Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says the Liberals’ new gun legislation may well be the strongest but is far from the smartest.

Critics say recent amendments to Bill C-21 came out of nowhere, shifting the focus from handguns to include various types of rifles and shotguns.

That made many hunters nervous, forcing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to announce the law was being reviewed to ensure it doesn’t punish the wrong people and the wrong guns for the wrong reasons.

Poilievre, who visited the St. John’s Rod and Gun Club while in the province on Saturday, says his plan could’ve nipped all that in the bud.

He says he would convene an expert committee including border patrol, police, First Nations, hunters/anglers and sports shooters to plainly spell out what should and shouldn’t be banned, adding it should be about what a gun does.

Poilievre cited police statistics that show 80 per cent of guns used in crime are smuggled into the country.

Trudeau said last week that the focus of Bill C-21 is on guns designed to “kill the largest amount of people as quickly as possible.”