Activists opposed to the new gun control law are working hard to make sure the Liberal party pays at the ballot box for the legislation.
And many gun groups appear to have selected the Reform party as their best vehicle for killing the law.
Saskatchewan opponents of the federal gun control law are organizing meetings to confront candidates and demand the law be dropped.
Others have worked their way into the Reform party’s organization in Manitoba and Alberta.
The National Firearms Association has openly endorsed the Reform party. Its president, Dave Thomlinson, is also president of the Edmonton-Strathcona Reform party association.
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The former president of the Council of Responsible Firearms Owners of Manitoba, Larry Tardiff, is the Reform candidate for Provencher riding.
The Liberals have avoided the issue at their prairie events, but it has been a big concern at Reform gatherings. At leader Preston Manning’s western tour launch in Saskatoon, party members raised the issue.
Manning said he thinks the registration system contained in the gun law is “misplaced resources.”
Reform would come down hard on criminals who use guns, but take the pressure off law-abiding gun owners, he said. The existing law would be history.
On the weekend, Progressive Conservative leader Jean Charest also attacked the gun law. He said he would repeal it and replace it with tougher penalties for gun-toting criminals.
NDP candidates are also speaking against the law, although their party supports the principle of gun control. They say gun owners should face less stringent regulations.
Meetings on issue
A number of Saskatchewan gun owners groups are organizing meetings in their ridings to grill candidates. All parties are invited, but most Liberals haven’t shown up, said Ed Begin, executive director of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation.
“I think it’s going to be a big, big issue in the campaign,” said Begin, who challenged public opinion polls that suggest gun control is a minor issue with voters.
He said he has spoken to about 4,000 people at meetings in the past month, which tells him it is an issue in rural areas.
The wildlife federation won’t join the NFA in endorsing Reform, Begin said. The organization is a registered charity and doesn’t take partisan stands, he said.
“We’re just saying consider what has been done. The legislation is passed – it’s on the books. There are parties that are vowing to repeal it if they’re elected,” Begin said. “When they go to the ballot box, keep that in mind.”
Tardiff said he doesn’t think most gun groups were willing to become as partisan as the NFA, but “although they’re not endorsing the Reform party directly, they’re sort of doing it indirectly.”
Manitoba gun groups will be running ads telling people not to vote Liberal, Tardiff said.
While the Reform party is drawing the support of special interest groups like the NFA, Manning warned his candidates not to accept money from foreign gun groups.
It was revealed last week that at least one anti-gun law activist solicited political donations for the Reform party from Americans on the internet.
