Quebec Threatens Hunters With Gun Seizures, Then Asks for Help

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TheGunBlog.ca — The Quebec government is asking hunters to help stop an animal disease while threatening to confiscate their rifles and shotguns. An advocate for shooters’ rights urged hunters to refuse the call.

The Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks asked hunters to target males, females and fawns of white-tailed deer in specific areas to halt chronic wasting disease. It lifted hunting restrictions to make that legal.

Government officials across Canada rely on hunters for their expertise and skill.

‘Collaborate Actively’

Hunters also provide valuable leadership and hundreds of millions of dollars each year for nature conservation, wildlife protection, habitat restoration and outdoor education.

“Hunters are asked to collaborate actively in the special surveillance and control measures that will be applied starting in the fall of 2019,” the Quebec City-based ministry said Aug. 29.

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Confiscation, Fines

At the same time, the Ministry of Public Safety is threatening Quebec’s 500,000 federally licensed firearm users with instant firearm confiscation and $5,000 fines unless they’ve registered themselves and their so-called “Non-restricted” rifles and shotguns with the ministry.

Quebec is the only province that does this. The penalties stem from a January 2018 law against firearm users.

‘Refuse to Go’

An estimated three-fourths of people haven’t complied, the Globe and Mail reported in May, citing the public-safety ministry.

“While blocking roads, tell the government that you refuse to go hunting and that you will prevent all hunters who defy the blockade,” Guy Morin, the president of Everyone Against a Quebec Gun Registry, said Sept. 1 on Twitter in response to a news article. “Anyway, you can’t break a law that says you can’t hunt with an unregistered firearm.”

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