This issue should be of concern to all Canadian firearms owners!
At the end of February, the RCMP firearms lab quietly reclassified two firearms.
The “Swiss Arms” brand of rifles and some versions of the CZ 858 rifle (both
semi-autos) have been moved from the non-restricted category to the
"prohibited" category, effectively making some 15,000 Canadian gun owners
"criminals" by possessing a firearm they now don't have the appropriate
license for.
These rifles were initially inspected by the RCMP firearms lab and approved
for sale as non-restricted in Canada a dozen years ago.
There have been no documented cases of either of these firearms being used
in a crime or of one ever being converted from “semi” to “full auto”, which
of course would be a crime.
This action appears to be a “gun grab” rather than a “public safety” issue,
initiated by the unelected bureaucrats at the RCMP who seem to be making up
laws without any political over-site or consultation…most likely to “test
the waters” before moving forward with a much broader and far reaching list
of firearms prohibitions, mostly aimed at semi auto rifles (for now).
Since the last 3 days in February when these prohibitions were revealed
there has been a massive response from Canadian gun owners and firearms
organizations (NFA and CSSA) indicating their extreme displeasure and
concerns over these prohibitions and the actions of the RCMP.
The Federal government has acted quickly, announcing a 5 year “amnesty” for
all owners of these now “prohibited” firearms. Whether this means the owners
get to continue using them as “non-restricted” rifles, or that they become
expensive paper-weights that cannot leave the house (Swiss Arms rifles cost
around $3500) is yet to be determined.
If the government eventually decides on a “buy back” program for these
rifles, the Canadian taxpayer would be on the hook for over 15 million
dollars!
Here is the “good news”…Canadian gun owners (for the time being) are front
and center in the concerns of the current government…an election is
coming…the time to act is now.
Meaningful changes to the Canadian Firearms Act are possible if enough
concerned citizens are heard…changes that punish criminals rather than law
abiding firearms owners.
Whether you own a semi-automatic rifle or not, the time to act for “common
sense” firearms laws in Canada has never been better.
There are countless articles etc available online if you’re interested in
researching this issue further.
![Langley Rod and Gun Club
"Serving Shooting Sports since 1946"](/Content/ArtText/b38e4.png?text=Langley%20Rod%20and%20Gun%20Club%0A%22Serving%20Shooting%20Sports%20since%201946%22&style=Eagle&styleGroup=300&tc1=FFFF00&fn=PT%20Sans%20Bold%20Italic&fs=20 "Langley Rod and Gun Club
"Serving Shooting Sports since 1946"")
