Another one
Hello MP [name]:
I've been meaning to send you a letter for a while, but it wasn't until today that I am finally getting around to it for a specific reason. Just a little history on myself, I live in [town/city], and have had a firearms license for a year now, so I am a relatively new gun owner. I'm not a rural Canadian. I also hold libertarian principles and believe in the right to self defense and the use of firearms for such a purpose.
The reason I've decided to write you now is because of recent actions by the RCMP, reclassifying a number of firearms from non-restricted and restricted, directly to prohibited status. Most of us firearms owners see this as the conversion of an otherwise law-abiding citizen to a criminal overnight... well, at least as of 10:00p EST on February 26th. I am personally not an owner of any of the firearms in question, but I believe if I don't speak up, this unfortunate incident is just going to get swept under the rug. This issue affects all firearms owners and has shaken our trust in the RCMP and the current government.
We question whether the decision was actually made in the name of public safety. Going back to the enactment of the Firearms Act itself, there are a lot of questions regarding whether anything in this act is actually in the best interest of public safety. There have been studies by John Lott, Don Bates, Gary Mauser and the Center for Disease Control that show the benefit of not saddling law-abiding firearms owners with ineffective restrictions.
Callin Langmann, PhD at McMaster University, Division of Emergency Medicine, wrote a paper in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence titled "Canadian Firearms Legislation and Effects on Homicide 1974 to 2008". This is an important study to consider as Langmann's study failed to demonstrate a beneficial association between legislation and firearm homicide rates between the years the study covers.
Going back to the issue of reclassification, the rifle in question was the Swiss Arms Classic Green, which I believe is a standard issue firearm to Swiss citizens. This firearm was used in the commission of exactly zero crimes. Being classified as prohibited, this $3000 to $4000 rifle is now subject to confiscation (or theft by government if you want to look at it another way) without compensation. This works out to an estimated $4 million to $7 million in firearms that either have to be surrendered for destruction, or sold to someone with a 12.x classification on their firearms license, or a firearms business, in which case, they can only resell to 12.x license holders, which highly limits their commercial value, lest they be exported to the US (which may not be allowed).
As you may have gathered, the long gun registry is not the most important issue to me. It was just another step in treating the law abiding like criminals. But it was just that. Another step. The Firearms Act, nearly in its entirety essentially treats me, and all other firearms owners in Canada like a criminal. It is clear in Section 91 that the only reason we are not criminals is because of a piece of plastic in my wallet. This is only the start of the issues.
Keep in mind, I am using the word "criminal". I cannot stress this enough. Would you want to be treated like a criminal due to lack of sufficient paper for property, or accidentally forgetting to submit a renewal, or worse yet, the CFO took too long to process your paperwork? Maybe the rivet fell loose in your magazine turning it into a prohibited device and you as its owner, into a criminal. A criminal subject to penalties worse than rapists and murderers. Worse in that not only does it subject the law abiding to 3 years in prison, it also burdens them with a criminal record. Is this how the government wishes to treat us?
The reclassifications on February 26 also demonstrates another major issue with the act. RCMP have the power to create criminals. To give the law enforcement division of the government the power to create criminals is not only a massive conflict of interest, it is encroaching on tyrannical. This is what we have to deal with, long gun registry or not. The only thing the LGR did was allow the RCMP to find where the non restricted rifles were so they can knock on doors and take them. There is still the restricted firearms registry which would cause the same grief for myself and others. Registration leading to confiscation? Yup. At this point it is hard to convince me otherwise.
The thing that scares me the most about this is that I own firearms that have been singled out by opposition parties for reclassification, mainly to prohibited. This includes handguns, bullpup firearms and semi-auto firearms. These 3 categories account for over half of my personal firearms collection. Not a single one would be used to compromise public safety. I'm uncomfortable with our current firearms legislation, and I fear that come next election, the Conservatives won't be able to hold a majority any more.
Frankly, I'm not sure who to vote for other than maybe the Libertarian Party. The Conservatives are barely standing up for firearms owners. They aren't acting on the promises of harper to repeal C-68. I see more garbage from the RCMP, the CFC and CFOs. I am beginning to lose confidence not just in the Conservatives, but the Canadian government as a whole. The Firearms Act is essentially the ultimate distrust in Canadian citizens. How can I continue to trust a government that does not trust its citizens?
I hope this message finds you well. I would really like you to consider what I've written. There are other MPs like Cheryl Gallant that are diligently trying to support us firearms owners. Can I count on you continue the fight for us?
Sincerely,