Some Manitoba gun owners want Bill C-21 ‘scrapped completely’

Firearm enthusiasts in Manitoba are joining the justice minister in applauding the federal government’s decision to scrap amendments to Bill C-21, which would have seen a ban on widely owned shotguns and rifles.

BACKGROUND: Liberals withdraw bill’s assault style firearm definition, promise more consultation

But some in Manitoba say they’re still feeling targeted by the legislation.

“The amendments that got brought in to get rid of the long guns would have done absolutely nothing to stop any form of crime,” said gun enthusiast Paul Gatin.

“I think it’s a step in the right direction.”

The Liberals withdraw the amendment to Bill C-21 at the House of Commons public safety committee Friday, which was aimed at enshrining a definition of banned assault-style firearms.

Among other technical specifications concerning bore diameter and muzzle energy, the proposed definition included a centrefire semi-automatic rifle or shotgun designed with a detachable magazine that can hold more than five cartridges.

The measure, introduced late last year during clause-by-clause review of the bill, would have built on a May 2020 regulatory ban of over 1,500 models and variants of what the government considers assault-style firearms, such as the AR-15 and the Ruger Mini-14.

There was debate over exactly what was included in the definition and what was not, because it applied only to some variations of certain models that met the criteria – guns the government considers inappropriate for civilian use.

WATCH: Liberals reverse gun bill amendments

Gatin says when it comes to addressing rising gun crime in Canada, the legislation missed the mark. He says while the removal of the long-gun amendments is a positive, the legislation is still unfair to people who use guns safely.

“My handguns, the handguns of every single individual that comes to shoot here, man, woman, doesn’t matter – we’re not a danger,” Gatin told CityNews from Winnipeg’s Xtreme Gun Shooting Center on Saturday.

Gatin says the federal government should instead be focusing on organized crime and criminals to address gun violence in Canada.

“Guns are not the problem, people are the problem,” said Gatin.

https://twitter.com/MLAGoertzen/status/1621618068546850821

Manitoba Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen accused the Liberal government of targeting law-abiding hunters and farmers with amendments to Bill C-21 in a tweet Friday.

“The decision to reverse course is a good first step but community safety requires violent offenders to not repeatedly be released on bail,” Goertzen tweeted. “We need to talk bail reform in Canada.”

Brent Steliga, a firearms enthusiast for more than two decades, says the legislation is being used more as a political tool than crime-fighting measure.

“I think it’s a good start, but I think Bill C-21 needs to be scrapped completely,” he said.

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“As a law-abiding firearm owner, we go through quite a bit of testing and we have a lot of hoops to go through – or names go through the RCMP database every day. We’re not the problem. If we were the problem, Canada would know that we’re the problem. We’re not the problem.”

Liberal MP Taleeb Noormohamed, who announced members of the committee would be withdrawing the amendments, says government is listening to Canadians and other parties to create a law that “keeps Canada safe.

“C-21 is the most progressive piece of firearms legislation in a generation. It’s crucial we get this right,” said Noormohamed.