“I am not a criminal”: Carey Price criticizes Trudeau’s gun policy

Carey Price is opposed to federal Bill C-21 on gun control.

The Montreal Canadiens goaltender took to social media Saturday to voice his displeasure on the impacts an amendment to the bill that will see hunters impacted across the country.

“I love my family, I love my country, and I care about my neighbour. I am not a criminal or a threat to society. What Justin Trudeau is trying to do is unfair. I support the Coalition to keep my hunting tools,” Price wrote in an Instagram post that features him in camouflage with a rifle in hand.

In May, the federal government introduced Bill C-21, which proposed stricter laws controlling handguns.

An amendment moves to ban “a firearm that is a rifle or shotgun, that is capable of discharging centre-fire ammunition in a semi-automatic manner and that is designed to accept a detachable cartridge magazine with a capacity greater than five cartridges of the type for which the firearm was originally designed.”

Semi-automatic rifles and shotguns are commonly used for hunting in Canada.

“Carey is absolutely right. Hunting is a great Canadian tradition,” Conservative Party of Canada, Pierre Poilievre wrote on Twitter. “Trudeau’s attempts to ban shotguns are an attack on rural and indigenous populations. We have to stop it.”

Poilievre wasn’t the only politician to speak up.

Pierre-Paul-Hus, Member of Parliament for Charlesbourg-Haute-Saint-Charles, wrote, “Carey Price makes a remarkable outing against the senseless policies of Justin Trudeau, who is attacking hunters,” in a Twitter post.

Bill C-21 passed through first reading in the House of Commons on May 30, and a second reading was completed on June 23. Consideration in committee is currently in progress.

Price, 35, has not played for the Canadiens this season because of a knee injury that’s kept him off the ice for the better part of the past year. He is 361-261-79 with a 2.51 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in 712 career games played over parts of 15 seasons with Montreal.