Subhead:Taxpayers footed a $164,000 bill for research proving law-abiding gun owners hate being treated like criminals.#
The Department of Public Safety spent $164,279.40 on a poll and focus groups to test the messaging of its Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program ad campaign — only to discover that firearms owners overwhelmingly felt targeted, blamed and ignored.
The Environics Research study, commissioned by Public Safety Canada, tested radio, social media and billboard ads meant to sell Canadians on the federal gun confiscation program.
Firearms owners “reacted negatively,” saying the ads implied they were responsible for gun crime. Many described the campaign as fear-based, recycled political spin aimed at voters, not at them.
Participants complained the ads ignored illegal guns, smuggling, and gangs — the actual drivers of crime — while scapegoating licenced owners.
The visuals didn’t help: “Canadian mosaic” posters resembled ads for a dating app, and rural landscapes were perceived as stigmatizing farmers and hunters.
Even the language rang hollow.
