r/canadaguns • u/Low_Bar_804 • Apr 19 '26

News / Politics / Activism Owning guns- Right or Privilege?

So obviously here in Canada our government sees private firearm ownership as a privilege rather than a right. My question is, how you guys feel? Do you think gun ownership is a right or a privilege?

When you look at other things people view as rights, such as abortion, freedom of expression and freedom of religion etc. These are all viewed by most as inherently “good rights”, but in many countries these rights are restricted. I think, along with many others, that it is justified to ignore unjust laws that restrict human rights.

I personally believe that firearm ownership is a fundamental human right because it protects all of our other rights and freedoms from being taken away. So even though legally speaking firearm ownership is a privilege that can be taken away at any time here in Canada, I don’t agree with the way our country and many others treat firearm ownership.

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u/Scary-Detail-3206 Apr 19 '26

100%, this is fundamentally everything that is wrong with this country. Rights are absolute, not suggestions.

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u/K0bra_Ka1 Apr 19 '26

Your right to express yourself cannot come at the expense of my right to be safe and secure.

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u/theawesomedude646 Apr 19 '26

Driving is a privilege. It comes at the expense of your right to be safe and secure.

Guns should not be treated any differently. Sure cars might functionally be more important, but that's secondary to the value of wider freedoms.

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u/yummybunnybear Apr 19 '26

This supposed distinction and subordination between "rights" and "privileges" is just stupid semantics. A "privilege" is something you have to work toward to earn, but once you have that privilege, it's your right to exercise it. For driving, getting a license is a privilege, but once you have it, you have the right to drive. Heck, we even call it "right of way" not "privilege of way" even though getting into that driver's seat would be a privilege at the outset. It's a privilege to own real estate, but once you have it, it's your legal right to have possession of it. Likewise, getting a firearms license is a privilege, but once you have it, it's your right to exercise lawful firearm ownership. The real debate it whether firearm ownership should be a constitutionally protected right or a legislated right. So this abstract debate about whether firearm ownership should be a privilege or a right is kind of pointless.