In the same month this Liberal government introduces legislation that specifically targets law abiding firearm owners, they are trying to pass a bill that eliminates mandatory minimums for:
· Robbery with a firearm
· Extortion with a firearm
· Willfully importing or exporting illegal firearms
· Discharging a firearm with intent
· Using a firearm in the commission of offences
· Possession of an illegal firearm, and
· Possession of a firearm obtained illegally
You cannot make this up.
As Sergeant Michael Rowe of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police said at the Justice Committee:
“The police in Canada support the primary objectives of mandatory minimum penalties to ensure consistency in sentencing, to protect the public and to discourage others from engaging in similar conduct.”
I have always believed that serious, violent offences that are committed with firearms deserve mandatory prison time.
It’s astonishing the Liberals want to weaken the punishment for these crimes in Canada.
I also have grave concerns with the Liberals’ proposal to allow criminals to serve house arrest rather than jail time for a number of offences including those involving sexual assault, human trafficking, and kidnapping.
The Liberals’ plan to make our streets safer is going after our sport shooters, while at the same time reducing penalties for those who commit violent gun crimes and sell hard drugs.
Bill C-5 is sending the wrong message to criminals and organized crime.
This government is insulting hundreds of thousands of law-abiding firearms owners, who are being blamed for this government’s lack of action to tackle gun smuggling and organized crime.
Gun violence has gone up significantly over the past seven years of the Liberal government.
That is a fact.
It is also a fact that most guns used in violent crime are smuggled in from the United States.
According to CBSA’s departmental results report, almost 20,000 illegal firearms and prohibited weapons were confiscated before coming into Canada.
Those are just the illegal firearms we know about. No one knows how many slipped through the cracks and were used in a violent crime.
I received an email from John Schneiderbanger the other day, and he asked me to share his comments in the House of Commons, which I did.
John proudly served in the Canadian Armed Forces and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
He was posted to CFB Shilo, which I am honoured to say is in my constituency, and he served as the Base Commander.
He is a firearms expert and has decades of experience and a wealth of knowledge we should take heed of.
While Bill C-5 repeals mandatory minimums for actual criminals, the Liberals are going after sport shooters.
If the Liberals get their way, they will be impacting legitimate shooting sports such as Cowboy Action, International Practical Shooting Confederation, 3 Gun, IDPA, and Mounted Cowboy Action.
Many of these competitors participate in high levels of competition and have governing bodies at the provincial, national and world levels.
They are legitimate and organized sports which are recognized around the world and will no longer exist in Canada due to the Liberal Government’s inability to focus on correct root causes of violent crime committed by criminals with illegal guns.
As John said, these shooting sports will wither away quickly as the current membership become older, leaving the sport, and other sport shooters cannot replace their competition handguns over time.
I cannot and will never support Bill C-5 or Bill C-21.
They send the wrong message to criminals and has the potential to put communities and victims at risk.