Trudeau government’s firearm ban challenged by pro-firearms groups, CCFR plans march on Ottawa

On May 1st, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau bypassed the Firearms Act, using regulatory decree and ignoring the Canadian legislative process. The Trudeau Liberals banned more than 1,500 firearms in a confusingly thrown together list that included websites, Facebook groups, locksmiths and even a coffee company.

Many Canadian firearm owners, enthusiasts and retailers came together to challenge the sweeping ban. Five major legal challenges have been filed against the government. CTV reports that lawyers representing the applicants say the five separate lawsuits might be consolidated into a single challenge. If this was to come to fruition, the single constitutional challenge would be one of the grandest legal battles involving firearms in Canadian history. Lobby groups, gun sellers and individual owners coming together in defence of firearms rights.

Many of the groups challenging the government argue that firearm related violence in Canada continues to be perpetrated by criminals with illegal weapons. The very tragedy that motivated the firearms ban was in fact committed by a man with illegally smuggled firearms.

On the forefront of the fight against the firearms ban is the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights (CCFR) who have also issued a challenge. Their not for profit organization has stood up for Canadian firearm owners who have been under attack by the Liberal government since the 2015 election.

CCFR field officer Brad Manysiak teamed up with a sponsor Glen Motz (MP for Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner) to launch parliamentary e-petition E-234 in December of 2019. The petition called to stop and predicted Minister Bill Blair’s use of an Order in Council months before the ban came into fruition. The petition was the most signed e-petition in the history of Canada when it closed in February of this year.

The CCFR is “marching on Ottawa” on Saturday, September 12, 2020 @ 1:00pm EST  in order to demand integrity from Canadian politicians and in the decisions they make. On CCFR’s website Tracey Wilson, who is the VP of Public Relations at CCFR, wrote “Bill Blair’s reaction to a horrific tragedy in Nova Scotia committed by a madman with a known criminal past and illicit firearms was to punish legal, RCMP vetted gun owners with a mass gun ban and confiscation plan, all during a global pandemic and a suspended parliament.”