I have written about gun control in the space before. I have very few problems with the latest round of gun bans proposed by the government.
Yes, it could very well impact hunters, instead of just those who want to buy and use assault weapons just for the sake of buying them. That is unfortunate but it should be noted that the proposed amendments to the C-21 may cause some hunting rifles and shotguns to be banned but not all of them. Hunters will still have plenty of options to buy weapons that will allow them to pursue their sport. So the overheated rhetoric we are seeing from the gun lobby and the Conservatives is just that. You would think that after the 2021 election they would be a little more circumspect about giving a full throated defence of gun ownership. It really is a losing issue in the parts of the country where the Conservatives need to pick up support in order to form a government.
And now it has been revealed that the government will review the amendment in order to make certain any impacts on hunters are reduced. Gee, it is almost like our Parliamentary system works, despite the rhetoric we hear from the Conservatives and their media apologists on a daily basis.
I am a fan of the Montreal Canadiens and I am a fan of Carey Price but him inserting himself into the debate, in such a high profile manner, just days before the anniversary of the massacre at Ecole Polytechnique is the most politically tone-deaf intervention I have seen in a long time. Further what he said is wrong, him being a First Nations Canadian, as he is exempt from the provisions of C-21. Now, he is doing the inevitable backtracking, through the Canadiens organization, and that backtracking is extremely ham fisted. By the way, if he wants to back track he should do it and not leave it up to the Canadiens. It makes me wonder about the sincerity of any reflection he may be undertaking. Instead it looks like damage control, and not very good damage control to boot.
Make no mistake, Carey Price has the right to state his opinion but those who disagree with him have the very same right and they are exercising it. If he believed he could jump into this debate, as a public figure, and not experience some backlash he is very mistaken.
Now this whole thing is stupid because the arguments never change. Periodically, this topic comes up and all of the same arguments are trotted out by the usual suspects on both sides. Neither have had any new material in over three decades. To the gun control opponents. Shut up. You lost the debate when that dickless wonder, whose name I will not mention, massacred all of those women in Montreal, in 1989. It was only a matter to time before the weapon he used and others like it would be banned. He guaranteed it and the events of Dawson College and Nova Scotia just made your arguments even less effective. To the gun control supporters I would tell you to shut up as well, unless you can come up with some original arguments.
To the Conservatives, this issue is not the effective wedge issue you think it is but by all means keep pushing it. It cost you the 2021 election and it will cost you future elections as well.
As for celebrities injecting themselves into debates I would say that it is a wasted effort where you are more likely to lose than win. The simple fact is no one is going to change their minds because a celebrity supports this policy or that policy. If you believe otherwise, you have a much inflated perception of your impact on the world outside of your celebrity. The most likely outcome of any intervention is the tarnishing of your reputation, brand and future legacy.
