All major firearms lobby groups call for Minister Bill Blair’s removal

Written By Wyatt Claypool, Posted on May 5, 2020

Canada’s four major gun lobby groups have all come out and called for the removal of Minister of Public Safety, and Emergency Preparedness, Bill Blair, for the recently announced firearms ban that each organization considers rushed and senseless public policy. 

In the National Firearms Association’s (NFA) statement they quote their President, and CEO, Sheldon Clare to encapsulate the feeling of the whole of the NFA on the issue of the recent mass rifle ban.

“The government has been arbitrary and vindictive in the way in which this was done.  Last-minute enabling changes to the law regarding what may and may not be classified are cause for grave concern about process and purpose,” Clare stated. 

Clare later went on to push back on the public safety justification the Liberal government used for the ban, and also like the other gun lobby groups called for Blair’s removal.

Clare said, “This radical and sweeping action serves only the politics of division – it in no way augments any aspect of public safety. In our opinion, Minister Blair has bungled this file and the NFA calls for his immediate removal from the Public Safety portfolio.”

Ontario Director of the NFA, Jordan Vandenhoff told The National Telegraph, “By 11:20 May 1 before the announcement wasn’t even finished my mailbox had well over  a hundred emails from concerned, upset and scared firearms owners by a stroke of a pen they were in possession of a prohibited device which in the criminal code carries the penalty of jail time.”

Vandenhoff continued saying that, “My phone was ringing off the hook. This was not the time the country was locked down. The House of Commons is closed and the government is running on a skeleton crew. Many modern sport rifles with legitimate use in Canada for hunting, sport shooting, sport shooting competitions were banned without evidence of a threat to public safety. But based on looks and miss information from media sources.”

Members of Parliament for Prince George–Peace River also sounded off on the recent firearms ban also targeting Bill Blair but stopped short of calling for the Minister’s full removal from cabinet.

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Zimmer said, “Canadians have been very clear. They want action on crime, gangs and illegal firearms. That is why an e-petition that opposed using an Order in Council to ban firearms was the most signed e-petition in Canadian history. We have an outdoor community who safely utilize their firearms daily without incident. Yet this Prime Minister and Public Safety Minister Bill Blair would rather target us than real criminals.”

In the statement by the Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association, (CSAAA) the organization’s Managing Director, Allison de Groot ripped into the Liberals “knee-jerk” legislation and “gross negligence” among other complaints with recent rifle ban.

“We see so many security and public safety issues with this legislation, it’s incredibly dangerous and completely unfair. This OIC is a knee-jerk emotional reaction enacted in an amateur way and demonstrates gross negligence and incompetence. As a result, we feel the Prime Minister and Canadians have been grossly underserved and ill-advised by Minister Blair and call for his immediate removal from Public Safety,” de Groot said. 

The Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA), put forward a similar sentiment stating that, “The Canadian Shooting Sports Association feels the Prime Minister and Canadians have been poorly served by Minister Blair and call for his immediate removal from this portfolio. We also demand the immediate withdrawal of this flawed Order in Council,”.

The Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights (CCFR) in their statement echoed similar sentiments to the other firearms lobby groups and tacked on to their calls for Bill Blair to be removed by advising the Liberals should repeal the firearms bans and have experts advise them on new laws.

This part of the statement read, “The level of incompetence in this act by the Liberal government is astounding. As a result, we feel the Prime Minister and Canadians have been grossly under-served by the Minister and call for his immediate removal from over-seeing this process, and for the repealing of this regulation in order to consult technical experts.”

Overall it is clear that the Liberal government has not made themselves any friends in the gun lobby from their recent reactionary rifle ban of 1,500 different models.

The Liberal’s may have made it much more difficult to be reelected now that they have further alienated the lawful gun-owning community and multiple lobby groups now all fully organized against them.

Wyatt Claypool

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.

14 responses to “All major firearms lobby groups call for Minister Bill Blair’s removal”

  1. Weyland Yutani says:

    This isn’t the first time a Liberal government has made me a criminal. I have never forgotten that, not will I forgive.
    I also hold the Conservative Party of Canada partly responsible: when Stephen Harper was the Opposition leader, he said would repeal Bill C-68, which forms the basis of the Firearms Act.
    As a result, tens of thousands of gun owners joined the CPC, expecting Harper to live up his promise. We told the CPC that the Firearms Act was a sword hanging over our heads, and we wanted it gone.
    Instead, the Harper CPC halfheartedly "removed" the long gun registry (the RCMP illegally kept digital copies) and claimed they’d lived up to their promise.
    And here we are today: once again in the crosshairs of a vindictive, corrupt and incompetent Liberal gov’t. Only this time, the CPC is even weaker than they were under Harper, and they aren’t going to offer us much support, for fear of offending Toronto soccer moms and CBC listeners.
    I urge all gun owners to join at least one of the 3 main gun rights organizations: NFA, CSSA, or CCFR.
    And be very careful who you vote for in the next election: demand that they completely re-write the Firearms Act. Accept nothing less, or we will continue to be a political football, scapegoated for the actions of the insane.

