EDITORIAL – New gun control bill a dismal mish mash of half measures
An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.
AS MUCH AS WE NEED better gun control laws in this country, the latest measures unveiled yesterday by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have me baffled.
I have no quarrel with the sweeping bans on 1,500 different models of assault rifles announced earlier, and no sympathy with those who insist assault-style weapons are needed for recreational purposes.
But the voluntary buy-back program the Liberals want to put in place is a half-hearted move. Because of that, it will be ineffective. The plan is to spend around $400 million buying banned assault-style firearms from their owners, as long as the owners want to give them up.
If they want to keep them, they can and will, though they aren’t supposed to use them. This provision is already angering anger both gun owners and gun control advocates, as compromises often do.
Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
Perhaps they didn’t want to upset the honest gun owners too much…one step at a time with the buy-back and harsher measures coming later on. Perhaps stricter regulations moving forward for people wanting to buy them guns should be swiftly implemented, like graduation from high school with at least a 90% mark being the minimum standard?