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Rempel’s office told The Canadian Press that the gifts were returned to Wilson early this month. But even if that renders the ethics question moot, Fortier’s complaint has still managed to draw attention to the video of Rempel, first posted by Wilson on Facebook but later removed.

“Yay — oh, I’m so excited. I need one,” the Calgary MP says on the video as she admires the pistol holder. Then, as she unwraps the pistol carrying case: “I thought it was a protective case. I got all excited so I could bring my gun to Ottawa.”

“This is the best gift ever,” she says, clutching the hot pink case to her cheek. “It’s like you know what I love.”

Photo by Frank Gunn / The Canadian Press

Gun control is an issue that stirs Canadian passions, to be sure. But that’s true on both sides.

Liberal insiders say their focus on guns is good offense. But Conservative public safety critic Glen Motz said he sees it as a purely defensive tactic, a sign that the Liberals fear Bill C-71 will sink their rural MPs.

“You should know that any time the Liberals are throwing that sort of nonsense around, they’re trying to deflect from the real issue and that is that the gun legislation is nothing more than punishing law abiding Canadian gun owners,” Motz said.

Nor, he added, does it do anything to target the real problem: guns and gangs.

“We continue to hear from law abiding gun owners and gun shop owners that this is nothing but a backdoor registry,” he said. “It’s focusing on law-abiding gun owners and it restricts their ability to transport firearms … It puts the burden on gun shop owners to keep records or face criminal sanction.”