Canadian Liberal Party Firearm Legislation

We the undersigned, as Canadian citizens and members of the Canadian Sport Shooting Community, through our voluntary participation in this petition request that the Liberal Party withdraw the proposed legislation to ban handguns in Canada.

The proposed legislation is poorly conceived and is based entirely on the false perception that gun theft within Canada is a prevalent issue and a major contributing factor in gun crime rates.

Statistics show that firearms stolen from Canadian residences represent a very small percentage of the total firearms used in commission of criminal acts. The overwhelming majority of firearm-related crimes involve firearms illegally smuggled into Canada from other countries.

The proposed legislation is a blatant attempt by the Liberal Party to garner votes, for a troubled minority government, from a public that is being manipulated into the misconception that firearms are regularly stolen from members of the Sport Shooting Community and making their way into the hands of criminals. This is a complete misrepresentation of the facts.

All members of the Canadian Sport Shooting Community have been fully trained in the safe handing & safe storage of firearms through the mandatory Canadian Firearms Safety Training Program in each province.

We have spent our time and hard-earned tax dollars to obtain our firearms licenses & certification to legally acquire, legally possess, safely store & safely operate firearms. We participate in our sport at government-licensed facilities and solely for recreational purposes in accordance to the strict guidelines set forth by the federal & provincial governments.

We represent our community with pride and meticulously adhere to the possession, acquisition, storage, transportation & safety regulations set forth by the Canadian Firearms Centre.

A ban will only serve to penalize the law-abiding Canadians that comprise the Canadian Sport Shooting Community. A ban will have no significant effect on the availability of firearms to criminals in Canada. They will continue to rely on their primary supply source: the illegal firearm shipments entering Canada from other countries.

We collectively request that you withdraw your proposed ban legislation and instead focus your efforts on the measures that will truly make a difference:

h Imposing harsher minimum sentences on all firearm related crimes
h Allocating more funds and resources to the seizure of illegal firearm shipments
h Increasing law enforcement presence and diligence along the Canada-U.S. border
h Disbanding the prevalent street gangs that proliferate our urban neighborhoods
h Subsidies to enthusiasts to promote proper firearm safety & firearm storage practices