Some of the guns on display at this weekend`s Sportsman Day at the Cypress Centre. (CHAT News photo)

By Alex McCuaig

Gun petition

Petition by local MP to stop ban on “military-style assault rifles“ continues to garner support

Jan 26, 2020 | 3:59 PM

Medicine Hat, AB – A petition to stop the federal government from banning “military-style assault rifles” continues to gain support with nearly 110,000 as of this weekend.

The petition was launched by local MP Glen Motz last month asking the feds to not take away legally purchased firearms which could cost Canadians a quarter-of-a-billion dollars.

A number of local gun owners taking part in Saturday’s Sportsman Day at the Cypress Centre say they support the petition.

The owner of The Outdoorsman Sporting Goods says he is backing the petition as he doesn’t see the problem coming from local sport shooters who legally own semi-automatic rifles.

“We’re targeting the wrong individuals,” said Jason Black. “We’re going after legal gun owners that are not committing crimes. Criminals are committing crimes with illegal firearms, illegally possessed. We can create a hundred more laws for these criminals but it’s just a hundred more laws they are going to break.”

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Black is hoping more people sign the petition and said the addition of more gun prohibition laws is something many Canadian chiefs of police are against.

However, in a written statement by a spokesperson for the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP), it’s official position is somewhat more nuanced with the organization supportive of some aspects of the Liberal’s gun law Bill C-71 which passed prior to the last federal election.

The CACP has formed a special committee to examine four main areas to look at ways to ensure public safety when it comes to firearms: strategic approaches, legislation, education as well as data collecting and information sharing.

“The CACP recognizes that firearms are a significant problem and we are working to identify ways to minimize the risks they pose to Canadian communities,” wrote CACP spokesperson Natalie Wright. “This is a polarizing debate, and can be highly divisive and emotionally charged, on all sides of this issue. We need to find ways of reducing gun violence in our communities, using the best, evidence-based practices.”

For Jason Aman, vice-president of the Medicine Hat Rifle and Revolver Club, the view of those who own these rifles is pretty consistent.

And for those who might not own such rifles and don’t support them in Canadian society, Aman said they should seek to learn more about these firearms.

“A lot of people hear automatics or stuff like that and they just see what they see in movies and to take that to what we are in Canada – We’re middle of the range where we are allowed to shoot our AR-15s or our handguns and what we are allowed to do with them.”

Aman says the club does do education events and welcomes the public to participate.

The petition closes on Feb. 15.