There are 2.2 million gun owners across the country

A petition against the Canadian government's proposal to ban "military-style assault rifles" through an Order in Council garnered 174,810 signatures during the two months it was open to the public.

Originally started by Brad Manysiak of Medicine Hat, Alberta and sponsored by his MP Glen Motz, the petition's main issue with the ban was that it wouldn't go through the House of Commons.

The petition calls the plan to pass the ban through an Order in Council "an egregious overreach of executive authorities, bypassing the democratic process of the House and the elected representatives of Canadians."

Brian Carter, President of Nova Scotia’s RCMP Veteran’s Association, says he thinks gun laws are restricted enough already.

"I own an AR-15 and it's registered and I can only take it from my house to the range, so it's already banned on the streets," Carter explains.

The armed survival expert tells NEWS 95.7 that he's a competitive shooter himself, and owns over $40,000 of equipment, which he'd need to turn in if the ban is put in place.

"They're registered, so they know I have it, so you have to turn it in, I don't have a choice. It's not a matter of being able to bury it and make it disappear, you can't," he explains.

Carter says at home, his rifles are locked in a safe that's bolted to the wall, and he has numerous security measures in place to keep them locked up safely.

"It has to be locked up with a trigger lock on it and I have CCTV and an alarm system and everything else in my home to prevent it from being taken," he says.

Late last year, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair told Canadians that he wanted to buy back 250,000 semi-automatic rifles from across the country.

Carter says semi-automatic guns have stricter regulations than regular hunting rifles, and require a two-day course to get certified.

"Then you have to apply for the license, you have to have three references," he says. "And we have to renew that license. Your spouse or partner has to sign off on it as well. So there's lots of checks and balances in there to make sure that you're a person who is of good character and so on."

The RCMP Veteran explains that each day, the 2.2 million gun owners across the country are given a criminal record check through the CPIC database.

"Say last night I did something and the police were called, and it shows I had a tendency towards violence. Well then the police have the ability to revoke my license and then seize my firearms," Carter says. "Licenses can be revoked at any time because owning a firearm is not a right in Canada, it's a privilege."

Carter says he only uses his firearms for professional shooting, with the International Practical Shooting Confederation.

"We use semi-automatic shotgun, we use semi-automatic pistol, and we use semi-automatic rifles, and the AR-15 is one of the ones of choice because it's light. It's also used for distance shooting," he says.

The gun owner says that banning these guns would prevent him and many others from practicing a sport they love.

"There's 2.2 million sports shooters in Canada and they're all concerned about their sports disappearing," he says. "There's the social side of sport, feeling happy, it makes you like longer."

Carter says there are more gun owners than there are hockey players, of which there are 860,000 across the country.

"How many people have been killed in hockey with a sharp blade?" he asks. "Can you imagine banning hockey?"

In the end, Carter thinks that going after the source of gun violence is the answer, not the registered gun owners who keep their firearms in a locked safe.

"They figure that banning firearms or coming after the registered firearms owners is the way to stop crime," he says. "And there's no evidence to support that anywhere."