Press release - Maxime Bernier promises common-sense approach to gun control

Moose Jaw, SASKATCHEWAN, September 2, 2021 – A People’s Party government would adopt a common-sense approach to gun control that promotes safety while removing the threat of arbitrary criminal prosecution for firearms owners, promised party leader Maxime Bernier at a campaign stop in Moose Jaw this morning.

Statement by Maxime Bernier:

“The use of firearms has always been part of Canadian tradition and culture. Today, there are over 2 million hunters, ranchers, trappers, farmers, target shooters, recreational shooters and collectors who possess firearms in our country.

However, despite this group being exceptionally law abiding and the most highly vetted segment in the Canadian population, the existing firearms legislation unfairly targets them, does not respect their property rights, and is highly arbitrary. The latest addition to this unfair legislation is the Trudeau government’s ban of thousands of guns on the basis of appearance rather than function through a simple cabinet decision.

We need a common-sense approach to gun control that promotes safety while removing the threat of arbitrary criminal prosecution.

A People’s Party government will replace the Firearms Act and supporting legislation with new legislation that will prioritize effective measures to improve public safety and fight crime in Canada; it will also replace the costly and burdensome licensing system with an efficient lifetime certification system for firearms owners following mandatory vetting, safety training and testing; it will require that all firearms categories be based on function, not on looks or arbitrary political whims, and reclassify all firearms based on the Simplified Classification System as proposed by the Canadian Shooting Sports Association; and finally, it will mandate that all future changes to firearms regulation be completed through Parliament only.”

The People’s Party’s updated platform on firearms is available here.

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Contact: For more information, please write to: [email protected]