Cheryl Gallant means well BUT her Private Member's Bill is not the answer. It leaves the whole classification & prohibition mess intact. I can NOT support it for this reason!
The ONLY solution to this whole mess is to repeal the Firearms Act and replace it with legislation that respects the rights of Canadians to own and use firearms responsibly! And it MUST be done BEFORE the next election, I will NOT allow this to be the promise in the next election to get my vote! The CPC is either going to fix this NOW or they will lose my support both financially AND at the ballot box! NO COMPROMISE!
Here is the letter I wrote the PM immediately after the amnesty announcement... Voice your opinion folks, it's the ONLY thing that will get their attention to fix this mess!
Dear Prime Minister Harper;
I think we can agree, the recent firearm reclassification fiasco has caused much embarrassment to the Conservative Government of Canada and damaged its loyal Conservative support base. Unbelievably, after the RCMP was publically admonished in the House of Commons by your Minister of Public Safety Steven Blaney, the RCMP turned around and DID IT AGAIN by prohibiting a second type of rifle! I honestly can not believe their audacity!
Initially, I was happy to see Minister Blaney announce an amnesty to begin to address this bureaucratic miscarriage of justice by the RCMP. And then I got to thinking what the term 'amnesty' actually means. Here is what I found;
Amnesty by definition
1. a general pardon for offenses, especially political offenses, against a government, often granted before any trial or conviction.
2. an act of forgiveness for past offenses, especially to a class of persons as a whole.
3. a forgetting or overlooking of any past offense.
Prime Minister Harper, how ironic is it that I need an amnesty to prevent the RCMP from seizing my private property and charging me with possession of a prohibited firearm, not to mention that I would face three years in prison, WHEN I HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG!
I think it is abundantly clear to you now that there is only one acceptable fix for this situation, the Firearms Act must be rescinded BEFORE the next election. Nothing short of this will make me happy OR see me vote Conservative in the next election. Promises of future fixes will not cut it! Sweeping legislative changes must be enacted to recognize the rights of Canadians to own and use firearms responsibly.
There can be NO COMPROMISE!
