News

Trudeau Tells Radio He Wants to Limit ‘Easy Access’ to Guns

(Update at 12:20 Toronto time: Adds report saying new measures could be added to Bill C-71.) TheGunBlog.ca — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a radio interview he wants to limit “easy access” to guns by criminals. He’s considering banning handguns from sport shooters to tighten a law that can put anyone in jail if they…

Vancouver Police Says AR-15s Deter Terrorists: Georgia Straight

TheGunBlog.ca — A Vancouver police memo said officers armed with long rifles such as AR-15s can deter terrorists or stop them after they have begun to attack, the Georgia Straight website said, quoting the police report. The document by Ken Athans, acting Inspector with the Emergency and Operational Planning Section of the Vancouver Police Department,…

McGill Student Government Campaigns for Gun Bans, Bill C-71

TheGunBlog.ca — The McGill University student government is campaigning to criminalize Canadian handgun owners and endorse Bill C-71, a planned law to limit rights for hunters and sport shooters. The Students’ Society of McGill University in Montreal voted 26 in favour and 2 against a motion for a petition “to implement a ban on the civilian…

Canada May Change Gun-Storage Laws, Kenora Daily Miner Reports

(Update Dec. 5 at 20:20 Toronto time: Adds context on repositories in sixth paragraph.) TheGunBlog.ca — The Canadian government is considering changes to gun-storage laws in addition to firearm bans and other restrictions on hunters and sport shooters, the Kenora Daily Miner & News said in a report quoting Bill Blair, the minister examining prohibition. Blair…

Canada’s Bill C-71 to Pass by Early Spring, Senator Tells CTV

TheGunBlog.ca — Canada’s Senate is likely to approve Bill C-71 in winter or early spring, CTV News reported today, citing the sponsor of the planned law to further curtail the privacy and freedom of hunters and sport shooters. “I am confident that it will pass, eventually,” Senator André Pratte told CTV News in an interview today….

Paris Riots Show How Quickly Mass Violence and Destruction Erupt

TheGunBlog.ca — Last night’s riots by “urban guerillas” in Paris and across France show how quickly anti-government mass violence and destruction can erupt, even in the most advanced, beautiful and peaceful democracies. #France: #Macron outraged by #casseurs damage to #ArcDeTriomphe during #YellowVests #Paris manif Sat. pic.twitter.com/eFuo2hSr6i — Hyper Observer (@HyperObserver) December 2, 2018 Highlights Photos…

Canada’s Gun Industry Heads for a Second Mixed Year in 2018

TheGunBlog.ca — Canada’s firearm industry is headed for a second-straight mixed year as the government considers ending handgun ownership and Quebec police threaten to criminalize hunters who don’t register their rifles and shotguns, while central Canada does well, businesses said. Many sport shooters are worried about bans and are holding off buying new guns, manufacturers…

Canada Plans New Gun-Marking System for Tracing to Owners

TheGunBlog.ca — The Canadian government will require guns to be marked in a way that links them to their owners for police tracing, raising concern of a new registration system that violates privacy and eases future bans. The new system will revamp the UN-inspired Firearms Marking Regulations and take effect Dec. 1, 2020, the Ministry…

Firearms Outlet Canada to Discount 4 Million Rounds of Ammo

Firearms Outlet Canada to Discount 4 Million Rounds of Ammo

TheGunBlog.ca — Firearms Outlet Canada Inc., one of the country’s biggest independent gun stores, is selling about 4 million rounds of ammunition and other shooting gear in a “blowout” sale it said is the largest of its kind in Canada. The retailer will discount about 20 warehouse pallets of ammo, as well as boots, vests, cartridge…

Hunters Invest $300 Mln/Year in Saskatchewan, StarPhoenix Says

TheGunBlog.ca — Hunters invest about $300 million a year into the Saskatchewan economy, the Saskatoon StarPhoenix newspaper reported today, citing a government minister. The spending includes more than $8.8 million on hunting licences, $40 million on hunting outfitters and others in the industry, and the bulk to gas stations, restaurants, hotels, sporting-goods stores and other…

