Canadian Gun Owners Push Back Over ‘You Can Still Hunt’ Argument

Once upon a time, the gun laws in Canada weren’t completely stupid. They weren’t as good as here in the United States, in most ways, but they also didn’t have anything like the NFA prohibitions on short-barreled firearms, either, so that was cool.

Now, though, everything is stupid up in the Great White North, and Canadian gun owners are really getting shafted.

While self-defense doesn’t seem to be moving the needle on people’s feelings about gun ownership, there are a lot of things happening that gun owners are upset about.

It seems, though, that those concerns are being dismissed with the whole “you can still hunt,” thing, which we’ve heard a time or two.

While they don’t have a Second Amendment they can point to as not including a word about hunting, they do have an argument that can be brought up.

We keep hearing the same tired line:

“You can still hunt.”

But that’s not what this is about.

That phrase exists because it’s simple, relatable, and politically convenient for people who don’t understand Canada’s firearm laws or their history. If you do understand them, you’re… pic.twitter.com/CDiwhRyExg

— Gun Owners of Canada (@GunOwnersofCana) December 17, 2025

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We keep hearing the same tired line:

“You can still hunt.”

But that’s not what this is about.

That phrase exists because it’s simple, relatable, and politically convenient for people who don’t understand Canada’s firearm laws or their history. If you do understand them, you’re in the minority.

For most Canadian firearm owners, shooting has never been just about hunting. Yes, we hunt — but the bulk of our time is spent at the range, participating in recreational and competitive target shooting. That’s where families gather, skills are learned, friendships are built, and the next generation is introduced to safe, responsible firearm ownership.

Sport shooters are the backbone of the firearms community and the industry that supports it. We shoot year-round, we buy ammunition regularly, and we keep ranges and retailers alive. Many hunters will bring the same box of ammo to camp year after year. Both matter — but they are not the same.

Over the past six years, lawful firearms have been prohibited, replaced, and then prohibited again. Models that once brought families together at the range can no longer be used. That experience — one many of us grew up with — is increasingly out of reach for our kids.

This admin grew up at the range with parents and grandparents deeply involved in Canadian shooting sports. That’s where lifelong relationships were formed. Many of those people don’t hunt at all — but they are responsible, licensed, community-minded Canadians.

So when restrictions strip away lawful, safe activities while violent criminals face little consequence, don’t expect silence — or gratitude.

This isn’t about hunting.

It’s about what’s been taken, who it’s been taken from, and who’s expected to quietly accept it.

Don’t accept it. Get involved. It’s not like there aren’t enough advocacy groups to join and political avenues to get involved in.

Competitions like three-gun and IPSC are endangered by the current crop of Canadian gun laws.

Plus, these laws include Canadian law enforcement officers, who use these competitions to hone their own firearm skills, much as many American police officers do. They’re going to lose their guns and their avenues for additional practice.

Yet we also need to remember that, whether Canada wants to recognize it or not, the right to keep and bear arms is a human right. It’s a right that is necessary because self-defense is a human right, and that includes defense against both criminals and tyrannical governments.

Hunting is a great pastime, and a lot of Canadians love to spend time in the woods hunting. I get it. It’s great. I enjoy hunting, too.

But there’s more to gun ownership than hunting. That’s true anywhere in the world, not just in Canada.

Shooting sports are enjoyed by many. Self-defense is still a thing, even if Canadian anti-gunners are unswayed by that argument. 

The problem, though, is that without something akin to our own constitutional protections on the right to keep and bear arms, Canadian officials see no problem with trampling on that right. They’ve even argued in the past that because they don’t have a variation of the Second Amendment, the right doesn’t exist.

It doesn’t matter if people can still hunt, though, because that’s not what guns are uniformly meant for.

And this is what we could easily be forced to argue if American anti-gunners get their way.

Editor’s Note: President Trump and Republicans across the country are doing everything they can to protect our Second Amendment rights and right to self-defense.

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