    • Weyland Yutani
  2. R McLean says:

    I am very concerned as a Law abiding citizen in Canada. Do we live in a Dictatorship????? We have to fight for our Canadian Democratic rights. Law abiding citizens did not commit any crime and should not have to relinquish legally obtained firearms for hunting or sportsmanship. Law abiding citizens are not criminals! This undemocratic destruction of our rights can not be tolerated and this ban repealed! Our rights are being taken away without a fight????? What is happening to Canada? A Minority government has this much power?????? Have you read the list of firearms banned???? It includes so many that it could constitute a gun prohibition and they are not military style assault weapons! This is unjustifiable sentencing imposed on law abiding citizens without a fair trial. Even the Grandfather clause is unreasonable. It must be made to protect those who are registered and abide by gun laws already in effect. Trudeau keeps stating that the ban is on military style assault weapons ?????? Those have been banned for years… he is attacking hunters and sportsman while protecting criminals. It is time that our Government puts more effort into preventing illegal arms smuggling and imposing stricter penalties for crimes committed. Please help Canada and stop this kind of legislative push during a pandemic without parliamentary debate. It appears that This Liberal Government is pushing law abiding citizens to fight for their rights under a democratic society by dividing Canada. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6880974-Canada-Gazette-May-1-2020-Part-II.html?fbclid=IwAR2a5v7IS4CSJkh8VqTMZj768NzUszt1jdmqGLWbq4MdCjjBtbu8yyiZ4fQ

  3. Kathy Woycik says:

    Has anyone ever gone into the past of this POS. He was one of the cops who covered up the Sherman murders, he knows and participates in the Canadian pedo, missing persons and trafficking ring in Canada. Do some investigating on this SLIMEY weasel.

    • Anette Lang says:

      You’re 100% correct.
      If only the masses would research who this slimy bastard is. The information is out there; one only needs to take a dive down the rabbit hole.

  4. Try McCarthy says:

    It is obvious from his smirk when the firearms issue was brought up during the interview and his conviction that the other parties in parliament will fall into line with the bans that he will just ignore our petitions. He won’t consider that licenced firearms owners are the most law abiding citizens this country has. Our other citizens no matter how decent and law abiding they are, are statistically more likely to commit violent crime. The government and police admit they have no idea where the 450,000 Canadians are who are prohibited from owning or using firearms yet they run criminal record checks on the most law abiding citizens ever single day. He is so addicted to staying in power that he will destroy jobs and take Canadians property and wealth away and then smirk about it. Remember he said not too long ago how much he admires how dictators can govern.

    Terry McCarthy
    Aldergrove, B.C

  5. Brahm Zuckerman says:

    It’s Strange how the most Corrupt Criminal in Canadian History, is allowed to make Laws that treat the most trusted and honest Canadians like Criminals.

  6. J. McKinnon says:

    Canada doesn’t need a new party in Ottawa, what we need is a new form of government. I would suggest we look to how the government in Switzerland is set up. It is much closer to democracy tha the gong show we have here in Canada and the US.

  7. Liberty Man says:

    Canada is on the road to becoming the next Venezuela. They exempted so-called "indigenous peoples" from the gun ban. I identify as an indigenous person of Canada.

  8. Kevin Creed says:

    Dear Minister
    I writing you about this new gun ban. For the life of me I can not figure out how it is going to make my community safer. I am not a gun owner and have no plans on obtaining a firearm. Yet I would really appreciate it if some one form your office could explained to me how this is going to stop illegal guns from entering this country and remove said guns from the criminals that poses them? With all the facts I have been able to research these hyenas crimes are being committed with illegally obtained firearms by criminals. How is this political farse is going to remove even one of the firearms off the streets?? I believe along with many others that this issue needs to be readdressed. As the way it stands now is absolutely Useless. The money needs to go to More boarder Controls and policing. This policy only succeeded at making us Canada’s look really stupid.
    So if some one from your office could explain this to me it would be greatly appreciated. Maybe I’m missing something!

    Best Regards
    Kevin Creed

  9. Glen Atwell says:

    "Calling for Action" and lobbying is about as effective as petitions. They simply go ignored. What these lobby groups need is Legal Action. Legal Injunctions based on Constitutional Rights and the Rule of Law. The Lobby Groups need to Pay for these Lawyers because the cost cannot be borne by a single person. Here is my legal angle to fix this problem in Government. Read it amend it and Run with it.
    ******************************************************************************************************************
    The demand for the resignation of the Governor-General for Breach of Fiduciary Duty to the People of Canada to which she protects and to the Crown of whom she represents.
    *******************************************************************************************************************
    Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor-General of Canada.

