Election 2019: Who to Believe – Police or Politicians?

Who do we believe as we head into Election 2019 – arguably the most important ballot Canadian gun owners will cast in their lifetime?

Do we believe police officers, police chiefs, police unions and the data collected by Statistics Canada?

Or do we believe politicians who make shocking claims in the search for the most important currency in any election – votes?

Facts, not Political Rhetoric

This time around, police officials have chosen to rely on facts, not political opportunism, when making firearm decisions.

Police don’t support gun bans or the creation of additional laws for one very simple reason.

“In every single case there are already offences for that. They’re already breaking the law and the criminal law in Canada addresses all of those circumstances. Firearms laws in Canada are actually very good right now.

They’re very strict,” said Vancouver police Chief Adam Palmer, head of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.ⁱ

Political Rhetoric, not Facts

Politicians have a different goal – winning elections. In the battle for hearts, minds and votes, facts simply don’t matter.

This was never more obvious than at Minister Ralph Goodale’s 2018 Guns and Gangs Summit in Ottawa.

Goodale’s claim that the majority of guns used in crime are “domestically sourced” was decisively refuted by Statistics Canada Director-General Lynn Barr-Telford. In her presentation at Goodale’s summit, slide 14 states:

“What we don’t know: the origin of firearms involved in gun crime in Canada.”ⁱⁱ

Barr-Telford’s statement is backed up by the RCMP itself. In response to an Access to Information request by firearm researcher Dennis Young, the RCMP stated it bluntly.

“The CFP [Canadian Firearms Program] does not collect or track statistics with regard to the origin of illegal or stolen handguns.”ⁱⁱⁱ

Election 2019 Promises More Attacks on Gun Owners

The Liberal Prime Minister has already said his election platform will contain more promises to crack down on licensed gun owners. Noticeably absent from any of his statements are any promises to crack down on violent criminals, drug dealers or gangs.

If re-elected, even to a minority government, our community will be attacked with a vengeance to satisfy a Liberal voting base that knows little about firearms, our community or our long-standing culture of safety.

What they know is what their opportunistic politicians tell them, none of which is based on fact.

This October, Vote for Your Guns

This will be the closest election in a generation, and in elections every vote counts.

One of two men will be Prime Minister on October 22nd. One of them wants to end our culture, our community and our way of life.

The other doesn’t.

If you enjoy hunting, target shooting or participating in the shooting sports in any way, there is only one choice.

This is also the perfect time to support the CSSA’s political fund. If you haven’t donated to the CSSA recently – or ever – today is a great time to help us fight the coming election.

The television ads are already written. Production is underway. As soon as they’re completed, you will see them on nationally-televised shows like Canada in the Rough.

If you would like to support these efforts, click the link below to make a donation.

Donate to CSSA today.

Every donation counts, no matter how big or how small, because every donation brings our community one step closer to our goal – winning Election 2019 and bringing common sense back to Canada’s legislation on firearms.

That’s worth fighting for.

 

Sources

i https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/police-chiefs-handgun-ban-1.5247387

ii https://s3.amazonaws.com/CSSA/C71/Stats-Can-Lynn-Barr-Telford-Guns-and-Gangs.pdf

iii https://dennisryoung.ca/2019/07/10/goodales-and-rcmp-statistics-on-stolen-guns/