By Canadian Press

O’Toole appears to break with election platform, pledges status quo on firearm bans

Sep 5, 2021 | 11:08 AM

VANCOUVER — Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole says a Liberal ban on ‘assault-style’ firearms would stay in place if he forms government, appearing to break with his own election platform. 

In May last year, the Liberals banned some 1,500 firearm models of what it called “assault-style” weapons, including the popular AR-15 rifle and the Ruger Mini-14 used to kill 14 women at Montreal’s École polytechnique in 1989.

O’Toole has faced questions over his firearms policy after saying in a French-language debate last week that he would “maintain the ban on assault weapons.”

That caused some confusion as his party platform states he would repeal the order-in-council from May 2020 prohibiting ‘assault-style’ weapons. 

At the time a party spokeswoman pointed to the Conservative platform that confirmed O’Toole’s promise to axe the 2020 ban, but not a prohibition of full-fledged “assault weapons” which has been in place since 1977.

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O’Toole provided further clarity today while campaigning in Vancouver, saying “the present ban on a number of other firearms that were reclassified in 2020 will remain in place” but be subject to review. 

“We will conduct a transparent review of the firearms classification process to take the politics out of this process and engage the public in decisions with respect to public safety,” he added.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2021.

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

The Canadian Press