'It will kill the sport': Local pistol shooters concerned with Canadian handgun ban
Local pistol shooters are worried that the Canadian government’s move to ban the importation of restricted handguns, effective Aug. 19, will seriously hinder how many people try out the sport.
"We’ve got a bunch of athletes who won’t be able to get new equipment anymore." said Ian Pattison, pistol chair for the ONTarget Rifle and Pistol Alliance. "The only thing we can do is just start sharing the equipment we have, I guess."
According to Pattison, the ban could keep beginners from joining the sport.
The chair adds that Canada has not performed well in international pistol competitions recently and now athletes won’t have access to new equipment.
"I want the effects of gun crime gone absolutely, but taking away guns from the people who aren’t causing problems is not going to help unfortunately," said Pattison.
According to Dan Haycock, the owner of Shooter’s Choice in Waterloo, many of the dealers the store purchases from are now getting out of the business.
"If you have a handgun you can keep it, use it, and if you don’t, you’ll never ever get one," Haycock said.
Most of the purchases at Shooter’s Choice are for hunting or archery, while pistols make up about 20 per cent of sales.
An image of a handgun. (Colton Wiens/CTV Kitchener) (Aug. 6, 2022)
Haycock says that since a freeze on handgun sales was announced earlier in the year, he has almost sold out of all his pistols. Now, with a ban set for importing handguns, he thinks it could bring an end to pistol shooting in Canada.
"Oh it will kill the sport, unfortunately," said Haycock.
Sukhi Gill shopping for a handgun at Shooter's Choice in Waterloo. (Colton Wiens/CTV Kitchener) (Aug. 6, 2022)
Sukhi Gill, a customer at Shooter’s Choice on Saturday, said he already purchased two new handguns in anticipation of the ban.
Despite the announcement, he plans to keep participating in the sport.
"I don’t like it. I understand the AR-15’s and other things that were banned earlier, which is acceptable, but then with the handguns I think it’s not a good thing for people who are into sports," said Gill. "I personally feel that the crime happens with something that is smuggled and stuff like that, not with the legal guns that we have here. So I’m totally against it."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.