Opinion: Why we need groups like the NFA in Canada

In a time where citizens are withheld more and more rights under the guise of peace and safety, Canada increasingly needs lobby groups and associations that are willing to stand up and speak on behalf of Canadians.

One of these important groups is the National Firearms Association, a non-profit with the goal of protecting safe firearm activities and advocating for legislative change to protect the right to own and use firearms.

With the current agenda of the Liberal and NDP parties, the right to own firearms has been increasingly threatened.

Recently, the Trudeau-led liberals have issued an “Order in Council” that has banned over 9500 different types of firearms.

This decision, which required a 250 million dollar buyback program, did not lead to a decrease in gun crime, but rather an increase in gun crime, which was covered in-depth in a recent article by The Buffalo Tribune.

The NFA has been a strong voice in advocating against this ban of firearms.

“The Liberal Party has been lazy in attacking Canada’s most vetted citizens; the ones who are least likely to commit any crime” says Jordan Vanderhoff, Ontario’s Regional Director for the NFA. “Criminals and gang bangers do not follow the laws. Adding restrictions to lawful citizens will have no effect on the root cause of gun violence”.

What the gun ban boils down to is not a decrease in violence, but rather an increase in government control.

Rob Boutilier (AKA The Patriotic Dad) recently made an excellent argument against the liberal approach to gun control.

“To make the argument that a deranged, homicidal individual is going to commit a murder because of guns is completely illogical. That would be the same as claiming that a drunk driver commits vehicular homicide because of cars. In fact, I would argue the opposite correlation is a stronger one. A deranged homicidal individual, in my opinion, would be more likely to avoid committing a homicide because of the potential for a given target to have access to a gun.”

He goes on to say, “The reduction of gun owners’ rights is simply a slow trickle; a gradual means to a fascistic end.”

The National Firearms Association has been fighting against this agenda and continues to try to provide accurate information and education about guns.

One of the main focuses of their work has been firearm education, especially among young people.

“Education is key when it comes to firearms. We should be teaching our younger youth firearms as soon as we feel they are old enough to understand, especially if there are firearms in their home. They are tools used for hunting and competitive sport shooting,” said Vanderhoff in response to The Buffalo Tribune. “People should know that the appearance of a firearm does not make it more or less evil than another firearm because it’s not the firearm, it’s the ill intent of the user.”

The misrepresentation of firearms by media outlets is that guns are the cause of murders, when in reality, people are the cause of murders. And people with the intent to kill will obtain firearms illegally if that’s their desired route.

Educating young people about the statistics behind gun ownership, the importance of laws allowing people to own guns after obtaining a gun license and proper training is one of the main goals of the NFA.

Additionally, they are described as “Canada’s voice in Ottawa.” In a place where firearms owners are being heavily alienated, it’s important to have people on site who can battle for democracy.

The NFA battles for policies that are fair and just towards Canadian citizens. It’s important to have gun policies in place, of course; it’s just a matter of getting the right policies in place.

There has to be a recognition that the overwhelming majority of firearm owners in Canada are law-abiding, well-intentioned people who aren’t using guns as weapons.