r/canadaguns • u/AutoModerator • Aug 31 '26

Recurring Canadaguns Politics and Debate Thread

Please post all your Gun Politics or Ban-related ideas, questions, initiatives, comments, suggestions, news articles, and recommendations in this thread. This thread recurs every 14 days.

First and foremost, this is a Canadian Gun subreddit, so keep it at least decently related to both of those things.

This thread is not for general politics, there are plenty other subs that are meant for that. Off-topic threads may be removed, especially if they are leading to personal attacks, flame wars, etc.

To prevent the main sub being flooded with dozens of similar threads, text posts complaining about/asking about/chatting about gun politics will be sent here.

We understand that politics is a touchy subject, and at times things can get heated. A reminder of the subreddit rules, when commenting, where subreddit users are expected to abide.

Keep this Canadian gun politics related and polite. Off-topic stuff, flame wars, negative generalizations against groups, personal attacks and gate-keeping will be removed. Please flag any comments to bring to the attention of mods otherwise exercise your upvoting and downvoting ability.

23 Upvotes

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27

u/mithrajr Aug 31 '26

Don't know if it's just me or if others feel similarly, but this hobby has started to become more of a burden than something to look forward to. It is due the gradual culmination of a few things:

1- range trips have become more expensive, gas wise and time wise. 

2- cost of ammo going up. Besides 22LR, I feel like I'm just burning money, when I'm finding myself prioritising it for other things in my life.

3- the responsibility aspect. The paranoia of keeping firearms at home. It's starting to stress me out. I also keep reading stories of break-ins and other unfortunate events surrounding intruders, where the legal gun owner is facing criminal charges, months of stress and legal battles to clear their names, just because they happened to own firearms. 

4- let's not even get into the political climate and the constant uncertainty.

All of these factors combined, I've lost my interest to go out and have fun, and am taking a break for now. I am this close to get out of the hobby completely though.

I don't intend to sound like a doomer, but these thoughts have been in my mind for a while now.

26

u/Otherwise_Rub_9515 Sep 01 '26

That's what they want.

To destroy the sport and traditions. 

You have a civic duty to not give up. 

9

u/mithrajr Sep 01 '26

Fair

5

u/Otherwise_Rub_9515 Sep 01 '26

What province are you in? 

3

u/mithrajr Sep 01 '26

La belle province ⚜️

10

u/Otherwise_Rub_9515 Sep 01 '26

Fuckkk my condolences.

Just hang in there, the pendulum is swinging. 

6

u/Vahuo89 Sep 01 '26

cest pas facile icitte

19

u/RydNightwish Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26

For me its largely the political climate and financial losses thats killed my interest. I lost 20K due to the bans with no means of recouping any of. And since I live in a province that wasn't allowed to participate in the buyback (not that I would have) it left me truly no other options but to wait for the SCC outcome to decide my next steps. I dont have 15 years of time or savings to rebuild the collection and frankly I dont intend to. Been to the range once this year and thats really all I can be arsed. Cheaper pasttimes and social circles to get involved in. And since we wont have a real shot at a new party in charge till 2033 (Carney/libs are gonna win 29 cus trumps stank will still be fresh) Ive kinda checked out largely. I only hang out here to find out if I was fucked with a new OIC everyday.

8

u/WSBBroker Aug 31 '26

Yeah.. getting absolutely cucked by the gov I basically stopped shooting. I’m not going to buy more guns only for them to be banned again. Would be different if I lived in a rural area or on a farm or lived around large crown land sections but driving an hour to the range and back .. I don’t know. One day I’ll maybe get a nice bolty and new lever / shotgun but I have been sour for awhile.

12

u/Beneficial-Ride-4475 Sep 01 '26

A burden? No I don't think so. A headache, yes.

I'll still be buying and selling, shooting, and hunting. I'm not going to let the LPC destroy my enjoyment.

6

u/rastamasta45 Aug 31 '26

Not sure about you brother, but the SPAS 12 is in Canada and it’s a glorious day for gun collectors!!

9

u/boozefiend3000 Aug 31 '26

Somehow the ATRS rifles were banned as variants of the AR even though the receiver is different. SPAS12 prohibited, change out the receiver and it’s legal. Country makes no fuckin sense lol

5

u/EliteDuck Sep 01 '26

The FRT isn't law, and I don't recall parliament ever banning the ATRS.

