Here's David_Moscrop in the Washington Post: Trudeau’s sweeping gun control bill is no knee-jerk reaction
makes a good case
that better is indeed possible. And sometimes you need to take the evidence and try something, then adjust as you go. The government should be honest about what it’s trying to do, and what the limitations and trade-offs to its approach might be. Yes, the new law also targets legal gun owners and limits their privileges. Yes, the rollout is full of the typical politics of bravado, certainty and superiority that mark contemporary democratic discourse.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told me Tuesday, “We are at a critical juncture; we cannot afford to be complacent.” Complacency leads to inaction, he noted, and inaction generates its own violence, indifference and inequity. He’s right, but the bill will be well served by heavy scrutiny and a government open to amendments from the opposition.The bill will likely pass. The Conservatives might stall the bill — they’ve already tried by way of— but it should get done.
However, if the Liberals truly want to tackle long-term gun violence and deaths, they ought to be open to amendments. In the face of new evidence and a changing national and international landscape, they must keep a close eye on how they can do better.