Dear Members,
December 6th saw the 35th anniversary of the Polytechnique shootings. In response, and arguably as a political wedge, the Liberal government has come forward with yet another Order In Council pertaining to firearm ownership. This should come as no surprise; in doing so they have thrown prior promises regarding no further bans out the window, and legal gun owners under a train. We now face restrictions on roughly 400 firearms and variants, with more suggested to come in February. Adding to the Liberal agenda is the veiled inference that seized “weapons” will be donated to the Ukrainian army to back their war effort. This is a cheap and questionable stab at gaining further support; unfortunately, it is a page from a well-thought out playbook that could strengthen their position with an unassuming and ill-informed public.
It goes without saying this will affect more than lawful firearms owners. Small businesses – many of them family owned and operated – competitive sport and recreational shooters are once again being targeted as the root and cause of gun-related crimes in this country. It is a story we have heard repeatedly, and sadly the narrative doesn’t change. Until another election is called, we are limited in what we can do; what we *CAN’T* do is give up or give in. It appears the possession amnesty will be in effect until election time, which is a sliver of positive news. In the meantime, IPSC BC and its members must continue to keep the pressure on. This means communication with your MP’s and MLA’s; we will provide addresses, links and a form letter that will be at members disposal for contacting them. At this point we are all angry, frustrated and disheartened – those of us who looked to Multi-Gun/PCC as an option outside the current handgun ban are now without a competition avenue. At the moment international representation is off the table for Canada; however we will be looking at ways to approach the IPSC World Body for possible intervention.
For now, it is imperative we put every possible effort into proving what we already know: This is not about crime prevention, this is not about public safety. This is rash political posturing that will have no impact whatsoever in stemming the issues Canada faces regarding illegal firearm possession. IPSC BC will be updating and informing members regularly with agendas of our own, and suggestions on what to do to move forward and engage those who need to hear what we have to say. And while it may be tempting to threaten, rant and rave on social media platforms and various public communication venues – we urge that you don’t. Certainly it is tempting to cast blame in the face of other tragedies, but this will earn us no favours in the court of public opinion. There is a saying to the effect that those who do not like you will be the ones who are watching you the closest…so instead of handing them ‘ammunition’, let’s make sure we give them the very best show possible.
Dawne Deeley
Public Relations Coordinator / IPSC BC