IPSC Canada Says ‘Fantastic’ Growth Is Threatened by Handgun Ban

TheGunBlog.ca — IPSC Canada President Sean Hansen said the group’s fast-paced run-and-gun handgun matches have driven “fantastic” growth in memberships that are now threatened by the government’s possible gun bans. Canadian membership in the International Practical Shooting Confederation has doubled in the past decade to about 4,000 from 2,000, Hansen said in a phone interview…

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About 1% of Canadian Voters Own a Handgun, Globe Reports

TheGunBlog.ca — About 1 percent of Canadian voters own a handgun or AR-15 rifle, according to calculations by TheGunBlog.ca based on a report today by the Globe and Mail. The relatively low percentage may encourage the governing Liberal Party to push through the new prohibitions it’s considering on civilian handgun ownership. Only 293,000 men and…

Sheriff Reviewing Parkland Now Supports Arming Teachers, AP Says

TheGunBlog.ca — The Florida sheriff leading the state commission investigating the Parkland massacre in February said he now supports giving trained, volunteer teachers access to guns to stop attackers, the Associated Press reported this week. From the Associated Press on Nov. 21, as published on the website of The State newspaper: Sheriff Supports Armed Teachers…

Police Kill Man in Gun Confiscation in Maryland: Baltimore Sun

TheGunBlog.ca — Police in Maryland killed an armed man during a scuffle after he refused to surrender his guns in a court-ordered confiscation, the Baltimore Sun reported Nov. 5, citing police and family. Two officers in Anne Arundel county south of Baltimore went to seize the 60-year-old man’s firearms around 5 a.m., the newspaper reported….

Whacking the V-Bull: Q&A With F-Class Competitor Paul Kahnert

TheGunBlog.ca — Paul Kahnert began shooting after he retired from work six years ago and now competes in the precision-rifle sport of F-Class as he recovers from cancer and as a member of Canada’s national team aiming to win the 2019 championships. Kahnert spoke with TheGunBlog.ca yesterday at Solely Outdoors near Toronto. He was present…

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Gang Shooting Homicide Rate Doubles Since Liberals Took Office

TheGunBlog.ca — Fatal gang shootings rose in Canada for a third straight year in 2017, Statistics Canada said today. They almost doubled as a share of total homicides since 2015, the year the Liberal Party was elected to government. “The proportion of gang-related homicides committed with a firearm has been steadily increasing since 2015,” the…

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About 90% of Liberals Support Gun Ban in Cities, Ekos Chief Says

TheGunBlog.ca — Almost all Liberal Party of Canada voters are hostile to hunters and sport shooters in cities and support a “total ban” on their guns, Frank Graves, president of Ekos Research Associates, said in a Twitter post he deleted following this article. Graves’s “guess” about the poll result late on Nov. 17 suggests a…

Dear Mayor Tory, Help Police Without Hurting Athletes: Nils Ek

TheGunBlog.ca — Nils Ek, a Canadian national pistol competitor, sent the following letter to Toronto Mayor John Tory after the mayor renewed his call to ban handguns from sport shooters across Canada. He sent the letter last week and gave TheGunBlog.ca permission to publish it. Ek’s top scores are in 25-metre and 50-metre pistol shooting single…

Coalition for Gun Control Starts Flashiest Campaign to Ban Guns

TheGunBlog.ca — The Canadian Coalition for Gun Control kicked off its flashiest and maybe its priciest campaign to eliminate firearm ownership today with new high-contrast websites, videos, posters, billboards and a sculpture in front of Toronto City Hall. The association wants an “immediate ban on civilian ownership of handguns and military assault weapons,” the Toronto-based…

Ontario Police Ex-Chief Opposes Trudeau, Tory, Saunders on Guns

TheGunBlog.ca — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the mayor of the country’s largest city face an unlikely opponent in their campaign against hunters and sport shooters: the former chief of Canada’s second-biggest police force. Chris Lewis, the retired commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police, has repeatedly opposed the push by Trudeau and Toronto Mayor…