Addun: Liberals’ buy-back program is a complete fiasco

After the Federal Liberal Government announced a ban on “Military-Assault” style weapons, the federal government is replacing Canada’s gun control policies with a nationwide gun ban. Although the idea seems noble, the federal government’s policy hurts law-abiding citizens than it protects.

According to a statement by Alberta Premier, Jason Kenney, the federal government’s new gun ban “only targets law-abiding Canadian gun owners and not criminals the federal government is supposed to be targeting.”

Similarly, gun rights organizations, like the National Firearms Association, have been on the frontlines in providing advice to law-abiding Canadian gun owners on how the federal gun ban would work, and how citizens can maintain their gun property right in the face of the new gun ban on the NFA website.

Given the new federal gun ban, how does the federal government intend to implement its policy nationwide?

Based on the federal government’s new policy, the new gun ban will include more than 1,500 gun models based on overall dimensions and not the rate of fire or ammunition calibre, which would consist of 10 to 12 gauge shotguns hunters use in northern regions of the country.

To achieve its goal, the federal government has announced that it will execute an “optional buy-back program” from Canadian gun owners of “Military-Assault” style weapons, which will cost the federal government $2.7 billion according to the Fraser Institute.

However, there are some fundamental weaknesses to the federal government’s new gun ban:

• First, despite previous gun control measures, gun crimes in Canada have significantly increased from 45.3 to 50.2 percent for attempted murder; 26 to 38.4 percent for homicide; and 13 to 18.7 percent for robbery between 2013 to 2016 – rates have significantly increased since then;

• Second, Australia’s national gun ban led to an increase in homicides, assaults, and armed robberies to 6.2, 9.6, and 44 percent, respectively;

• Third, police response (no matter how quick) does not deter the rate of gun crimes in Canada – citing a previous National Telegraph article;

• Fourth, gun issues in Ottawa are not the same in every province. Although the federal government have conducted its survey for urban and rural communities, their numbers may have come from majority left-leaning communities; or communities that are not considered in immediate danger from gun violence;

• Fifth, in addition to the fourth point, provinces have the discretion to implement the federal gun ban through provincial legislation – as a part of Canadian federalism; or they have the option to invoke Article 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, more commonly known as, the “Notwithstanding” clause, which provinces can invoke when they do not wish to adopt federal legislation; and

• Lastly, criminals do not follow gun control laws/ bans because of the illegality of their actions.

Citing a previous National Telegraph article, the primary methods criminals can obtain guns in Canada are either through smuggling or illegal manufacturing – which are both directly tied to Canada’s illegal drug trade.

In sum, no matter how many restrictive Canadian gun control laws/ bans are implemented, the rate of Canadian gun crimes will not change if law-abiding citizens are targeted instead of criminals.

My thoughts:   

If the federal government’s new gun ban is intended to protect Canadians, then why does the policy target law-abiding Canadians instead of tightening security along the Canada-United States border to prevent illegal guns and drugs from coming into Canada?

Simple answer: politics. Liberal politics have always revolved around people relying on the state for their protection against criminals, and to emphasize the state having a monopoly on violence to maintain order.

Liberal believe the state is a fail-safe mechanism to solve every possible problem people may face. Consequently, they tend to underestimate how much self-control a person can have when facing responsibility – in this case, gun ownership.

Here are two questions I would like to ask liberals who feverishly push for gun control policies/ bans:

• First, when the state has a monopoly on violence, and the state turns against their citizens, who do liberals think will defend citizens against government tyranny?

• Second, considering the recent violent riots in the US, who do the people depend on when the state cannot protect its citizens? 

• The answer: the citizens themselves.