Ottawa's plan for guns misfired. Alberta gun cultures might help us understand why
CBC
Jason Acorn was 12 years old when he first shot a deer.
He was in the McLeod River Valley area, far west of Edmonton. It was freezing cold, and snow was everywhere.
He remembers pouting, because his brother had just shot a deer and he hadn't.
But then, just at last light, a small white-tailed doe, probably weighing about 100 pounds, appeared. Acorn's father whispered to him: "OK, Jay. It's your turn."
He fired, and the animal fell to the ground. He began to cry. Then he cried some more. When he collected himself and dried his tears, he walked to the animal in awe.
In retrospect, he views it as almost a passageway to adulthood.
"It was like I was accepted. And I was part of the hunting community. Finally, I wasn't just a bystander," he said. "And they were so proud of me. Because it's not an easy thing to do, take life. Doesn't matter what it is."
From that day forward, guns were a big part of his life. He's often hunted with rifles, but also tours western Canada as a bow hunter. Like many gun owners in Alberta, Acorn followed the recent debate around gun control legislation emerging out of Ottawa closely. He felt like he was being lumped in with criminals, even though he had been following the rules to the letter all his life.
That debate around what would happen with guns took place across the country, but landed especially hard in Alberta, a province that has positioned itself as vocal opposition to new firearm laws.
Last week, Alberta introduced the Firearms Act to push back against federal gun legislation, the latest move in a long period of opposition against new rules.
Distrust over regulation lingers for many in this province, much as it has through decades of debate over a subject that is, by its nature, emotional for all involved. It has nuance. And it doesn't involve just one monolithic "gun culture" to consider.
Whatever the original intent of the legislation, the proposed federal laws were deciphered very differently within different groups — the most contentious part being amendments that were withdrawn by the government earlier this year.
Conservatives and gun advocates said the government's proposed wording in those amendments would have banned common shotguns and hunting rifles. The Assembly of First Nations passed an emergency resolution in December opposing the legislation, saying the legislation would have infringed on First Nations and treaty rights.
Gun control advocates, such as PolySeSouvient, have said the legislative proposals were confusing but would not have prohibited most hunting models: "The echoing of gun lobby claims has contributed to widespread disinformation and unfounded fear among hunters."