TheGunBlog.ca — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented a series of new legislative and regulatory attacks against government-licensed gun users and businesses on Monday May 30.
- We list the seven main criminalizations and confiscations that he outlined with Marco Mendicino, his minister in charge of the crackdowns.
- All the prohibitions target the government-controlled market, as Trudeau and his Liberal Party work to weaken citizens and suppress lawful gun ownership.
- The free market outside government control is unaffected.
1. Confiscate All Legal Handguns
- What: Confiscate all legally owned handguns. For now, after current owners die. Mendicino told media (CBC, CTV) this week that the government is leaving “all options on the table” for further handgun prohibitions/confiscations.
- How: Criminalize all handgun buying, selling, importing and transfers using two tactics:
- Regulation (Order in Council)
- Legislation (Bill C-21)
- When: “As soon as possible.” The legal market is almost dead today, with stores sold out after a buying surge. The confiscations will begin after the regulations take effect this year.
- Why It Matters: Eliminates legal handgun ownership, ends many shooting sports and sporting careers, hurts firearm industry.
- Key Quote: “To ensure the national freeze on handguns can be implemented swiftly, the Minister of Public Safety has already tabled regulatory amendments in both the House of Commons and the Senate. These regulations will help stop the growth of personally owned handguns in Canada and are expected to come into force in Fall 2022.” —Trudeau, News Release
- More Info
2. Confiscate More Legal Long Guns
- What: Confiscate more legally owned rifles and shotguns by expanding the seizures begun in May 2020.
- How: Bill C-21 amendment.
- When: “As soon as possible.”
- Why It Matters: Aims to destroy more so-called “Non-Restricted” “black rifles,” but is almost impossible to enforce.
- Key Quote: “We recognize the need to ensure a comprehensive ban on assault firearms in the legislation, which is why our government is committed to adding this to our bill through an amendment.” —Mendicino, Media Briefing
- More Info: Liberals Plan Bill C-21 Amendment to Confiscate More Long Guns
3. Restrict Legal Gun Imports
- What: Criminalize importation and domestic manufacturing of any gun unless specified info is marked on the firearm in a specified way. (These are the so-called “Firearms Marking Regulations” that the Liberals keep expanding.)
- How: Order in Council
- When: Unknown. The Liberals said previously they would take effect in December 2023.
- Why It Matters: Will hurt the firearm industry and further suppress personal gun ownership, since almost every gun in Canada is imported.
- Key Quote
- “Update firearms markings regulations” —Chart of Coming Into Force (30 May 2022)
- “The proposed Markings Regulations would impact all domestic importers of firearms as well as all domestic manufacturers.” —Regulations Amending the Firearms Marking Regulations (25 April 2022)
- More Info: Government Defers ‘Firearms Marking Regulations’ Beyond Dec. 1
4. Invent Evergreen Gun-Prohibition Regime
- What: Invent a new regime to prohibit/classify firearms so the Liberals can easily and quickly prohibit any gun anytime.
- How: Unknown.
- When: Unknown.
- Why It Matters: Will restrict/wipe out availability of new firearm models and designs. The Liberals first outlined their so-called “evergreen firearm-classification framework” on 01 May 2020.
- Key Quote: “Going forward, we will also ensure military-style assault weapons are automatically prohibited when they enter the market. We will continue working to ensure any new weapons that fit the definition of assault-style weapon are captured.” —Trudeau, News Release
- More Info: Trudeau News Release
5. Criminalize Owners of ‘5+’ Long-Gun Mags
- What: Criminalize owners of long-gun ammunition magazines that can hold more than five cartridges. Unknown if will also prohibit mags blocked by rivets. Unknown if it targets only owners of detachable box mags, or also of tube mags in shotguns and lever guns.
- How: Order in Council
- When: Unknown.
- Why It Matters: Could affect millions of sport shooters, hunters and collectors, and make many/all our mags worthless and unusable in public.
- Key Quote: “In addition to this new legislation, the Government of Canada will require long-gun magazines to be permanently altered so they can never hold more than five rounds and will ban the sale and transfer of large capacity magazines under the Criminal Code.” —Trudeau, News Release
- More Info: Trudeau News Release
6. Criminalize Some Home Gun Storage
- What: Criminalize gun owners who store our firearms in a way the Liberals dislike. Could possibly relate to thickness of steel for gun safes. Could relate to where we store our firearms (Home storage vs. Remote storage).
- How: Order in Council.
- When: Unknown.
- Why It Matters: Huge uncertainty and economic risk. Could be a big deal if you need to buy new safes or store your guns away from home. Could be irrelevant to you if you don’t need to make any changes.
- Key Quote: “Strengthen secure storage regulations” —Chart of Coming Into Force
- More Info
7. Pay Victims of May 2020 Gun Confiscations
- What: Begin to pay victims of the mass rifle and shotgun confiscations begun in May 2020.
- How: Unknown.
- When: This year.
- Why It Matters: Violates fundamental principles of justice. Is being challenged in Federal Court and provincial courts. Will cost taxpayers hundreds of millions or billions of dollars. Some owners will seek to cash out quickly and surrender their goods. Others will hold out as long as possible. Others won’t surrender anything.
- Key Quote: “The first AR-15s and other assault-style firearms will start to be bought back by the end of this year. It’s going to be hard, but we are going to get it done.” —Mendicino, Media Briefing
- More Info: Liberal Gun Bans
Information Sources
- 30 May 2022: Trudeau News Release
- 30 May 2022: Trudeau and Medicino Media Briefing (Video via CPAC on YouTube.com)
- 30 May 2022: Trudeau Files New Regulations and Law to Kill Legal Handgun Market By Fall
- Includes Text of Bill C-21, Technical Slides, and Chart of Coming Into Force
- 31 May 2022: Department of Public Safety, Bill C-21
- 31 May 2022: Trudeau Filed These Regulations to Kill the Legal Handgun Market Without Bill C-21
- PDF of the Planned Regulations
- 02 June 2022: Liberals Could In Theory Kill Legal Handgun Market Any Day
- 04 Jun 2022: Liberals Plan Bill C-21 Amendment to Confiscate More Long Guns