Gun buyback will be a waste of tax dollars

By Letter to the Editor on February 12, 2020.

I have the greatest empathy for families that have suffered personal loss from violence. Therefore, I do not want one cent of my tax dollars spent on this proposed gun buyback that is likely to be slammed on law-abiding citizens making them criminals if they do not abide. I do not own this property but I stand strongly in favour of protecting law-abiding citizens and not wasting tax dollars.

Those in government backing this do not have the courage to say that terrorists, mentally ill or just outright evil people have used different means in the past world wide to sadly, violently take lives, and this confiscation from law-abiding citizens will not stop those with evil intention whatever their reason. They need to be stopped, not their method. Whether it be terrorists, mentally ill or gang member violence, the government needs to stop the people and reason for the violence, not the means of the violence.

Money given to provinces to be spent on mental health initiatives, local policing, as well as border control and RCMP is where I want my tax dollars spent. A quarter of a billion dollars is probably lowballing the buyback boondoggle amount, spent against law-abiding citizens whom never plan to do harm to anyone instead of being spent against criminals, mentally ill or terrorists that sadly have and will choose other means of violence still available to them if they are not stopped. Spend the money to stop them by giving provinces money for increased policing and making mental health treatment more available to those in need. The government has not spent near enough on these initiatives but has chosen to now waste money on this boondoggle.

You do not have to be a gun owner to sign petition e-2341 to ultimately protest this blatant waste of tax dollars as well as stop law abiding citizens from potentially being made into criminals but you must to it by 1:17 p.m. (EDT) on or before Feb. 15, 2020 and be sure to click on the email sent to you to confirm your signature. Thank you MP Glen Motz for sponsoring this petition and your ongoing fight for all Canadians safety and property.

Maureen Van Ieperen

Medicine Hat

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