Ep. 185: 37 Dead at the Bluebird Cafe: Why Canada Won't Talk About It with Dr. Noah Schwartz
MAY 5, 2026103 MIN
Ep. 185: 37 Dead at the Bluebird Cafe: Why Canada Won't Talk About It with Dr. Noah Schwartz
MAY 5, 2026103 MIN
Description
Dr. Noah Schwartz is the political scientist who decided he could not write honestly about Canada's gun community without going through the licensing system himself. He took the PAL. He took the RPAL. He sat at 84 kitchen tables across this country. What he found is a story most Canadians have never heard.In this episode we cover the largest deliberate mass casualty event in Canadian history that almost nobody remembers, why the handgun freeze was announced after a shooting in Texas, the policy framework Czechia used after a university massacre that did the opposite of what Canada did, and what it means that single-shot black powder pistols were banned alongside Glocks.Get Targeted: https://amzn.to/4wbl61wMore from Noah: https://noahschwartz.ca and @NoahSchwartzy on X_____Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/clubOnline Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/categoryMerchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandiseBlog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blogHost Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.travSilvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors____Timestamps00:00:00 Cold open and Silvercore Club00:01:16 Welcome and meeting at the NFA event00:02:01 What political science is and how Schwartz fell into firearms research00:05:18 Breaking suburban-Ottawa preconceptions, his first time shooting in rural Alberta00:08:51 American gun rights vs Canadian citizenship, the load-bearing distinction00:11:27 What being treated fairly looks like, the handgun freeze and inheritance00:13:55 Teaching gun politics at university, viewpoint diversity in the classroom00:17:54 Storytelling, evolution, and why narrative beats statistics00:23:00 Mass shootings, mental health framing, and why fear overrides evidence00:25:46 Why Targeted exists, and who it is actually written for00:27:30 The two factions of Canadian gun advocacy, hunters and sport shooters00:31:23 Civilian-military reconnection, rifle shooting as the first federally funded sport00:33:18 The aesthetics theory, what black rifles communicate to both sides00:36:14 Canadian identity, the CBC, the National Film Board, and the gunless cowboy00:39:20 Finland and the Nordic security model00:41:11 The case for a Canadian firearms museum00:43:41 Making the gun the object instead of the person00:45:00 The largest deliberate mass casualty events in Canadian history, including Bluebird Cafe00:48:13 Why cars and alcohol kill more people but face less regulation00:51:13 The 6 percent problem, gun owners as a political minority00:53:01 Interest group capture and why the community loses 70 percent of the time00:55:30 Reconnecting firearms to national defence, Carney's civil-servant proposal01:01:30 The OIC, executive overreach, and why parliament matters01:04:35 Black powder pistols banned alongside Glocks01:05:15 Why the handgun freeze was announced after Uvalde, Texas01:08:19 The Czech Republic, Charles University, and a different policy response01:10:30 The real causes of crime, mental health, and harm reduction01:12:30 How current laws stop gun owners from seeking mental health help01:17:51 Blake Brown and the Angry White Men question01:22:32 Why treating the media as the enemy is a losing strategy01:25:23 Personal agency and not outsourcing your voice to organizations01:28:04 RCMP variant reclassifications and the case for objective criteria01:33:00 The Bader 2020 OIC affidavit, prohibited weapons absurdities, charge stacking01:37:15 What he would tell a PhD student starting on Canadian firearms policy01:39:00 Suppressors and the next policy fight01:40:29 Closing message to young Canadian hunters and sport shooters01:42:34 Wrap