By Joe Bartozzi
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau showed law-abiding gun owners in his nation that he’s willing to become a tyrant in a teapot to seize guns.
Prime Minister Trudeau invoked Canada’s Emergency Act when truckers descended on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario to protest the country’s strict COVID-19 vaccine requirements for border crossing and other restrictions. Called the “Freedom Convoy,” the protesters shut down the area outside of Canada’s Parliament and key trade route crossings into the United States.
Instead of meeting with protest organizers to hear their grievances, Prime Minister Trudeau hid in an “undisclosed location” and later verbally attacked his fellow countrymen as “Nazis.” His unprecedented use of the Emergencies Act, invoked without Parliament approval or court order, allowed him to exercise unchecked authority to trample on the rights of Canadians for 30 days. It was the first time the act was invoked since it was passed in 1988.
In essence, he made subjects of his citizens. Worse, he revealed there’s no tactic he won’t resort to when it comes to pressing his agenda. That is an ominous sign as Canadians face a looming gun confiscation.
Confiscation
Canadian gun owners are facing a looming April 30 deadline to turn over nine specific types of firearms, all AR-15s, AR-10s and any variants, any firearm with a muzzle energy greater than 10,000 Joules or any firearm with a bore greater than 20 mm. Firearms are being seized by the Canadian government under a forced “buyback” scheme, which in itself is an oxymoron, since the Canadian Government didn’t buy them in the first place.
As of Christmas, over 99.8 percent of Canadian gun owners rejected Prime Minister Trudeau’s unilateral edict to hand over their guns. His reaction to truckers who didn’t listen to his edicts doesn’t bode well for those out of compliance on May 1.
SEE ALSO: Montreal Mayor: Ban handguns because ‘it’s a scourge right now’
Prime Minister Trudeau’s crackdown wasn’t just police arresting protesters or hauling away trucks. He roped in banks to force the measure. When he invoked the Emergencies Act, that compelled banks, investment firms, credit unions, loan companies, securities dealers, fundraising platforms, insurance companies and fraternal benefit societies to search their databases for those protesting and “freeze their accounts and report it to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or Canada’s intelligence service, the regulations say. Any suspicious transactions must also be reported to the country’s anti-money-laundering agency, known as Fintrac,” according to a Fortune report. Topping it off, the Canadian government protected those financial entities from lawsuits.
Prime Minister Trudeau used the authority of the Canadian government to hold the money of private citizens protesting for what they perceived as government overreach into their bodily rights. It begs the question, what is in store when Canadians refuse to bend the knee to the tyrant trying to confiscate their guns?
Could It Happen Here?
Those observing from the United States might believe that no such move could occur in the United States. Surely there are strong civil liberty protections. That would be a foolish assumption. Members of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet cheered Prime Minister Trudeau’s unprecedented power grab.
“Two of Biden’s Cabinet officials, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, pressed their Canadian counterparts to use federal powers to bring an end to the blockade at the bridges before they successfully did so on Sunday,” The Hill reported during the crisis.
Democratic Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego publicly called for the government to seize and redistribute privately-owned trucks of American truckers that are participating in their own Freedom Convoy headed to Washington, D.C.
“Perfect time to impound and give the trucks to small trucking companies looking to expand their business,” Rep. Gallego tweeted in response to the following news.
It’s Already Happening
The truth is banks are already doing the dirty work of antigun politicians in America. Corporate banks adopted gun control policies to deny business to firearm-related companies unless they implement certain gun control measures, including trampling on Constitutional rights.
That’s why NSSF is working with Congress and state legislatures to introduce laws that will protect firearm businesses from “woke” political agendas that threaten their ability to compete in the marketplace. NSSF is working to pass the Fair Access to Banking Act, introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) as S. 563 and by Congressman Andy Barr (R-Ky.) as H.R. 1729. In the state legislatures, Texas passed the Firearm Industry Nondiscrimination (FIND) Act last year, which allows Texas the freedom to choose with whom they conduct business, just as the banks are free to choose their customers. Banks need only to certify that they hold no discriminatory policies against firearm businesses, which, of course, are a Constitutionally-protected industry. Similar legislation is pending in several other states, including Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma and West Virginia.
Those with politically-driven agendas are showing there are no limits to what they will do when it comes to eliminating gun rights or the gun industry. The notion that government authorities would seize funds or personal property to advance their goals was the stuff of fiction. Today, it’s an unfortunate reality.
Larry Keane is Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs and General Counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the firearms industry trade association.
