441-01139 (Justice)

Whereas:

• The Government of Canada's amendments to C-21 tabled in the Committee on November 22, 2022 negatively affect law-abiding gun owners;
• The amendments of C-21 drastically change the original focus of the bill;
• In the amendment of C-21 the definition "prohibited firearm" was not in the Charter Statement and was not debated in the House of Commons;
• Public Safety Canada stated that the Hill & Knowlton consultant summary "Reducing Violence: A Dialogue of Handguns and Assault Weapons" was their primary source of Information to justify the Order in Council 2020-0298 and Bill C-21. As noted in the report key findings, the majority of stakeholders who were invited by Public Safety Canada for written responses opposed a potential ban of firearms of legal gun owners;
• The amendment of November 22, 2022, "evergreen definition" of a prohibited firearm is an overreach. Semi-automatic firearms are non-restrictive. Fully automatic firearm and magazines capacity of more than five have been prohibited in Canada since the 1970s;
• The amendment to C-21 greatly infringes on the treaty rights of First Nations legal gun owners; and
• The prohibited firearm definition is an item currently contained with in Federal Court Case concerning the Order in Council of May 2020. The amendment could directly affect the outcome of this Federal Court Case.

We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:

1. Stop targeting law abiding hunters, sports shooters and farmers with gun legislation; and

2. Immediately withdraw the amendments tabled on November 22, 2022, at the Standing Committee of Public Safety and National Security.