Montreal Canadiens Goaltender Carey Price’s Recent Position Provokes Many Reactions; for some, it poisons an already thorny debate.
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So argued Nathalie Provost, survivor of the Polytechnique massacre and spokesperson for PolySeSouvient.
“It’s really sad. Because with his reputation – he’s a great Canadian, he’s trusted by a lot of people – unfortunately because he puts his position in very general terms without explaining the nuances, it adds a lot of confusion to an already existing debate sensitive,” our journalist complains.
Recall that Carey Price spoke out against the C-21 project on Saturday.
The Liberal Party of Canada-backed C-21 bill currently under discussion in Parliament would restrict access to firearms to counter armed violence.
While some hunting groups are applauding the Montreal Canadiens goaltender’s unexpected endorsement, some groups campaigning for better gun control believe his position is contributing to the misinformation surrounding the law.
“We are so afraid of losing certain privileges that we are enlarging the definition [du projet de loi]. The definition states that guns designed for large capacity magazines would be prohibited. This does not mean that a hunting gun that was not originally designed for a high-capacity magazine, but can take a high-capacity magazine, will be banned,” explains Ms. Provost.
Various weapons would be prohibited, including semi-automatic weapons, a category that includes certain hunting rifles that have a magazine with a capacity of five rounds or more and that have the ability to fire a projectile with a muzzle energy in excess of 10,000 joules.
The PolySeSouvient spokesperson recalls that the definition reached in the draft law is the result of a mature and nuanced reflection by experts.
“What we are looking for with the definition, what we understand from the experts who have explained it, is that a gun that is reasonably designed for hunting will not be banned. Indeed, there are certain weapons that are clearly offensive weapons for us. Some say “no, but I go hunting with it”, for example the AR-15,” she complains.
For Ms. Provost, the release of Carey Price does not address the necessary nuances or desire of many Canadians.
“We want him to recognize the desire of Canadians to live in a safer country,” she concludes.
This debate comes three days before the commemorations of the Polytechnique Montréal massacre.