If we get a government that sees law-abiding gun owners as an asset rather than a liability, we can make our nation much more resilient.
With Canada facing some of the most severe threats in our 157-year history, we need to leverage every asset we can to make our nation more robust and resilient.
This of course requires us to have a government that sees our Citizens as assets rather than liabilities.
Effective national governments can take a holistic view of the nation they lead and see the worth and value even in those who may not line up with the political views of the government. For example, a right-leaning government can recognize the importance of having a strong cultural sector, even if the output of that sector is not always palatable to right-leaning people.
Similarly, a left-leaning government should recognize the value of having well-trained law-abiding gun owners, hunters and sport shooters.
Unfortunately, the Liberal Government has all too often treated law-abiding gun owners as a liability and as a scapegoat for crime.
This has needlessly divided Canadians and failed to address Canada’s rising level of violent crime.
And in an increasingly dangerous world, treating law-abiding gun owners as a liability is something Canada can no longer afford.
National resilience
If there’s one thing Canada needs to focus on above all else in 2025, it’s resilience. We need to be more resilient in terms of trade. We need to be more resilient in defending our values. And we need to be more resilient in terms of national defence.
While military resilience largely depends upon the purchase of advanced weapons and the large-scale production of artillery and small arms, it also depends upon broadening the number of Canadians who are trained in the use of firearms and who could thus form the backbone of a national self-defence force.
And one of our newest NATO allies – Finland – has much to teach us in this regard:
“Unsettled by Russia’s expansionism and emboldened by its recent accession to NATO, Finland is rallying to strengthen its national self-defense beyond its traditional military capabilities.
The popularity of weapons training in the Nordic country has soared in recent months. Few places tell the story of the rise in Finnish affinity for self-defense more than shooting ranges that are riding a boom of interest.”
The Finnish government is also constructing tons of new gun ranges:
“Earlier this year, the coalition government announced plans to open more than 300 new ranges — a big jump from the 670 in operation today.
Authorities are encouraging citizens to take up interest in national defense in the country with a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia, where firing shots in ice hockey has been more of a pastime than shooting bullets.
“Interest in national defense is traditionally very high in Finland and especially these days with the Russian aggression on Ukraine, the interest has risen even more,” lawmaker Jukka Kopra, who chairs Finland’s defense committee, told AP earlier in December.”
“The surge in self-defense strategies doesn’t stop at shooting ranges.
The National Defense Training Association says it has hosted a collective total of 120,000 training days this year, more than double the number three years ago.
The national reservists’ association, which is about 90% composed of military reservists but also some hobbyists, has grown by more than two-thirds to over 50,000 members since the invasion of Ukraine.
And unlike some other European countries, Finland has kept around 50,000 Cold-War era civil defense shelters, which could accommodate roughly 85% of the population of about 5.5 million people.”
Imagine if instead of demonizing and scapegoating law-abiding gun owners, the Canadian government worked with them to help set up new gun ranges and training programs across the country. We could train tens of thousands more, and ultimately hundreds of thousands more Canadians in firearm use and safety. This would create a strong reserve pool of Canadians who could be counted on to help defend our country, and would broaden the potential pool of military recruits.
It would also make any potential aggressor think twice.
After all, Finland has a population of just around 5.6 million people, but their strong commitment to national self-defence has helped ensure their ongoing sovereignty.
Despite all of our challenges, Canada is a country full of strong and resilient people, and our law-abiding gun owners, hunters, and sport shooters are a prime example of that.
It’s time to start making the most of the strength of our Citizens, and ensure that Canada endures as a free and independent nation.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – YouTube
