O.F.A.H. slams Attorney General’s “blitz” attack on law-abiding gun owners and retailers

O.F.A.H. slams Attorney General’s “blitz” attack on law-abiding gun owners and retailers

Tens of thousands of responsible gun owners and hunters, represented by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, are shaking their heads in disbelief after hearing of another desperate political stunt that completely misses the target in the war against street violence.

This time, the shots against law-abiding Canadians were fired by Ontario’s Attorney General Michael Bryant who announced yesterday plans to conduct “blitz inspections” on the gun vaults of licensed firearms dealers.

“Why would the Attorney General waste police resources to carry out blitz inspections on an industry that is already rigorously inspected? Gun shop owners already invest thousands of dollars in vaults and security systems, they keep log books of guns and ammunition sold, and they will sell only to federally-trained and licensed gun owners. Meanwhile, illegal firearms continue to be smuggled across the border, convicted criminals are out on bail, and social service and mental health programs are not being sufficiently supported,” said Mike Reader, O.F.A.H. Executive Director.

While the O.F.A.H. was pleased to hear the Attorney General’s interest in seeking tougher sentences for those convicted of gun crimes, schemes that target law-abiding Canadians are as hopeless as the federal gun registry.

“Canadians are tired of being antagonized by narrow-minded politics that should be focused on cracking down on criminals, not law-abiding duck hunters, weekend target shooters, farmers and sporting goods retailers,” said Reader. “We are strongly supportive of increased border security, lengthy sentences for using firearms to commit crime, no plea bargaining on gun crimes and increasing the number of police on our streets. We will not, however, support attacks on licensed, law-abiding firearms owners and retailers who are not part of the problem.”

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