Liberals Ignore Statistics to Push Gun Bans

A new study out of Ontario found that the majority of gun death in the province were due to cases of unintentional self-harm or suicide which gives a much different view into firearms related deaths in Canada, and the policy implications that can be taken away.

According to CMAJ Group between April 1, 2002 and December 31, 2016 there were 6483 firearms-related injuries in Ontario (3.54 per 100,000) of which 2723 were fatal (42.3%). Assault/shootings accounted for 40.2% of overall injuries and 25.5% of firearm fatalities, which disproportionately affected young men living in urban areas.

Self-harm injuries were counted as being linked to 1842 deaths (67.6%) which two thirds of occured with older men living in rural areas. 

This data, although tragic to learn about, points to the issue with deaths linked to firearms in Ontario being either linked to criminal activity in urban areas, likely involving gangs, or suicides which shows current federal policy like the “assault style” rifle ban are not targeting the real issues with firearm deaths. 

Law abiding gun owners are not the ones causing gang violence in urban areas or elsewhere, which is an issue likely requiring stricter enforcement of the laws in the cities, and the owning of firearms Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals want to ban is certainly not the cause of suicide in rural areas.

Especially on the issue of suicide, law abiding firearms owners are not the problem, it is clearly a moral and psychological issue that needs specific policy targeted at solving it, not confiscation of Canadian citizens property, if anything that could make depression worse. 

Tracey Wilson, VP of Communications for the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights (CCFR) weighed in on the issue, telling The National Telegraph how she views the problem: 

Wilson said:

Suicide remains the largest contributing factor in deaths by gun in Canada, this is nothing we didn’t already know. Suicide is a serious and often shamed topic unfortunately and the resources to improve mental health are finite. This continues to be a problem in both rural and urban communities, but this recent CMAJ study shows the unique issues faced by men in rural communities where mental health resources may be in short supply, combined with economic and social issues. 

Wilson also brought up the fact firearms are not even close to the main method driving increasing suicide deaths. She said that, “It is noted that firearm is a distant third in preferred method of suicide and accounts for between 13-15% of all suicides in Canada, showing that the greater issue is a need for better mental health overall.”

If this newly analyzed data is not taken into account by the Trudeau, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, or anyone else in the Liberal Party caucus, it will be staggeringly clear that they never actually cared about keeping Canadians safe and on the contrary further pushing down rural Canadians who believe being able to lawfully own a firearm is important.

Tracey Wilson herself described a policy that she sees as targeting the issue of suicide while at the same time respecting the property rights of legal firearms owners.

Wilson laid out  her plan stating:  

There is a need for a program or measure wherein legal gun owners experiencing a mental health crisis can reach out for help in a healthy, safe manner, without the threat of having their property permanently confiscated and their firearm license revoked. The extreme measures being asked for by these doctors will, without doubt, be a roadblock to those in temporary crisis getting meaningful help.

Wilson’s plan touches on an issue made worse by the Liberals OIC gun ban, which is the undermining of trust between the federal government and law abiding firearms owners. The Liberals may be making it more difficult to tackle issues like firearms-related suicide if those suffering from depression fear the government using their temporary emotional state as a means to take away property rights. 

If the Liberals actually wanted to be taken seriously and trusted on public safety issues they immediately need to desist from banning guns without just cause and turn their focus to targeted solutions for gang violence and suicide. If they do not, as said before, they will be demonstrating they never really cared about anything past the ability to confiscate property.