Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a ban on so-called “military-grade assault weapons” in reaction to the murder rampage launched in Nova Scotia by a man who reportedly owned guns illegally, leaving rights activists hardly surprised.
Trudeau’s action underscores what the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said two weeks ago following the killing spree that left 22 people dead, including nine who died after the killer set fire to their homes. While Trudeau reportedly described the new regulations as “closing the market,” CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb noted in a prepared statement, “We do not believe adding more restrictions on gun ownership for law-abiding Canadian citizens will to anything to prevent such tragedies in the future.”
According to CBC, the mass murderer “used guns illegally obtained in Canada and from U.S. sources.” Canadian authorities still have not specifically identified the firearms allegedly used by the shooter, who died in a confrontation with police several hours after the killings began. The dead gunman has been identified as Gabriel Wortman, 51.
Trudeau said in announcing the regulations, “Effective immediately, it is no longer permitted to buy, sell, transport, import or use military-grade assault weapons in this country.”
The immediate question is how does Trudeau think banning the possession and ownership of such firearms by law-abiding Canadian citizens is going to prevent unlicensed individuals to obtain such firearms for criminal purposes?
While the Canadian Prime Minister may have that authority, a U.S. President would be hard pressed to justify such a declaration, much less make it stick, thanks to the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights. That amendment protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It does not “grant” or “give” citizens that right, according to Second Amendment experts. There is no Second Amendment in Canada.
The Canadian ban applies to some 1,500 different firearms types that are now considered “military grade,” according to the Daily Caller.
“Canada has very strict gun policies, but those regulations did not prevent the murder spree,” CCRKBA’s Gottlieb observed. “We find it appalling that many in the U.S. gun prohibition movement have argued in support of Canadian-type gun laws for this country. It is time for gun control extremists on both sides of the border to admit their strategies have consistently failed, and in some cases have even cost lives.”
Rights activists consider gun bans to be an attempt to blame firearms for the illegal actions of the people misusing guns.
Ironically, the Trudeau ban comes at a time when Americans have been buying record numbers of firearms, largely in reaction to the COVID-19 outbreak that has crippled the U.S. economy and put more than 20 million people out of work. Currently, several states are beginning to “re-open” for business, with certain “social distancing” requirements in place.
But the contrast between the neighboring nations is stark. Many U.S. gun buyers are first-timers, according to anecdotal reports from various retailers. Concerns of possible social unrest or breakdown resulted in many citizens falling back on their Second Amendment-protected rights as a hedge against trouble they believe might be on the horizon.
