11 November 2023 Dear Senators I have not attached the standard template letter, as you get many of these and know the contents, I am rather sharing my personal thoughts. The personal effect to me, of these laws, please let’s not refer to the Handgun ban as a freeze. A freeze has a sunset date to unfreeze, these are bans without compensation. Compensation is a minimum requirement when confiscating personal property, the loss of history is irreplaceable. I am a firearms enthusiast and have been collecting firearms, mainly those with military history for many years.

There is amazing heritage to these firearms dating from current times to 150+ years back, with handmade handguns from the 1880’s made in Belgium to full sets of firearms used by our soldiers to defend us from hostile enemies. With the pending additional semi-auto/assault style ban this adds more valuable historic firearms to this list, including current sporting/hunting rifles. Well, give them to a museum! There are two issues with this, our passion as collectors is to enjoy the shooting, researching and owning these old guns and museums are only able to accommodate limited quantities.

I have already donated several firearms to a local museum, which is near capacity with its firearm collection, plus the museum’s hands are tied, if they have a surplus they cannot sell this surplus to fund to their running costs, can only destroy or give to other museums. This is sad. I partake in several sports, Cowboy Action Shooting, Silhouette, Shotgun, Vintage Military, multi gun and just socialising with friends who are all affected by these bans.

This will kill Canada competing in many Olympic sports as there will be no new generations coming into the sports, the exceptions only benefit current sportspersons. Besides the huge emotional stress these bans/confiscation and destruction of historical artifacts have put on me and the community, this interest is our passion/lives, for me this is decades of pleasure, to be ripped from me, leaving a huge personal vacuum and sports that help my mental health.

The financial loss is great, my personal loss from these accumulated bans is in the region of $32,000 at my purchase price of each firearm, not current value, with these bans all become $0.00. This total is just for the firearms, it excludes all the accessories we have to support our sport, i.e., multiple magazines (we need many as we obey the law with 5 rounds) these cost anything from $50.00 to over $100.00 each, we normally hold around 5 per firearm, scopes $500.00 - $2,000.00+, holsters, reloading equipment for select firearms, adding all this together my personal loss from the bans is over $40,000.00.

This is a small collection; others are losing far more. This money was also on standby for my retirement income, as I start to sell them to new collectors as I age, this is now just erased from my retirement financial planning. If I thought for one minute that these laws would make Canada safer and bring gun crime to zero, and crime in general to zero, there would be some merit, but they have no purpose besides ideological and vote harvesting reasons. In NO country have these bans worked. Criminals by definition don’t obey the law.

The best scenario is to reject these restrictions outright and send the bill back. Alternatively, the minimum changes would be to ensure that the current restricted firearms in Canada can be inherited and transferred between licenced shooters. Stop all further bans and reject the fake firearms advisory panel that is another arm of the government that is up of participants that will push for more restrictions and confiscations, not for public safety but personal agendas.

If we take their logic further, knives, cars, alcohol, drugs etc. should be banned as far more people have suffered personal life tragedies caused by these things. Its also good to note that Australia and New Zealand whom the Liberals keep saying are such good gun control countries, still allow handgun ownership. To close, on October 23, 2023, the new public safety minister made this comment “'I don't think that Indigenous peoples were at large opposed with this bill, and I don't think hunters or sports groups oppose this legislation,' the public safety minister told senators Monday”.

He is paid to use facts not personal thoughts I know from the community I am in, hunters, target shooters, collectors, and my students, 1oo% do not agree with these bans and the continued attack on the community. Please put no value on the above statement, as it is pure politicising and false. Thank you in advance for your consideration. Sincerely, A.J.Sutton. Saskachewan

Why do these have to be destroyed? What Purpose? These collector items have survived wars, military storage, and use, and then passed from collector to collector who lovingly cared for them, learned their history well, shared this passion with the youth to learn of the past, and hope to pass on to the next generation. Survived all this just for some political points, ideology, and vote harvesting, with ZERO effect on crime. When it suits this government, what happens in the USA applies here even though firearms laws are completely different.

Below are a few examples, there are many more irreplaceable artifacts and history, that Bill C21 and the current government just want to destroy. Why? Handmade handgun in Belgium, Liege. The logo of the grips is that of Neumann Frères in Liege, manufactured sometime between 1880-1900. 122+ years old. A DWM (Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken) Luger P08, sold to the Swedish military, and modified for their requirements to a 5-inch barrel. Today one of the very few legal Luger’s in Canada, and very rare. Enfield No2 Revolvers, used by the Canadian and Brirish commonwealth military during WW2.

History of design goes as far back as the Boer War. Mosin Nagant 1895 Pistol. This example manufactured 1912 (110 years old), with Imperial Russian markings, pre 1918 revolution. Unique action mechanism, very desirable collector item. (All the firearms I have listed are desirable collector items.)

One of my shooting passions, Cowboy Action Shooting, great fun for old and young, male and female, it cannot survive with the handgun ban that will achieve zero. As will none of the other handgun shooting sports survive.

IF the Liberals continue with their bans via the “Advisory Pannel” or Order in Council, more history and collector items will be destroyed, and sports ended. Many witnesses you have had recently have made this point clear. M1 Garand, WWII issue, over 80 years old. Semi-automatic just like any semi-automatic hunting rifle. Iconic USA rifle first generally issued semi-automatic to any army. A pleasure to shoot. Banned why? Used by the military, make any sense? NO. SKS, post WWII issue, 1949-1956, over 70 years old. Semi-automatic just like any semi-automatic hunting rifle. Pinned to 5 rounds to comply with the law.

Why is it scary, it’s Russian, ex-military make any sense? NO. For a collector it’s rich in history and very collectable. M1 Carbine, WWII issue, over 80 years old. Semi-automatic just like any semi-automatic hunting rifle. Classed as restricted and pinned to 5 rounds to comply with the law Iconic USA rifle, 6 million were made. This example went through the war, then the German police to end up in the hands of collectors. Banned why? Used by the military, make any sense? NO. GSG MP44. This is a copy of an Stg44 made in .22 long rifle cartridge and 9mm. The only similarity to the original is looks.

Many of what would been working functions on an original, are just stamped markings on the firearm. Pleasure to shoot, it is a way for collectors to have a visual example of this firearm in a collection, as originals are not allowed. Banned only because it looks scary, make any sense? NO. Any item when used as a weapon is scary, knife, baseball bat, hockey stick, fist, etc. victim always at a disadvantage. The Civilian AR15 platform is like a Swiss Army knife, or Lego set of firearms, so multi-functional, sporting, hunting, multi-caliber, multiple uses.

The banning of these “Assault Style” firearms terminated several good shooting sport activities, that shooters enjoyed, competed in nationally and representing Canada internationally. This example, a Diemaco Canada C8 (Colt Canada), one of only 500 made for the civilian market, complying with all Canadian firearms laws and a restricted firearm under stricter regulations. A treasured firearm to have in a collection for a Canadian. Manufactured and modified for Canadian conditions.

Yes, SIMILAR to the Canadian army version, NOT the same functionally, and restricted to 5 rounds, semi-automatic just like any semi-automatic hunting rifle. Banned why? Looks like a firearm the military uses, not used by the military as only semi-automatic. Looks scary, make any sense? NO.