How bad do you want what’s mine?
I know you’re perfectly willing to kill me. I’ve seen you scum work and I’ve read the history of you scum.
Yes I know I’ll leave some(hopefully many) widows,orphans. Was the dental plan worth it??? Hoka hey
lol we all got so upset about the lefty protest occupations in Seattle and other places, but when anti vax truckers do the same thing it’s somehow ok? Intellectual honesty people!
Over nine days, the Seattle CHAZ area saw four shootings, two deaths, arson, and several sexual assaults.
Quite UNLIKE the VERY peaceful Canadians. FYI about 90% of those truckers ARE immunized.
NOT the “same thing” Intellectual honesty people!
The left destroyed and looted, truckers did not, see the difference?
The “lefty protest occupations in Seattle” caused the deaths and serious injuries of innocent people and destruction throughout the US. Criminals were using lasers to try and blind Police Officers. Not at all comparable to Canda.
J6 was the largest manhunt in the history of the US. Why weren’t the same methods of tracking down the people in the Capitol used against ANTIFA?
Do you really believe that the murder of American Veteran, Ashley Babbitt, was anything other than Black Privilege bestowed by left-wing hypocrites?
Not only the current admin, but the former as well. Both parties need to shuck the extremist elements away. Sadly it seems the faster one can run to the left or right seems to be the thing of the day. As for the protest in Ottowa it was one thing but after a point turned into something else. Business owners and customers, residents finally had enough that they could not have commerce, sleep for the noise. When time came to dispurse the so called freedom convoy which was suppressing the freedom of others refused. Refused again and that is why what happened happened. The above story is pretty slanted, but that seems to be the new order of the day.
Trudeau COULD have simply listened… It would have all ENDED in a weekend. However he CHOSE to Double Down on Stupid…. Going Full Naziii
IGNORING the actual Science, in favor of Draconian Stupidity.
BTW, in the UK if a PM simply WALKED OUT of a Parliamentary Session…. His own Party would immediately call for a Vote of ” NO Confidence” in that PM. Let alone the opposing Parties !
I salute the Canadian Truckers and their Peaceful Protest. The only real violence was from a very few counter protesters, one whom, was really drunk and of course from the Armed Police, with Horse Mounted Troops that trampled an old lady, pepper sprayed folks, assaulted them with batons, deployed roof top snipers and officers carrying machineguns with suppressors. Together these forces eliminated the threat poised by the people who were armed with Barbeques and Bouncy Castles. Great Job Officers, look in the mirror and feel that Blue Pride.
The United States is a different kettle of fish. History has shown that we are willing to kill each other in the hundreds of thousands, if we think we are in the Right. Our politicians still fear us and they should. That’s why Joe Biden said we need F-15’s and Nuclear Weapons if we hope to take on the power of the federal government, careful what you wish for.
Peace is always the way, until it is not. Luckily, we are far from the bloody alternative, for now.
Closer than you think.
Please, please, please!
Don’t compare us to Canada. Just DON’T. Their “Constitution” is nothing like ours. Their laws are nothing like ours, and their government is nothing like ours. Granted, we currently have a regime that runs roughshod over our sacred laws and traditions, but that’s not a permanent thing. We WILL rise again, and with some common sense might actually find it in us to drive the communists out for good.
In the meantime: we ain’t Canada!
HERE , HERE , Sir !
And “ right – on “ !
So using your logic, here in the good ol’ USA, the government would NEVER prohibit things like…
Going to church
Family gatherings
Sports events, etc.
Free speech
Additionally, the government would NEVER dictate…
What we must put on or in our bodies
CRT and other marxists theory in our children’s schools
Allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports
And of course the government wouldn’t even CONSIDER
Weaponizing certain agencies against political opponents
Treating parents as “domestic terrorists” when they stand up for their kids
Suspend due process for citizens by incarcerating them for months without even charging them with a crime
These few examples don’t even begin to scratch the surface of how our own government is waging war on our civil liberties.
Keep on telling yourself, though
“Nah… we ain’t Canada.”
I thought the article was well measured as the author raised a legitimate question, “could it happen here?” Then in part the author addresses the question he raised. I guess I no longer have the same confidence in the stewards and safety valves that have in the past protected our unique Republic. I would be happy to be proven wrong, but the issue is hardly settled and threats are always looming.
The powerful cabal of Globalists are existential threats to all freedom lovers, and they dupe US into there clever schemes.
Exactly – We’re not Canada. US gunowners will shoot back.