Backlash

It's bad enough that PMPM went out of his way to win political points by proposing a "ban" on weapons which are already illegal without a license. But the Globe and Mail discovers that in response to Martin's proposal, people are now stocking up on handguns in hopes of either fitting into the "target shooting" exemption, or getting the benefit of any grandfathering in the proposal:

Gun shop owners and distributors across the country say handgun sales have increased since the Liberal Leader promised to ban them if his party wins the next election. Buyers are stocking up on coveted models before it's too late and hoping the ban would not be retroactive by including guns already owned...

Phil Harnois is a former police officer who now owns one of the biggest gun shops in Western Canada. Handgun sales at his Edmonton store, P&D Enterprises, have skyrocketed since the Liberal announcement.

“In a week we've done about 60 handguns, where we'd normally sell about 15,” Mr. Harnois said. “It's certainly driven sales and we didn't try and assist that at all. People just came on their own.”

It's far from clear that Martin's promise will ever become reality. And if the next government doesn't follow through on Martin's promise (whether due to a Liberal government typically forgetting its platform, or shift to Con government), then PMPM will have managed to do nothing but increase the number of guns on the same streets that he supposedly sought to protect.