Ask ten different people their thoughts about the federal government’s Assault Style Firearm Compensation Program (ASFCP), and there’s likely to be ten different opinions.
But members of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights (CCFR) are clear in their stance. So much so that a rally has been planned for late April to protest the ASFCP and the involvement of Waterloo Region Police in facilitating the program.
Tracey Wilson, Vice President of Media Relations, CCFR, told 570 NewsRadio her group is 100 per cent against it.
“We opposed the gun grab in its entirety from beginning to end. The focus of gun control should be to prevent the misuse of firearms, not the legitimate use of firearms. So anybody that is helping the liberal government attack law-abiding citizens in this way is a focus of our efforts.”
Earlier this week, WRPS Chief Mark Crowell was a guest on The Mike Farwell Show, where he pointed out that participation in the program allows for additional resources to bolster the workforce to facilitate the program.
Wilson wonders if those resources could be better used to prevent crime.
“If there’s extra resources to be allocated to collecting firearms from people who have committed no crimes, why aren’t those allocated to preventing shootings?”
She takes issue with what the ASFCP is going to cost. Wilson again thinks that money would do more good if allocated elsewhere.
“The billion dollars he’s (Prime Minister Mark Carney) wasting on the buyback itself, could be rerouted to putting x-ray scanners at every border crossing along our gigantic border with the United States, and that would go a long way to preventing smuggling.”
CCFR plans to take the fight all the way to the top.
“All Canadians should be keeping an eye on this case as it makes its way through the Supreme Court,” said Wilson. “There’s a very big question that will be answered, and that’s: Can the government step into your life, although you’ve done nothing wrong and nothing to deserve it and confiscate your property against your will? I think we need the answers to that.”
CCFR has issued a call to action. They are highlighting the fact that anyone who has declared a weapon can rescind that declaration. She said information about that process is available on the group’s website.
The Waterloo Region Rally Against the Gun Grab is scheduled for Friday, April 24, at Cambridge City Hall from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Three local conservative MPs have signed on to attend the rally: Kelly DeRidder, Matt Strauss and Connie Cody.