Written By Wyatt Claypool, Posted on April 21, 2022
The news of Ontario Liberal Party leader Steven Del Duca declaring that he wants to ban the legal purchasing of handguns if he becomes premier caught the attention of conservative media in Canada, which rightfully ripped Del Duca for his anti-firearms position.
ICYMI: Today we announced that an @OntLiberal government will ban handguns across Ontario in our first year in office. Gun violence is a public health issue. We will fund trauma counselling for survivors and others affected by gun violence. #onpoli
More: https://t.co/gACM4cnZEe pic.twitter.com/eqlAYwY8bK
— Steven Del Duca (@StevenDelDuca) April 19, 2022
Firearms were only briefly an issue in Canadian politics back during the 2021 election when then Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole was flip-flopping on his promise to scrap Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “assault weapons” ban, and before that, the issue was only widely talked about when Trudeau first announced his Order-in-Council ban in the spring of 2020.
This is to say that firearms in Canada only ever become a political issue when their legal ownership is directly threatened. It makes sense that coverage ramps up whenever a politician, like Trudeau or Del Duca, declares their intent to ban certain classes (or made-up classes) of firearms, but the cyclical nature of firearms news coverage seems to miss the connections the topic has to other issues in Canada.
We just got out from under the harshest period of government control in Canada (outside of wartime) so it should not be surprising that the politicians who kept us locked down, or advocated for hash lockdowns, are now moving on to try and restrict other freedoms.
The federal Liberals are moving forward with anti-free speech legislation, like the online media-regulating legislation Bill C-11, as well as a promised new version of Bill C-36 from the previous session that seeks to criminalize “hate speech” in Canada.
It is a move towards making permanent high levels of government control shortly after many Canadians, unfortunately, got used to being told what to do, and anti-firearm rights legislation is absolutely included in this move.
Trying to ban and confiscate guns is not just anti-freedom due to the direct undermining of property rights and the right to self-defence, but it more fundamentally is a way of disarming the minds of Canadians.
Gun ownership or even just the legal ability to own a gun signifies a certain level of freedom across society that citizens should be able to expect. It is no coincidence that because the United States has the Second Amendment, despite American citizens very rarely taking up arms to defend themselves or their property from the government, there is a strong emphasis on preventing the government from encroaching on people’s civil liberties and freedoms.
Predictably, In states with more regulations on Americans’ gun rights, like California or New York, there was less pushback on the draconian and unnecessary COVID-19 restrictions and mandates.
Overall the restrictions and mandates around Canada, some of which are still in place, lasted much longer than the ones in the US states because we have been trained over time to regard our rights and freedoms as being somehow toxic to others.
Banning all firearms like Liberal, NDP, and some Conservative politicians look like they want to do would completely gut the average Canadians’ willingness to push back, which is likely primarily what they want.
No politician in a Western democracy is actually under the impression that citizens legally owning firearms leads to an increase in firearms-related crime (most crime is done with illegally-obtained guns) or militias trying to overthrow the government, rather they understand gun culture is pro-freedom.
This is also why Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford are passing legislation to try and tax truckers and or seize their property if they attempt to protest, as big-rig trucks have recently become a new symbol of freedom culture in Canada.
Even if you do not own a gun the fact that your society allows you to own one gives you a greater appreciation and knowledge of your rights. The more things you are banned from doing or owning the less you will see your rights and freedoms as valuable, thus making you more likely to give the rest away.
This is exactly why firearms issues are always important, and the rights of firearm owners are not just a concern for the community in Canada, and in fact, should be a major concern even if you live in an apartment in downtown Toronto or Victoria BC.
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.
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