Jack Layton has chosen to abandon rural Canada.
His recent firearms proposal is nothing less than an attempt to impose Toronto-style gun control on all Canadians. Clearly, in the NDP's hands, gun control means citizen control.
Layton displays a shocking lack of understanding of fundamental Canadian values, particularly the importance of firearms ownership. He claims that his suggestions for greater police control somehow represent a compromise. The long-gun registry is wrong-headed and a waste of money. It must be stopped -now.
Layton displays his big-city bias when he yet again trots out the idea of giving cities, meaning Toronto and Vancouver, the ability to ban handguns. This is outrageous and merely demonstrates his lack of understanding of Canada's constitutional division of powers: criminal code powers are allocated uniquely to the federal parliament.
Jack Layton's proposals are not a compromise, as they do not recognize the firearms communities demands to scrap the entire Firearms Act and replace it with responsible legislation that respects the rights of all Canadians to own and enjoy the use of their property.
For the firearms community, Bill C-391 to end the long-gun registry is a compromise - the difference is that this time the compromise doesn't mean firearms owners have to continue giving something up.
Sheldon Clare, president
Canada National Firearms Association