5

u/boozefiend3000 Sep 01 '26

It was law enough to put ATRS outta business 

2

u/airchinapilot Sep 01 '26

 change out the receiver and it’s legal.

? The receiver has always been determined to be the firearm in our laws and it makes sense. It is the base for all of the actual functionality of the firearm. Everything else are what is attached to it.

3

u/boozefiend3000 Sep 01 '26

Ya. The ATRS rifles had a different receiver than the AR and were deemed to be non restricted. Then the OICs kicked in and it was banned as a variant of the AR. Still had a different receiver. The same logic should apply to this new SPAS12 based on how this country decides to apply rules. Why I said this country makes no sense 

3

u/airchinapilot Sep 01 '26

You won't get any argument from me about the 'ban by name' nonsense.

28

u/Unknownuser010203 Aug 31 '26

Sounds like you're letting them win. You're 1st and 2nd point are valid but your 3rd is just paranoia and the 4th is something we'll all deal with together! Letting them get you down is Letting them win!

7

u/mithrajr Aug 31 '26

It's mostly the 3rd point that I'm paranoid with, yeah. It shouldn't be like this. That's why I'm just going to take a break for a while. Need to stop reading all the negative stuff online.

1

u/Mr-Figglesworth Sep 06 '26

Do you live in a somewhat sketchy area or something? I only ask because while I’m aware the possibility is there I have never worried about this for more than a few seconds.

We all have different situations too I live in a small town with a family so my wife or someone is always at the house and there are half a dozen cameras on the property.

I’ve got a baby and a toddler so I’m having a hard time finding time to reload and shoot now but it seems to be common with alot of the guys I used to shoot all the time with and they didn’t just have kids.

1

u/mithrajr Sep 06 '26

I'm in the greater Montreal area. It's relatively safe, but crime has been going up.

6

u/Icy-Veterinarian8662 Aug 31 '26

I feel the same but mostly for the two first points. It's expensive and become annoying.

I live in Quebec, too, and my local range started being asked for even non-restricted firearms to be recorded in the check-in slips when it used to be only for restricted firearms so I just don't go anymore, I don't want them on any kind of list.

5

u/SolemnSpider Sep 01 '26

Im trying to get around the cost of ammo by taking different .22 actions to the range so i can practice marksmanship on different platforms and keep myself from getting bored

8

u/Longjumping_Rain_483 Aug 31 '26

the third point is a bit stretched imo. one of the recent cases where a homeowner was charged, was because he saw them stealing his car in the driveway, and shot at them while they were going away, while shooting his neighbours house.

I'm not saying they don't get charged, but I'd rather be facing charges then dead.

Although we don't have a castle type of law (which I wish I did), I feel like as long as your somewhat responsible with the use of self defense, you have a case for yourself

3

u/mithrajr Aug 31 '26

It definitely is a gray-zone. Homeowners even get charged for defending their homes without firearms. Maybe only the worst kinds of cases make the headlines and maybe I've been reading too much into them that they've gotten to me.

9

u/Hotdog_Broth Aug 31 '26

1 and 2 have been really hurting lately. The cost of everything endlessly rising without ever being able to get a pay raise means my discretionary income is going to be dangerously close to zero as of mid march 2027. I always liked to have a range trip every week or two, but I’ve only been to the range twice this entire year, both times over six months ago. Having a hobby just isn’t in the budget now.

4

u/mithrajr Aug 31 '26

Exactly. I've gradually cut down going to the range. This year, I have gone only twice. If ever I do go again in the near future, it will be for 22LR practice only.

6

u/guestpassonly Aug 31 '26

You're right on the cost.

I had to cut back a lot on range trips especially with the closest on being an hour and a half from my house.

As for as responsability aspect, you can only do so much to prevent it.

The political aspect is always going to be a problem with our laws since its not a rigth, its a privilege.

I was wanting to get into sport shooting but after doing the math, i just couldnt afford it

3

u/airchinapilot Sep 01 '26

3- the responsibility aspect. The paranoia of keeping firearms at home. It's starting to stress me out. I also keep reading stories of break-ins and other unfortunate events surrounding intruders, where the legal gun owner is facing criminal charges, months of stress and legal battles to clear their names, just because they happened to own firearms. 

That's just because the media only focuses on outliers than the normal. There's no news in saying 99.9 per cent of licensees go on with their lives without having police taking apart their safes.

