Last night Bill C-71 passed Senate without amendment. 55 in favor, with only 33 against. As expected, legal gun owners are justifiably upset. This bill will do nothing to stem crime that involves a firearm, but rather put more restrictions on legal law abiding gun owners.

What is next? a simple Google search on the AR-15 in Canada will bring up numerous news articles on the possible ban on AR-15's. What could be next hand guns? Most of the people asking for firearm bans are not fully aware of current firearm laws. Here is an example used by a local avid shooter:

Imagine that the government is now going to make any car that can travel at more then 100 KM/H a "Restricted Vehicle" So you would have to go take a course on this car, pass a written and practical test, then apply and pay for a new class of licence.

Once you have your new licence, and you want to buy a vehicle over the limit, you would then have to go to a dealer, show your new licence, have them do a transfer on your new car to your name (including a criminal record check), and wait for this to be completed.

Once it is done, you would then get a special licence to transport your new car, but you cannot just drive it home, it has to be disabled, and locked in a trailer to take it home. 

Once home it has to be locked away.

If you want to go out and use your new car, you must join a track, to take your car to the track you need to have a another licence to take it, disable it, and lock it in a trailer. 

You may only drive you car at a track, you may not drive it on your own property, you can't take it out for a Sunday night drive. Garage, Track, Garage.

Now, the problem is you are going to follow these rules, but there is people taking these out and street racing them, finding ways to get them that do not include registering them. So the laws have to change right? But they change so that you have more restrictions on your cars, but nothing for the people that are not following the laws.

Now lets look at this, you turn 16 and can go write one written test and get your drivers licence but to get your restricted licence you must be 18, take two courses, past 2 written and 2 practical tests and have a criminal record check and reference check completed.

The REAL statistics on deaths are as follows:

In 2016 the total number of deaths in Canada by traffic collision was 1717 ( https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/canadian-motor-vehicle-traffic-collision-statistics-2016.html)

In 2016 the total number of deaths by firearm in Canada was 223 

( https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3510007201)

So cars caused 5545% MORE deaths then firearms, should we be more focused on making our roads safer? Safer vehicles? Better training programs? Or maybe just prohibit all vehicles since they are so obviously dangerous.

What this all boils down to is one simple statement. No gun has ever killed anyone, EVER! It was ALWAYS a person who did it using a gun, whether intentionally or not. No one also looks at the fact that most of the intentional deaths would have happened using another tool if the gun was unavailable. Yes laws need to be in place but this is focusing on the law abiding rather than putting the funds being spent on this prohibition elsewhere to stop the crimes by those who do not abide by the law. 

Firearm owners in Canada have the target on our backs, lets get it back on the backstop where it belongs.