Bill S.223 will severely curtail the rights of law abiding citizens to own and lawfully use firearms for hunting, recreation, and protection, while doing nothing to protect Canadians from violent criminals. Canadians will have to pay to keep and have access to property they already own. It will do nothing to stop criminals who, by definition, do not comply with laws, and it will put millions of Canadians at risk from these violent criminals. Furthermore, it will ensure that only the police, the military, and criminals have access to firearms. It is an infringement on people’s rights of self defence and lawful enjoyment of property. It will weaken Canada, North America as a whole, and even put our greatest ally, the United States, at risk. It is fundamentally wrong to punish law abiding citizens for the perceived dangers posed by the few, which essentially is caused by weak punishments dolled out by the courts for violent crimes. This bill is wrong and it is based on unsupported, inaccurate, politically motivated rhetoric. Every person who values freedom is obligated to challenge this violation of the rights of peaceful, honest citizens.
