Act Now - Protect Legal Firearms Owners
The federal government’s Bill C-21 is unfairly targeting Canada’s licensed firearm owners, including hunters, farmers and competitive shooters.
The list of models to be prohibited includes millions of firearms used for hunting and recreational purposes by Canadians. Bill C-21 is focused on the wrong firearms and on people who pose no threat to public safety.
We urge you to ACT NOW by contacting your Member of Parliament and letting them know that you strongly oppose Bill C-21.
The absolute best thing that you can do is meet your MP in person. The second best thing to do is phone them, or send a personal email or letter. We have also included a form letter.
1. Meet Your MP in Person or Call them on the Phone
We urge you to contact your Member of Parliament and set up a meeting to discuss why you oppose Bill C-21. If you cannot set up an in-person meeting, we urge you to speak with them directly over the phone.
Here are some best practices on effectively engaging with your MP.
When you meet with or call your MP, we suggest the following talking points:
- Bill C-21 is a misguided attempt to address crimes involving firearms.
- The Bill targets licensed firearms owners who are unlikely to commit crimes.
- Licensed firearm owners are scrutinized daily by the RCMP.
- Many firearms listed in Bill C-21 are used by hunters, farmers, and competitive shooters, and are unlikely to be used in the commission of crimes.
- Gun violence is committed by criminals who don’t follow the rules. More rules won’t change that.
- Most of the firearms used to commit crimes in Canada are smuggled from the United States.
- Government should be focused on catching criminals and foiling smugglers.
2. Send your MP a Letter
If you cannot meet with your Member of Parliament in person or call them, writing a letter on behalf of a cause is an effective way to show your support or opposition. Search for your local MP, and their contact information includes an email and a physical mailing address. You do not need to put postage on a letter sent through the mail to your MP.
We urge you to write a personal letter to your MP that sticks to the facts of the issue while showing that firearms ownership matters to you, your family, and your way of life.
Sample text may include:
To the Honourable (insert name)
I am writing to you today with concerns over Bill C-21 and its recent amendments, which will impact my ability to own firearms, provide wild game for my family to eat, and participate in the shooting sports that I love. I am also deeply concerned about gun violence in Canada.
I am one of hundreds of thousands of law-abiding Canadian citizens that have been thoroughly vetted by the RCMP, and continuously screened to ensure that I do not commit a crime, so that I may hold a Possession and Acquisition License. As a PAL holder, the RCMP has determined that I am responsible and trustworthy so that I can purchase and own firearms for the purposes of hunting and/or sport shooting.
Rather than targeting the true causes of gun crime, specifically smuggling and soaring gang related violence, the federal government has chosen to effectively ban millions of hunting and sporting rifles, and put an outright ban on handguns. This action punishes law-abiding Canadians like me, who have committed no crime, and will waste billions of taxpayer dollars on a solution that has no relevance to the problem.
I implore you to redirect these resources to border security to eliminate gun smuggling and effective policing to reduce gang activity, rather than unfairly targeting legal firearm owners like me.
Sincerely,
(Name)
