sarcastically posting that the government should “come and take it” is not going to stave off the actual legislation that is enabling future gun-grabbing, and overall is a losing attitude.
Canadian firearm owners, and general supporters of the right to own firearms, need to be taking more active measures in opposing Trudeau and his gun-grabbing schemes. Recently we saw Altis HR, who was going to manage the rollout of the firearms buy-back, pulled out of their contract with the government after backlash from the firearms community was made known to them through a mass emailing campaign.
Many Conservative politicians in Canada have yet to really put forward much verbal opposition to the OIC gun ban, often seeming to feel uncomfortable advocating for firearm rights, potentially due to not knowing the views of their own constituents.
The firearms community could be doing so much more by voicing their opinions to elected officials and other organizations potentially involved in the firearms ban.
One of the most promising and effective ways to also oppose Trudeau and Blair’s gun grab would be supporting organizations in legal battles against the government in order to have their OIC gun ban declared in violation of Canadian Charter Rights.
Rod Giltaca, CEO and Executive Director of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights (CCFR), talked to The National Telegraph about their ongoing lawsuit against the federal government over the constitutionality of the Liberal’s firearms ban. The CCFR is currently the only firearms lobby group to actually have gone so far as to mount a legal case against the “assault-style” rifle ban.
Giltaca explained where the CCFR currently stands in the legal system:
The next phase is the injunction hearing on January 18th. The CCFR is asking that the Order in Council is set aside while our case makes its way through the courts. We maintain that the government has not justified this shocking abuse of the OIC… The Order in Council was never designed for mass confiscation of property. It was meant to facilitate minor tweaks or updates to legislation.
Due to the economic slump brought on by the government’s arguably overwrought response in many areas, legally it has put the Liberal government at the advantage as it has made it more difficult for the CCFR to raise money to continue fighting its legal battle.
Giltaca explained the situation saying that:
We know that the ruling class in Canada are getting everything they’ve wanted in this pandemic; the end of cash, the bankrupting of small business, authority over the movement of people, dependency on government handouts, and of course, taking legal firearms away from citizens. It’s no conspiracy theory, it’s the “new normal” in Canada. This needs to be strenuously opposed.
And Giltaca also went on to emphasize the barriers the Liberals have been throwing up:
When the CCFR filed its case, we took the time and monumental expense to produce the best evidence our community has ever produced. The government responded with nothing. They are claiming “cabinet privilege”, meaning they will not provide any evidence in support of or justification for their actions on May 1st. 2020. I don’t think they believe Canadians deserve an explanation.
Everyone who has ever been involved in a lawsuit knows that often the length of the process can be the most difficult part to deal with. The Liberal government is fighting using lawfare tactics where they keep intentionally dragging out the cases further and further in order to try and bleed their opponent dry of funds. This is exactly why the firearms community needs to support lobby groups like the CCFR in these battles. They require immensely more money to fight than anyone would ever imagine.
Rod Giltaca and Tracey Wilson from the CCFR.
It takes only thousands of dollars to start a case but it isn’t a shock when it costs millions to win the case after years of intentional delays and other legal tricks, especially when large organizations are suing over matters of federal law.
Giltaca summed this up as well stating that:
Many people ask us “what can I do to help”. The first answer is to donate whatever you can to our legal trust, so we don’t run out of money and end up dropping the case. The second is ask your gun club to buy their insurance through the CCFR. This is something clubs have to buy regardless, and at least the profit goes toward saving the club itself, no guns – no gun club. This would be incredibly helpful to maintaining the CCFR’s capabilities.
The government is trying to bury us in cost, this was expected. But we need to finish this. We can’t let them walk all over us. Complaining to each other online or trolling Trudeau’s Twitter feed isn’t going to help us.
Another very different avenue lawful gun owners can use to fight back against Trudeau gun-grabbing is encouraging and helping friends and family members to also get Possession and Acquisition Licences (PAL) or RPALs in order to increase people’s investment into firearm rights.
One of the biggest obstacles to the firearms community is the lack of knowledge of the Canadian general public when it comes to firearms and constitutional property rights and how the federal government is currently seeking to violate them.
In 2018 only 2.2 million Canadians own firearms, which is only around 6 percent of the entire population. This means in essence that only a tiny minority of Canadians are guaranteed to be in opposition to the firearms ban. Of course, some non-owners will be sympathetic to the plight of gun owners, but the only way to guarantee people get invested is if they have firearms licences and own a gun.
Instead of stockpiling guns yourself, although a great hobby, it may be best to put more time and energy into helping a new owner get their first gun as growing the gun ownership base in Canada will make it increasingly difficult for the federal government to target the property rights of firearms owners.
This is just a brief overview of what the firearms community could be and should be doing to push back. Giltaca said that “As responsible gun owners, we are going about this using both, a public relations approach, and seeking legal remedy,” which includes not only making sure to respectfully voice your opinions to local politicians, and helping lobby groups like the CCFR in their legal battle against the gun grabs, but also helping to grow the gun culture in Canada.
The United States does not just have more stable firearm rights than Canada because they are more explicitly stated in the second amendment, they also have a dedicated firearms community always ready to fight through the political, legal, and cultural avenues against infringements on their constitutional rights.
Wyatt is a student at Mount Royal University, where he is the president of its Campus Conservative club. In his writing, he focuses on covering provincial and federal politics, firearms regulation, and the energy sector. Wyatt has also previously written for The Post Millennial.
