Gun legislation process fatally flawed
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Martin Barker for his very informative and accurate letter entitled “Debate and education is needed in the gun debate” which appeared in the May 7, edition of the Cowichan Valley Citizen. We should indeed take the time to examine all aspects of this issue in a rational and balanced manner.
Unfortunately, that is not what is happening. Citizens who have followed the law by registering as “non restricted” or “restricted” possessors of firearms after taking the necessary courses, many of whom currently live in the Cowichan Valley, are being punished by the Trudeau government for judiciously following the law.
What is more disturbing, however, is that once again the Trudeau government is bypassing the parliamentary process of reasoned debate and subsequent voting to impose its will on the people. Who can count the number of times this government has had to backpedal after rash and extremist proposed or enacted legislation, and it appears that they are now preparing to do so again, by “grandfathering” current gun owners in apparent contradiction to their initial intentions.
Orders in council this sweeping should not be rammed through in a manner approaching the dictatorial, and certainly not when we are in a major national crisis of the kind we are going through now.
Mr. Barker made some excellent points which I will not reiterate here, but foremost among them is the need for gun owners to be able to argue their case, and the faulty implied argument that lethal mass killings cannot be carried out by any other means than by the firearms indicated. History does not bear them out on this. Lastly, does anyone not notice a distressing pattern by this government of gradually reducing citizens’ rights and the ability of those same citizens to protest and express themselves in defence of those rights? Be assured there are several examples, also be assured that many more are likely to come.
Perry Foster
Duncan