DUCKING FOR COVER RE LIBERALS' GUN BILL

   Hill Times:  Liberal MPs from safe rural ridings say they can sell the government’s new gun safety bill to their constituents, while some country Grits who won by slim margins have kept quiet so far about the legislation that two weeks ago scared “the hell” out of the party’s rural caucus.
   The NDP will likely support the bill, but the Conservatives have treaded carefully so far in their responses. Only one Conservative MP had spoken out against the bill in the House as of mid-day Friday, the Conservatives didn’t ask any questions about it in Question Period the day it was tabled, and the party’s public safety critic declined to comment on the bill to The Hill Times.
   Rural Liberals from competitive ridings still have work to do, however, with one of Canada’s firearm lobby groups promising to attack the weakest 20 ridings they can find over the government’s introduction of bill, and the Conservative Party already running targeted ads against it on Facebook. As expected, opponents of the bill and the Liberals are comparing the bill, C-71, to the long-gun registry established by the Chrétien government that proved extremely unpopular in rural areas of Canada.