The manager of a Lambton gun club believes the future of the site is in jeopardy due to the federal government’s proposed firearm-control legislation.
In November, the Trudeau Liberals included an amendment to Bill C-21 that would prohibit hundreds of models of firearms, including some hunting rifles. The measure would enshrine in law a definition for "assault-style" weapons.
Caron Ball with the Lambton Sportsman's Club said the bill is insanity.
"The way that it's impacting firearms owners and gun clubs is we're essentially a generation away from nobody being able to own anything to go to a gun club with."
Ball said the local club has almost 400 members including spouses and juniors.
Ball said none of the proposed changes or "posturing" will do anything to address crime and the use of illegal firearms, and that the government is prohibiting "black" guns based on their looks.
"But functionally, they're absolutely no different than a standard semi-automatic hunting rifle that has a nice walnut stock and a blue barrel on it. They just look different. It's literally like saying 'a red car is bad because they speed more than a blue car'."
Ball added that a federal government gun buy-back of newly prohibited weapons would cost billions of dollars.
"And that money could go to fighting the illegal importation of firearms at the border, border guards, putting work into the gang units to get the kids out of gangs. And that's where all of the issues are, it's with gangs, it's with illegal firearms coming over the border."
Ball encourages all gun advocates to write to their members of parliament about their concerns with the bill. "Luckily we do have a wonderful Conservative MP here who has her firearms licence and has been out to different ranges and knows what's what when it comes to firearms. So, we're preaching to the choir when we write Marilyn [Gladu] a letter, because she's on our side."
Committee MPs looking into the proposed legislation will resume talks in January.
With files from Natalia Vega