Conservative MP Garry Breitkreuz accused of touting guns for teen girls

Lost in the budget buzz was this comment by Liberal MP Judy Foote during Question Period on Thursday:

"[Conservative MP Garry Breitkreuz] told a classroom of Ottawa high school students — some as young as 14 — that all Canadians should carry firearms and girls in particular should be armed to protect themselves from sexual assault."

Foote, according to the Ottawa Citizen, was referring to a letter she had received from Dianna Sakisheway, a mother of teenage daughter who attends Canterbury High School in Ottawa.

According to Sakisheway, Breitkreuz gave a 'Career Day' speech to her daughter's school on March 7.

"Mr. Breitkreuz spent most of his allotted time discussing firearms and cited a Texas study that showed women who carry guns are less likely to get raped, including a specific number of women who avoided rape as they were armed," she wrote.

In a subsequent interview with the Ottawa Citizen, Sakisheway says Breitkreuz also illustrated his arguments with "what if" stories. For instance, he presented the students with a scenario in which a group of eight people confronts a robber with a gun. He suggested it would be better if one of the eight possessed a gun and shot the robber before he had a chance to harm anyone.

Breitkreuz, who Postmedia News describes as "the father of the legislation to repeal the long-gun registry," says the allegations in the letter are false.

"This is completely unfounded," he responded in Parliament.

"It's absurd and totally without foundations."

In 2010, Breitkreuz made headlines for a controversial press release issued from his office. It included an odd metaphor implying that the Liberal caucus should beat up Michael Ignatieff.

"[Ignatieff's] true colours are showing," noted the release about the gun registry.

"And if his caucus has any integrity, those colours should be black and blue."