Canadian Minister Booed at Protest Against Gun Control

In a dramatic example of the increasing clout of the gun lobby in Canada, thousands rallied on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday to protest proposed new firearm restrictions and to boo the federal justice minister as he tried to defend them.

The rally drew a crowd estimated by police at 10,000 and showed that while gun control opponents may be in retreat in the United States, they are on the advance here.

With a wave of organizing, public protests, lobbying and political activity this summer, they have forced the Liberal Party government into a public debate over its anti-gun campaign--despite overwhelming support in the polls for tighter limits.

Canada already has much tougher gun laws and far lower crime rates than the United States.

But a series of highly publicized gun killings this spring and summer, including the first murder of a Toronto police officer in six years, prompted Justice Minister Allan Rock to announce plans for new gun control legislation.

Drafting of the bill is not complete. But the proposed law likely would: extend national registration from handguns to all firearms; ban some assault weapons; increase penalties for using a gun in a crime. Rock has also not ruled out prohibition of handgun ownership.

In response, a pro-gun lobby materialized in Canada’s mountain, prairie and farm regions, barraging members of Parliament with mail and threatening to defeat those who vote for new gun laws. The advocates refuse to equate gun laws with crime control and argue that registration could lead to confiscation.

Linda Thom, Canadian gold medalist in the pistol shoot at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, told the rally Thursday, “We speak all kinds of languages, but our common language, Mr. Rock, is crime control, not gun control.”

Jerry Ouellette, a rally organizer from Toronto, said in an interview: “Government is constantly pushing more gun legislation, saying we need to control crime, but we’ve had gun legislation for years and we’re not controlling crime. It’s come to the point where we just don’t trust the politicians anymore.”

When Rock tried to address the rally Thursday, he was met with catcalls, boos and chants.

“We are not out to take away your hunting rifles,” Rock said.

Even before Thursday’s rally, gun control opponents had won the public backing of a handful of Liberal Party backbenchers in Parliament, who have threatened to break with the government over the bill. Further restrictions are also opposed by the conservative, Western-based Reform Party.

There does not appear to be enough opposition to kill the bill, but it might not go as far as it otherwise would have.

Wendy Cukier, president of the Toronto-based Coalition for Gun Control, sees the influence of the National Rifle Assn. in Canada.

“The tactics being employed now are very similar to the NRA’s style,” she said in an interview Thursday. “I’m sure the American gun lobby is very concerned that our example not be used to further controls there.”

To legally buy a rifle or shotgun in Canada under current law, purchasers must be at least 18 years old, pass a government-approved safety course, obtain a $50 firearm acquisition certificate from police and undergo a background check. There is a 28-day waiting period between ordering guns and taking possession.

Buying a handgun is more difficult. Besides having a firearm acquisition certificate, buyers need a restricted-weapon permit. They are difficult to obtain and are registered with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.