As Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau moves forward with plans to ban semi-automatic firearms the Royal Canadian Mounted Police deem to be “assault weapons,” more than 100,000 Canadians have signed on to a petition objecting to the ban and how Trudeau plans to pass the measure.

The Edmonton Sun reports that the petition, which was created by Brad Manysiak of Medicine Hat in Alberta, has become hugely popular over the past few weeks, gathering thousands of signatures each day from gun owners angry over the proposed ban, but also upset that the ban will apparently be implemented through an “order in council” as opposed to receiving debate and a vote in Parliament. It would be kind of like a US president issuing a gun ban via executive order rather than the House and Senate voting on a gun ban bill. Manysiak says the process shouldn’t be used for something as contentious as a gun ban.

“That’s an egregious overreach of parliamentary power,” he said. “When we change laws in Canada, historically, it’s debated, it goes to the Senate, it has a specific path it has to take in order for something to become law. Usually, there has to a lot of public support for it. This is a slippery slope.”

… Ottawa is also looking at introducing a buyback program but the cost to do so is estimated to be in the hundreds of the millions. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair told reporters months ago that there are about 250,000 semi-automatic assault rifles legally owned in Canada.

Manysiak called this a kneejerk reaction by the government, especially in light of an increased amount of handguns used in Toronto-area shootings. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised he would allow municipalities and provinces to implement handgun bans if they so choose.

“It’s not being directed in the proper way,” Manysiak said. “It’s not directed at the problem.”

Gun control advocates would disagree, because they think legal gun owners like Manysiak are a problem, and the solution is to have fewer legal gun owners who own fewer guns.

Alberta’s premier, Jason Kenney, has also voiced his objections to the proposed gun bans, saying they won’t impact criminals, but will hurt legal gun owners instead.

“Criminals do not respect gun bans. By definition, they are already engaged in the lawless use of firearms. I don’t see how criminalizing law-abiding firearms owners is a solution to the illegal misuse of firearms by criminals.”

“I think we need much tougher enforcement of the laws against drug trafficking. I regret that the (Justin) Trudeau government repealed the Harper governments tough mandatory minimum sentences for the illegal possession of firearms and for serious narcotics offences. I call on the government to bring back those tough penalties.”

Kenney also called on the feds to step up their game in the battle against drugs.

“The U.S. Congress passed a law to impose sanctions on China if they do not crack down on fentanyl factories that are exporting poison to North America. I would like to see the federal government do the same thing,” he told reporters.

Kenney’s idea is a good one, but Justin Trudeau simply isn’t interested in cracking down on the drug trade and gang violence. He’s intent on going after Canada’s law-abiding gun owners instead, and says the federal ban on semi-automatic firearms will be implemented soon, no matter how many Canadians might object.