Canada: Liberal PM’s Amendment Would Add Hunting Rifles to Proposed Handgun Ban

A CBC.ca report indicates an amendment has been added to Bill C-21, co-opting the handgun ban to prohibit hunting rifles as well.

CBC.ca notes: “The proposed changes to Bill C-21 were tacked on by Liberal MP Paul Chiang after it had passed second reading — drawing complaints from opposition MPs who accused the government of sneaking in changes that would expand the scope of prohibited weapons to include hunting rifles.”

One clause in the amendment prohibits rifles and/or shotguns that could accept a magazine holding over five rounds of ammunition.

CBC.ca also points out: “The amendment prohibits, by name, a large number of semi-automatic firearms that do not have detachable magazines and don’t meet the definition of an ‘assault-style firearm,’  or infringe the other two rules, but which the government wants to ban anyway. They include a number of long guns in wide use by Canadian hunters.”

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino contends that hunters are not being singled out, but claims a focus on “gun violence” is the driving force.

Mendicino said, “We have a plan to eradicate gun violence once and for all. We are not going to target those guns which are used conventionally for hunting.”

The Safari Club International denounced Chiang’s amendment, noting:

While this outrageous ban poses a clear threat to law-abiding gun owners and hunters in Canada, it is also highly concerning for American hunters who will not be able to travel to Canada with their firearms or otherwise use many commonly owned hunting firearms once in Canada. This will disincentivize Americans from hunting in Canada, creating a devastating economic impact on the industry and communities that has [sic] contributed approximately $1.13 billion Canadian dollars to the country’s GDP this year alone.

When Trudeau put the “assault weapons” ban forward in 2020, Breitbart News reported that it included numerous bolt-action rifles.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. AWR Hawkins holds a PhD in Military History with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.