[…] National Telegraph […]
A well written report. Thanks for your effort. It raises awareness.
[…] National Telegraph […]
November 24, 2024
November 11, 2024
Canadian Law says the Liberal’s May 1,2020 OIC gun Ban is illegal, Trudeau Govt. has failed to produce any evidence to support their position, Buckle Up !!! this is about to get interesting.
Thank you National Telegraph ……………. simply, and sincerely, thank you all 😉
Well written National Telegraph, we need a positive light on this subject if we are going to keep our firearms.
Firearms Licencing is the biggest problem Canadians face. Before Licencing Canadians had the FAC/(Not A Licence), but now without a Licence /Condition Of Ownership Canadians are criminals even though you may have owned Firearms prior to the PAL. Get rid of the Licencing System and many other issues disappear. The Licencing System has not saved one life and only targets Lawful Canadians not Criminals. The OIC System should also be dissolved as it was not designed for any such Draconian legislation such as May 1 2020. The Liberals used Gabrial Wortman as the opportunity to use OIC, however Wortman had mental health issues and Wortman’s guns were all illegal. Maybe the government should have invested in Canada’s Socialist Medicare and Mental Healthcare rather than waste more taxpayers money on ineffective gun grabs.
How about they do a poll asking every Canadian if they would approve the Government spending the few hundred million on homelessness and veterans, and give every working Canadian a tax free year every 7- 10 years instead of buying guns they are going to destroy bought with our money to take our legally purchased property and instead of wasting billions on things we dont need like bailouts
.Just a thought..lol
That’s the best laugh I’ve had for over 12 months. Why bother "voicing opinions" when the "elected officials and other organizations" have a demonstrated position of not listening – irrespective of fact and reality?)
But the reality is: ALL firearms owners in Canukland (or any nation undergoing civilian disarmament) need dig deep and have tens of millions of $ available to fight in the courts and in an endless series of battles. Freedom is a PERMANENT fight, and a costly one at that.
Thanks for giving an accurate account of legal gun owners side. John Caesar
Still think massive non compliance will end up killing this bullshit move by the liberals. Can the court cases wrk, possibly , but with most judges being appointed by Liberal government who knows if they are willing to go against the hand that feeds them? Massive non compliance in New Zealand with their gun ban legislation has essentially brought it to a stand still. With government saying it’s successful with a 17 to 21% compliance it’s certain they are delusional, much as trudeau and Blair are delusional.
Please note that while the CCFR is the largest opposition to the OIC, it is not the only one who has gone ahead with a legal case. My husband is one of the Group of Nine who have also been fighting in court since coming together last summer. Lawyer fees and court costs are astronomical for all groups, while the government has unlimited sources. Please try to donate to these groups to help them help all of us…..
Don’t make assumptions about what we have been doing. I personally have called every single MP I can find, the elected officials for every party in my riding, I’ve called and written the Mayor, and Doug Ford’s office repeatedly. I’ve written and sent letters to Trudeau, Freeland, and Blair. I’ve demanded from my public officials an opportunity to protest and stand for my rights. Almost every normal avenue to advocate as a citizen of this country has been blocked by this government at all levels since the notion of COVID entered our conversation.
So thanks for your opinion but keep it based in fact. How many of us have you reached out to about what we have been trying to do before you offered your assessment of our actions?
My issue is Trudeau/Blair being able to continue this charade at incredible cost to taxpayers. WHY ARE OUR POLITICIANS NOT HELD PERSONALLY FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ELECTIONEERING UNDER THE GUISE OF MAKING CANADIANS SAFER? Scurrilous legislation would be lessened if M.P.’s, instead of the Canadian taxpayer, became responsible for their incompetence.
Bill S.
Great article. The CCFR has been doing a great job in representing the law abiding gun owners of our country. Now it is up to us to do a few things in support of the CCFR and our fellow gun owners.
1. Donate a few bucks to support the legal action. Every little bit helps.
2. Take someone who has never shot a gun before out shooting. DO NOT give them the gun that will kick like a mule. Make the experience SAFE and Enjoyable and fun. The goal is not to get them "hooked" but rather to help them understand that we use our guns in a safe and enjoyable manner. That we are not the problem.
3. Take a few minutes to write you locale MP’s and MLA’s. Be courteous. Just simply state that you are not in favour of the measures this government is taking on gun control. That is all that really needs to be said. If they are a Liberal MP or MLA, tell them you cannot support them in future elections if they continue with these measures. If they are NDP, Green, Conservative, or other, let them know you can only support them if they come out in opposition of these measures, regardless of they Parties stance.
4. Help friends, family, coworkers understand that Canada already has some of the most stringent gun laws in the world. That illegal guns and drug gangs are the real problem. That gun smuggling from the USA makes up the majority of these illegal guns. That the"Assault Rifles" we use, are NOT designed as weapons of war. They are NOT FULLY AUTOMATIC or military spec. That they are useful for hunting and sports shooting competitions and are highly regulated.
5. Know the FACTS and don’t lie or give half truths. Let the Liberals get caught telling the lies, not our side.
Never give up. Do whatever you can be it financial support or volunteering your time to your local conservative candidate. We must not lose this fight.
A decent article, but needed some fact checking, as the NFA & it’s lawyer Solomon Friedman launched a legal challenge to the original OIC ages ago that’s still working its way through the system. I think these challenges will take years & finish in the SCC.