There’s really only one plausible explanation for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s refusal to disclose whether he would eliminate the federal government’s handgun ban. Spelling out his intention would be too strong a signal of his intention to model Canada after the US where handgun ownership is considered a constitutional right and firearm-related murder rates are stratospheric.

As recently as Jan. 13, Poilievre called Bill C-21 — which was supported by the NDP and Bloc and includes a handgun freeze, with only a few exceptions — “stupid” and promised to repeal it if elected. 

Failing any evidence to the contrary, we must take him at his word.

Gun control is one of those political hot-button issues that pits rural voters, who are more likely to own firearms and resist control measures, against their urban counterparts, who are more exposed to gang shootings and tend to favour firearms legislation. Railing against gun control plays well among large swaths of Polievre’s rural and small-town base. 

But Poilievre almost certainly understands that standing up for handguns at this point in an election campaign where he’s been criticized for being too aligned with the United States, would unleash more inconvenient Trump comparisons. Trump campaigned on dialing back gun regulation and is expected to ban background checks on private gun sales and repeal a ban on devices that convert handguns into “rifle-like weapons.”

Any defence of handgun........

© National Observer