OTTAWA (Staff) – Canada’s largest farm lobby group last week called on the federal government to withdraw its gun control legislation until it is improved.
“Along with many other law-abiding Canadians, farmers object to the draconian nature of the proposed legislation,” the Canadian Federation of Agriculture told the Senate committee studying the bill last week.
The Conservative-dominated Senate committee is considering proposals to send the legislation back to the House of Commons with amendments, a move that gun control opponents say could kill it.
The brief, delivered by CFA president Jack Wilkinson and Ontario Federation of Agriculture president Roger George, encouraged senators to do just that.
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It said universal gun registration would harm farmers who use rifles and shotguns for predator control.
Restrictions on who can purchase ammunition would mean farmers could not send their spouse or children to get ammunition when they are too busy to do it themselves.
Registration could prove expensive and cumbersome.
And farmers who forget or refuse to register their guns could be convicted of a crime.
“While summary conviction against a person may not be treated for practical purposes as a criminal record, it can still lead to problems, for example if a person needs to be bonded,” said the CFA.
It noted that farmer groups on the Prairies and in Ontario have joined with others in asking that their provinces be exempted from the legislation, a demand rejected by the federal government.
The CFA suggested a better approach to crime prevention and safer gun use would be public education.
