Gun control and affordability legislation provides much-needed ‘arrow in the quiver’ for Liberals going into 2024, say political strategists
CCFR CEO & Executive Director Rod Giltaca spoke on Monday of the passing of Bill C-21 and what it means for licenced Canadian gun owners going forward.
Legislation related to gun control and affordability that crossed the finish line prior to the House rising for the year provides ammunition for the Liberals in anticipation of a federal election, but much more will be needed to catch up to the Conservatives in the polls, according to political insiders.
“[The Liberals are] trying to show that they’re taking action on things people care about, or taking action on things where they can wedge the Tories,” said Greg Lyle, president of Innovative Research, in an interview with The Hill Times. “The gun thing is really about wedging the Conservatives, so now they’ll be pushing the Conservatives to say, ‘Are you going to leave this in place? Or are you going to repeal it?’”
Lyle described gun control as a wedge issue that gave the Liberals an advantage against the Conservatives in the 2021 federal election. In that election, the Liberals used “scary gun ads” that looked at which party would be better at reducing gun violence, he said. With the passing of Bill C-21, the Liberals could open the door to similar ads in the future that raise concern about the legislation being repealed by the Conservatives, according to Lyle.
“There’s no pressure on the Liberals on gun violence per se. They don’t need a shield. But it’s a sword in that they can use it to contrast against the Conservatives,” said Lyle. “I would just say that the Liberals are going to need a lot more than this to be able to turn things around. It’s a start.”
The members of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights (CCFR) were “deeply disappointed” in the passing of Bill C-21, according to a statement released on Dec. 15.
Tracey Wilson, vice-president of public relations for the CCFR, told The Hill Times that the freeze on sale or transfer of handguns is the “most important and egregious” part of the legislation because of the financial consequences to firearm businesses.
Handguns account for between 30 and 40 per cent of firearm sales for the approximate 4,500 registered firearm businesses across Canada, according to Wilson.
“You can imagine any business, if you take away up to 40 per cent of the product that they are able to sell, how that’s going to affect their business,” she said. “There’s about 45,000 full time-equivalent jobs in Canada in that market. I would assume that you’ll see a huge reduction in employment. You’ll probably see a lot of shops go under … that just won’t be able to make it on hunting rifles and shotguns.”
Wilson said that for her, the inability to transfer handguns is “the worst part” of the legislation. Without the option of transferring handguns, gun owners will be unable to leave their firearms to their loved ones after they die which means potentially thousands of dollars in property would be “going to the garbage,” she said.
Wilson’s personal collection of four handguns range in value from $700 to $4,700, she said.
“You cannot transfer a handgun to anybody, even another licensed owner. So when I die, not only can my kids not keep them, they also can’t sell them as part of my estate. They literally can’t do anything with them except turn them over to the police for destruction and zero compensation,” she said.
Wilson said that the CCFR had fought Bill C-21 “every single way [they] could” in the House and Senate. Now that the bill has passed she said “it’s time to fight them in the arena of public opinion.”
“I think that’s what our focus is going to be on. We’re going to be advocating hard for a government that’s willing to focus on actual public safety issues, reducing crime, violence and gun smuggling, and not reducing legal firearms ownership,” she said. “At the end of the day, we just need a new government.”
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