The legal 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 legally possess firearms in our country.
Legal firearms owners deserve a legal framework that protects their property rights and treats them with fairness and respect. We need a common-sense approach to gun control that promotes safety while removing the threat of arbitrary criminal prosecution and safety in our communities.
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.
In 1995, Bill C-68 created the Firearms Act, the strictest gun-control legislation in Canadian history. Its most controversial feature, the creation of a long-gun registry, was repealed in 2012.
The People’s Party of Canada (PPC) has looked making gun ownership more complex and supports lifetime firearm certifications after proper vetting and training. It promises anyone who legally bought a gun and had to relinquish it to the government due to new rules would be reimbursed. The PPC will future regulation of firearms to be handled by Parliament, not police or cabinet.
The People’s Party of Canada says it would double the length of licenses from five years to 10, repeal restrictions on magazine size, classify guns based on function, not appearance, and make safety classes more available. Canada’s firearms legislation must protect society from the criminal misuse of firearms and prioritize the deterrence and punishment of criminals.
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.
To avoid criminalizing legal gun owners and guarantee their property rights, Baljit Bawa
Member of Parliament candidate, from Brampton Centre said, this system will legalize simple possession of firearms for certified Canadians as long as they use their firearms lawfully and don’t commit some other crime which would disqualify them from firearms ownership.
