O’Toole promises to maintain Trudeau’s ban on ‘assault weapons’ | CBC News

“We will maintain the ban on assault weapons and we will develop a transparent process when it comes to training and licensing for guns, because we need to target street guns and smuggling. We’ve seen an increase in violent crimes because of that,” O’Toole told reporters at a campaign stop in Montreal.

Asked what he would say to Conservative Party members who voted for him because he promised to overturn Liberal gun regulations, O’Toole dodged the question and accused Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau of importing divisive “American-style” politics on issues of public safety.

“We’re going to go after the real risk here — criminal gangs and the illegal smuggling of firearms, something that’s gotten worse under Mr. Trudeau. I will focus resources on what keeps communities safe and stop this process of dividing Canadians,” O’Toole said.

During its last six years in government, the Liberal Party has shifted from a past strategy of policing long guns to banning “assault-style” weapons. A May 2020 cabinet order reclassified more than 100,000 firearms as “prohibited,” forcing owners to give them up or face criminal sanctions.

O’Toole’s stated position today seems to contradict his election platform, which says a Conservative government would “start by repealing C-71” and “the May 2020 Order in Council” and would conduct “a review of the Firearms Act with participation by law enforcement, firearms owners, manufacturers and members of the public.”

That May 2020 order is the “assault-style” firearms ban that outlawed some 1,500 makes and models of what the government describes as “military-grade weapons.”

Bill C-71 was a Liberal bill that overhauled the background check system, imposed new record-keeping requirements for retailers and placed further restrictions on transporting firearms.

“Our focus will be on keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals. This contrasts with the Liberals, who have refused to take action against gangs while harassing hunters and sport shooters,” the Conservative platform reads.

“Canada’s Conservatives will improve the regulation of legal firearms to ensure that it is evidence-based and focuses on protecting public safety.”

Citing some recent homicides at his announcement today, O’Toole said that “senseless violence” has become “too commonplace in a country as free and safe as ours.”

O’Toole said Trudeau has the wrong prescription for gun-related crime and accused the Liberal leader of targeting “farmers, hunters and law-abiding firearms owners” through regulatory changes rather than gang members with handguns.

O’Toole said a government led by him would amend the Criminal Code to make it easier for police and prosecutors to “go after gang networks and prevent the import of illegal guns.” He is proposing a mandatory minimum sentence of two years for the unauthorized possession of a firearm if the person was subject to a prohibition order or was previously convicted of a firearms-related offence.

Like past Conservative leaders, O’Toole is also promising to boost resources for the Canadian Border Services Agency and the RCMP so they can “work closely with American authorities to target smuggling operations before illegal guns reach the border.” He also said he wants to establish a “gang exit strategy,” to give young gang recruits “a way out and a chance at a fresh start.”