News Release: Eby must reject federal gun confiscation
VANCOUVER, B.C.: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on Premier David Eby to join other premiers and reject Ottawa’s expensive and ineffective gun confiscation plan.
“The Eby government needs to stand up for taxpayers and refuse to help Ottawa waste more taxpayer money on a failed confiscation program,” said Carson Binda, B.C. Director for the CTF. “Law enforcement experts have been clear that confiscating firearms from hunters and sports shooters won’t make our streets safer.”
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew opposes Ottawa’s gun confiscation scheme.
“If we’re looking at taking away weapons from criminals … I’m all for that, but this program doesn’t look like it’s going to achieve that end,” said Kinew. “Instead, it’s going to create other issues around administration and costs.”
The premiers of Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Yukon, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador and the Northwest Territories also oppose the program.
Law-enforcement experts have been clear that Ottawa’s confiscation program won’t make Canadians safer.
“I can’t think of a single time when a legal gun has been used in a crime in this city, not one,” said Toronto Police Association President Clayton Campbell. “We know that the gun buyback program is going to have essentially zero impact on the crime in Toronto.”
Ottawa’s confiscation “diverts extremely important personnel, resources and funding away from addressing the more immediate and growing threat of criminal use of illegal firearms,” according to the union that represents RCMP officers.
Prime Minister Mark Carney kicked off the confiscation with a pilot project in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The government planned on confiscating 200 firearms during the pilot, but only managed to collect 25.
The total cost of the gun confiscation may reach $6 billion, according to expert analysis.
“Eby needs to join Kinew and other premiers to oppose Ottawa’s gun confiscation,” Binda said. “B.C. should focus on real solutions to crime, not expensive virtue signaling targeting licensed hunters and sports shooters.”
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