2

u/mithrajr Sep 01 '26

If that's the case then that's a relief. I was under the impression that everytime a break-in or a home defense situation rises up, the gun owner faces severe consequences. Media sure doesn't help

4

u/Agonizing-Stroke1812 Aug 31 '26

Hugely agree. I try to get an outing scheduled every 3 weeks with friends, but I am seriously questioning my range renewals for 2027. Back when I had a bunch of cool now-prohib guns to shoot it was much easier to justify driving 120km to a range to enjoy them.

My nearby ranges are pistol only indoor ranges. These are fine if you have them to yourself, but become a royal PITA when there's a bunch of people shooting and you have to wait to change your target which will get shredded within 2-3 mags. Also not great to breathe the air in these.

Don't even get me started on the absurd probation shoot requirements. Sharon is one of the worst for this IMO.

3

u/mithrajr Aug 31 '26

wow that sounds like a painful range to deal with. I've stopped my memberships, now I only frequent to a pay-as-you-go range since I go a couples of times a year now.

3

u/InitialAd4125 Sep 01 '26

I know a lot of indoor shooting ranges kind of suck dick compared to outdoor ones on air quality alone. Like the air-conditioning and heating is nice but breathing in all that lead isn't good for your health.

4

u/thatregal Aug 31 '26

I’ve been in the same boat lately.
I’ll always own, maintain and care for firearms, but the state of the community in Canada has gotten pathetic.

Gun owners don’t even stick together, half reject the buy back program, half are willing to comply…

Left/Right wing politics are a constant topic…

Lack of range time and space… (mostly due to ranges having absurd prices and rules)

Uncertainty of whether you’re a criminal or not from absurd gun laws…

Scalping on the second hand market because of hype and rarity amongst some of the shittiest firearms on planet earth known to mankind…

I joined the community early 2018 when things were still pretty decent, it’s crazy how terrible things have become since then. I do not expect much from a country in self destruct mode though.

18

u/WeightedDips95 Aug 31 '26

Why wouldn’t “left/right” politics be a theme here? Without getting bogged down in philosophical weeds, every party that is traditionally associated with the left is anti gun and conversely every right leaning party is pro-gun. 

16

u/boozefiend3000 Aug 31 '26

Ya, I don’t get. You vote left wing you’re voting to get rid of your guns. Make up any shit you want in your head to justify your vote, but that’s true lol 

0

u/InitialAd4125 Sep 01 '26

Well every "left wing" party (they're barely leftwing I'm going to keep it real with you) that actually gets seats i.e that matter is anti gun because some fucker promised to change that and give other parties a chance but that never happened because electoral reform is a bridge to far but legal weed isn't.

2

u/Beneficial-Ride-4475 Sep 01 '26 edited Sep 01 '26

(they're barely leftwing I'm going to keep it real with you)

I mean, you and I both know that, but even more left/far-left parties still went slasher villain on guns and gun owners in most cases. With Yugoslavia being the exception that proves the rule.

i.e that matter is anti gun because some fucker promised to change that and give other parties a chance but that never happened because electoral reform is a bridge to far but legal weed isn't.

Yeah sure. But our center-left parties will always side with the urbanites, that's their bread and butter. When we see more pushes for gun control, but less controls on x or y substances, that's just a reflection of the urban base.

3

u/InitialAd4125 Sep 01 '26

Yeah and in a non first past the post system people who care enough can vote for single issue parties like the weed legalization party and have them get actual seats. But nope we have a rather undemocratic democracy instead.

1

u/Beneficial-Ride-4475 Sep 01 '26

Rank voting is generally a better system no?

2

u/InitialAd4125 Sep 01 '26

Depends on the ranked voting.

2

u/Beneficial-Ride-4475 Sep 01 '26

Left/Right wing politics are a constant topic...

Of course it is, left and right gun owners will never see eye to eye. They'll never be allies/friends.

Uncertainty of whether you’re a criminal or not from absurd gun laws…

The whole Bill Blair 12/10 gauge debacle comes to mind here.

I joined the community early 2018 when things were still pretty decent, it’s crazy how terrible things have become since then.

I got into this around the same time you did, and I can assure things were still just as bad then. We just didn't notice because it was the status quo.

4

u/mithrajr Aug 31 '26

Yep, you said it best.