The Trudeau government is removing controversial changes to firearms Bill C-21, that some weapons owners say would have unfairly targeted farmers and hunters.

Facing opposition from the Conservatives, NDP, Bloc as well as firearms rights groups, the Liberals are doing away with clauses that would have added many popular hunting rifles and shotguns to the list of prohibited firearms as part of an effort to ban assault-styles weapons.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre describes the decision as ”temporary,” adding he expects the prime minister to come up with another plan to target rural Canadians, Indigenous peoples and sport shooters.

The government will still proceed with C-21, which enacts a handgun sales ban, cracks down on weapon smuggling and automatically revokes licences held by domestic violators.