The federal government expanded its ban on firearms on Thursday, adding 324 makes and models of guns to the prohibited weapons list, and lawful gun owners in Alberta feel they’re being unnecessarily targeted.
The move follows the May 2020 ban of 1,500 makes and models of firearms, including the AR-15 and Ruger Mini-14. The number grew to more than 2,000 by November of this year as new variants were identified.
The federal government says it is working with provinces, territories and police on a planned buyback of prohibited weapons from individual owners. It has already run a pilot project on collecting banned firearms from businesses.
Lethbridge’s Justin Thomson was one of three Canadians who were hand-picked to compete in the World Pistol Caliber Carbine (PCC) Competition in the Czech Republic next spring, but with the new ban in place, he can no longer practice and is now unsure if he will be able to compete.
“We work hard, we’re passionate, and now it’s just all been taken away from us,” said Thomson.
The federal government says the new ban is part of its commitment to tackle gun crime and keep communities safe, but competitive shooters say it overlooks action shooting and targets lawful gun owners.
The Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights said the announcement was typical Liberal party “divide and conquer” politics.
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“They know they are out of time and Canadians are out of money.”
Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery said the provincial government strongly opposes “the arbitrary reclassification of firearms and the federal government’s wasteful, ineffective, and repeatedly delayed program to confiscate these firearms.”
The newly banned firearms share the same technical characteristics as those prohibited in May 2020. It means they can no longer be legally used or sold in Canada, and can be transferred or transported only under limited circumstances.
Officials made it clear that additional makes and models…
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