When Justin Trudeau banned over 1,500 makes and models of rifles and shotguns, he saddled firearms wholesalers and retailers across the country with millions of dollars of inventory rendered worthless with the stroke of a pen.
No business can remain viable in the face of politically motivated dictates which, by law, prohibit a business from selling its inventory.
CSAAA, The Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association, immediately began working on a solution so its members could stay in business.
“Despite the unfriendly political environment, the CSAAA entered a contract with the federal government, when approached, to provide valuable feedback and protect the interests of its members, the CSAAA press release says.[i]
CSAAA’s only motivation was to get fair compensation for the hundreds of member businesses stuck with inventory they were no longer permitted to sell.
When news of these discussions with government first broke, many firearms owners and associations called CSAAA and its members traitors, and much worse.
Those individuals and organizations were either ill-informed, short-sighted or perhaps both.
CSAAA did not then, nor do they now want anything to do with Justin Trudeau’s plan to confiscate firearms from licensed owners.
CSAAA’s only concern is keeping its member businesses afloat.
“We’re in a real catch 22,” CSAAA President Wes Winkel said. “These firearms are not saleable. They are very expensive to insure.”[ii]
Before, during and after negotiations with government, CSAAA made it clear they did not support the confiscation program.
“From the beginning, the CSAAA has been very critical of the government’s prohibitions and confiscation program. There is a severe lack of consultation with the firearms industry during the creation of these policies. The government’s approach often prioritizes political wins and input from victims’ groups, leaving industry experts and the legal firearms community sidelined with no say in their own futures.”[iii]
The original deal struck between Trudeau’s Liberal government and CSAAA meant the industry association had a seat at the negotiating table. It meant they could make their voice heard to a government that typically only listens to its own talking points.
Telling the Truth has Consequences
CSAAA’s refusal to publicly support the confiscations led to an inevitable conclusion. Trudeau Liberals significantly reduced the CSAAA’s role in the government’s firearm confiscation program.
“The federal government altered the CSAAA’s contract, reducing its role strictly to a consultant rather than a “participant” in the confiscation program. The association will no longer be involved in collecting or distributing data on behalf of the government and firearm businesses. Instead, our involvement is now limited to on-demand consultation, providing industry expertise when requested.”[iv]
In essence, the government said to CSAAA, “Not only do we (Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government) want to drive you out of business, we want you to publicly praise us for doing it.”
Imagine that a car thief smashes the window of your car, sticks a gun in your face and demands that you give him your car, then says, “If you don’t thank me for stealing your car, I’m going to kill you.”
That’s the position the entire Canadian firearms industry faces today.
Lack of Integrity is Nothing New for Liberals
We received a few letters from members concerned about our tone towards Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government.
If the Liberals took a different position with reference to our community, we wouldn’t give Liberals a second thought. But they don’t. They use us a scapegoats at every opportunity and never bargain with our community in good faith.
As Trudeau’s Liberals showed again in their dealings with CSAAA, Liberals cannot be trusted to keep their word.
Those few letters also accused us of “Conservative party bias,” an accusation that’s about 1 millimetre deep.
CSSA exists to protect and defend the rights of its members, which consists primarily of licensed firearms owners.
CSSA supports any political party that supports our members, our community, and our culture.
We oppose every political party that doesn’t.
Today’s political reality, revealed through the endless polls on federal political, that the Conservative Party is the only electable alternative for our members and Canada’s firearms community and its longstanding culture of safety and responsibility.
If another party that supported gun owners came first in those polls, we would support them instead.
Wes Winkel shared a great nugget of truth.
“The confiscation program is a fundamentally flawed idea.”
We stand with Wes Winkel, the CSAAA, its member businesses and with every other firearms business and firearms owner who agrees with that statement.
[i] https://www.csaaa.org/2024/09/03/federal-buyback-program-contract-amendments/
[ii] https://tnc.news/2024/04/10/retail-gun-buyback-political-pawn/
[iii] https://www.csaaa.org/2024/09/03/federal-buyback-program-contract-amendments/
[iv] ibid
