FIREARMS FACTS UPDATE

THE LIBERALS' PLAN TO BAN THE RUGER MINI 14

By Garry Breitkreuz, MP – February 9, 2005

1. The onus is on the government to prove this firearm is more of a problem than any other type of firearm. Consequently, I will not support the banning of any firearm including the Ruger Mini 14 until and unless the government can provide the following information and assurances to Parliament and the public:

• Evidence that the firearm to be banned is a threat to public safety while in the hands of a law-abiding firearm owner.
• Evidence that the firearm to be banned is not used for hunting or sporting purposes by the majority of the owners of that particular firearm.
• Evidence that the banning of firearms has been a cost effective policy and successful at reducing the criminal use of firearms and keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals.
• Evidence that the firearm to be banned is more lethal than other types of legal firearms.
• Written guarantee that fundamental property rights will be respected and that the government will fully compensate owners for the loss in value suffered by owners of firearm to be banned and/or confiscated.

2. The key point in all of this is - just like the rest of the Firearms Act - the Liberal policy of prohibiting firearms is doing nothing whatsoever to improve public safety.  The hundred million a year being wasted tracking duck hunters should be spent targeting the root causes of violence and for police to go after the real criminals.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

In a letter to a constituent dated January 27, 2005, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler stated: "The Government of Canada is committed to introducing legislation to prohibit the Ruger Mini-14 at the earliest opportunity during this session of Parliament.  The criterion for prohibiting firearms is whether it is reasonable for use in Canada for hunting or sporting purposes."

Copy of Letter: http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/IrwinCotlerLetterFeb05.pdf

568,460 REGISTERED FIREARMS PROHIBITED BY BILL C-68 http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/FirearmsProhibitedinBillC-68.pdf

LIBERAL GUN BAN IN THE WORKS FOR YEARS

http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/Article122.htm

NO DATA ON THE NUMBER OF GUNS CONFISCATED

http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/Article532.htm

Library of Parliament Report: Legislative Procedures for Banning Firearms http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/LibraryReportBanning%20Guns2005-02-08.doc

Picture of the Ruger Mini 14 Ranch Rifle

http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/pics/Mini-14.gif

ADDITIONAL POINTS TO CONSIDER

1. What the Liberals propose is a huge violation of fundamental property rights that cannot be defended because the banning of firearms has no measurable effect on improving public safety.  In fact, the proposed ban will not result in any more firearms being taken out of the hands of criminals than would happen under the provisions of the Criminal Code.

2. Violent criminals do not buy firearms licences and do not register their guns.  What’s the point of prohibiting guns when it’s already a very serious Criminal Code offence (up to ten years in jail) to “knowingly” be in possession of a firearm without a federal firearm licence and registration certificate?

3. In 1995, the Liberals banned more than 568,000 already-registered, restricted firearms when they rammed Bill C-68 through Parliament.  Instead of confiscating the so-called “dangerous” firearms, they allowed the law-abiding gun owners to keep them.  The Liberals called it “grandfathering” and even allowed “grandfathered” gun owners to acquire prohibited firearms similar to the ones that they already owned.  Through “grandfathering” the Liberals admitted that prohibited firearms are no threat to public safety at all when left in the hands of a law-abiding person.

4. The Ruger Mini-14 is a 5-shot semi-automatic rifle, .223 calibre and is too big to be used by gangs and violent criminals.  Regardless of what the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Public Safety think the Ruger Mini 14 is commonly used in Canada for hunting or sporting purposes, as hunting rifles, as target rifles and as a good rifle to control varmints.  Declaring this sport rifle to "prohibited firearm" status is wrong, unjust, and unfair.

5. Decreeing that a gun is prohibited doesn’t stop violent criminals from using them to commit crimes.  Statistics Canada reported that in 2003 prohibited firearms were used in: 9.3% of firearm homicides, 7.1% of robberies committed with real guns, and 10% of assaults committed with a real firearm.

6. If the Liberals decide to confiscate these sporting rifles from their owners– instead of “grandfather” them - the only people who will be affected by such arbitrary confiscations of firearms are those who have been trying to comply with the Firearms Act for the last ten years.  This in turn encourages disrespect for the Criminal Code of Canada .

7. If property rights were protected by the Charter, Canadians would be a lot less concerned about the Liberal’s heavy-handed tactics that reduces the value of their property or results in its outright confiscation without compensation.

FINAL NOTE:  February 10, 2005 - Justice Minister Cotler said his letter was a mistake

http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/Article537.htm