    For the failure in performing her fiduciary duties while in office, with all the powers and responsibilities of the Head of State, Her Majesty The Queen. As such, the governor-general is a non-partisan and apolitical manner.

    By signing the Order in Council the Governor-General has violated Fiduciary duties as follows:

    Establishing whether a fiduciary duty exists:

    Her position in Canada. She is the highest-ranking officer in the nation.
    She is the Final Authority to which powers exist in Canada.
    Much trust and reliance the nation put in the office of Governor-General and it impacts the extent of the fiduciary duty.
    The Governor-General is aware she is accepting this trust and that special reliance is being put upon her.
    The governor general’s other constitutional duties include:
    swearing into office the prime minister, Cabinet ministers and the chief justice of Canada;
    summoning, proroguing and dissolving Parliament;
    delivering the Speech from the Throne;
    granting Royal Assent to acts of Parliament;
    appointing members of the Privy Council, lieutenant governors and certain judges, on the advice of the prime minister; and
    signing into effect official documents, such as orders-in-council. ****
    As a Mr. Fritz has written, “orders in council are really a throwback to the days of governing by decree in which monarchs, despots and, in Canada’s case today, elected governments may dictate to the populace with no regard for process, fairness or legal recourse.”

    It was an Order in Council that was last used to seize the property of Japenese Canadians and inter them for their protection during WW2. A dark period of history for Canada based on Race. Canada has just repeated this mistake with this Governor Generals approval of "the recent Order in Council" concerning Arms Controls.

    The current Gun Control Order-in-Council discriminates between Native Canadians and Non-Natives, including ethnic Metis and other races and or Cultures. "Gun Laws" are now discriminatory and threatening much in the same way that Apartheid was advantageous to one portion of the population while the Majority population was defenceless and left to the subjugation by a well-armed minority.
    Never would Canadians have believed that Canada would make rules based on RACE and deprive one group of property that they have legally obtained, by RIGHT of THE QUEEN removed.

    Governor-General Julie Payette has the right to advise, encourage and warn the Government of such acts. As such, the governor-general can offer valued counsel to the prime minister. The governor-general also holds certain reserve powers, thereby acting as a democratic safeguard in Canada. She has FAILED to do so.

    As the Prime Minister and his party do not represent the majority of Canadians with only 33.1% of the votes in the last election this Government cannot be viewed as being the Will of the People. The Democratic safeguard of her office has failed to protect the democratic will of Canadians, the Constitutional Rights of Canadians and the true test of Democracy in an election. She should step down from her office to be replaced by a person with integrity and the willingness to withhold their Royal Approval to an Orders-In -Council that is viewed as repugnant to Canadians and the Crown as being Race-based and without consent.

    Glen Atwell.

    Now pay a lawyer and go get them.

  10. Marjie Hyland says:

    I’m not a criminal. This attack on my integrity is wrong

  11. mary bagshaw says:

    I just watched a video on the how legally someone can get a gun permit without a full face picture, in Eastern Canada. I hope this is wrong. The laws were put in place to protect us and if this is true, it isn’t protecting us at all. I was raised around rifles and everyone I know has them legally with the picture on their licence. How can any group get away with out any picture on a paper as serious as a gun licence to own a rifle. It is wrong. I am so pissed and who ever lobbied to have this passed is not a true Canadian. Our laws are for everyone. Sooner or later, our people will stand up and rebel and this is one that might start it.
    Mary Bagshaw

  12. C Brown says:

    Like the NRA is so fond of saying, I now say it to all you gun owners “Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time”
    Feel better?

  13. Steve Gunn says:

    The liberal disarmament agenda started decades ago and began in earnest with the passage of the liberal firearm act of 1995. Bill C-71 reinforced the liberals ability to prohibit firearms at their whim. Trudeau and Blair is following the UN mandated global disarmament agenda. No one should be surprised by the liberals latest round of firearm prohibitions because the liberals had made no secret about it. A blind person could see this coming down the road years ago.

    The firearm organisations have done the very best they could over many years with the funds made available to them. But most firearm owners have been notoriously cheap and largely apathetic, until now it seems. Better late than never but its also like trying to close the barn door after the horse has bolted. What now? Intense and sustained political pressure, public education and legal action all the way to the SCC. All of which costs money.

    Win or loose, then what? To expect the liberals to reverse themselves is laughable. The NDP and Bloc are on-board with a gun free Canada. Only the federal conservatives are willing to listen to logic and reason when it comes to firearms and civilian ownership. The only way for gun owners to get any help and relief is for a majority conservative government in Ottawa.

    The big question is, will the conservatives take on the huge task of gutting the Firearm Act and associated criminal code sections & regulations? If not, the UN/liberal disarmament agenda just gets put on hold until the liberals get back in power. But I will take an extra 4 or 8 or 12 years because that is much better than Trudeau getting a third term in office.

    All of this is just my opinion of course. You never knows what the future holds.