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The politics have a look of desperation about them. As they see their electoral chances diminishing among the wider Canadian public with each new sordid revelation, it looks like the Harper crowd is doubling down with its base, a strategy that I questioned in my earlier post today.
Steven Blaney, who could only be considered a Public Safety Minister in a Canada that has grown decidedly Orwellian, has announced a plan that will erode public safety but perhaps fire up the base. CBC News reports the regime minion has announced the Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act which would make life easier for many Canadian gun owners.
Currently, gun owners in Ontario, Quebec and P.E.I. have to apply to each province's chief firearms officer when they want to transport a restricted or prohibited weapon. Under the new rules, gun owners in all provinces would get permission to transport weapons as a condition of their licence.
But wait! There's more!
The government also plans to allow a grace period for gun owners with expired permits.
And even more ominously, this cryptic observation:
The new rules would also give the federal government more say in decisions previously made by each province's chief firearms officer.
Finally, you may recall this dandy little weapon that the RCMP banned earlier this year:
The national police force changed the Swiss Arm rifle from restricted to prohibited, the main reason being that the guns could be easily converted to be fully automatic. Automatic weapons, which shoot a spray of bullets with one trigger pull, are illegal in Canada.
In March, the government said it was troubled by the decision, and gave gun owners permission to keep the weapons, via a two-year amnesty.
Under the new plan, gun owners would also be allowed to use the weapons, in essence restoring them to their previous status.
Indeed, there is much to chew upon here for a segment of the Canadian population.
