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The Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights is planning to challenge the constitutionality and logic behind the Liberal government’s recent ban of many assault-style guns. The coalition says such rifles have been used by shooters for decades for hunting and sporting purposes.
The coalition is seeking the court to strike down new regulations as unlawful and beyond the scope of the powers delegated to the federal cabinet.
The Liberals outlawed a wide range of firearms by cabinet order early this month, saying the guns were designed for the battlefield, not hunting or sport shooting. The imposed ban covers some 1,500 models and variants of what the government considers assault-style weapons, meaning they can no longer be legally used, sold or imported.
Majority of Canadians support new gun ban and applaud it as first step towards removing guns used in mass shootings from circulation.
In its petition to the court, the coalition says there is “no persuasive evidence” that reclassification of the guns as prohibited firearms will achieve the desired purpose of decreasing mass shootings or otherwise increasing public safety.
“Owned and used legally, the firearms in question are a source of livelihood, identity and expression for sport shooters and a source of sustenance for hunters”, the petition mentions.
The Liberals say that new legislation will also empower police, doctors, victims of intimate partner violence and families to be able to raise a flag on those who pose a risk to themselves or an identifiable group.
It is expected that new legislation will include details of a plan to allow current owners of the newly outlawed guns to receive compensation for turning them in or to keep them through a defined process to ensure prohibited firearms don’t fall into the wrong hands.
