Bill C-21 – GUN REGISTRY CHANGES – A GOOD FIRST STEP

We congratulate the Conservative Government for keeping their election promise to start the dismantling of the much maligned and wasteful gun registry.

“The Long Gun Registry has proven to be a huge waste of valuable resources that could have been used far more effectively by giving police forces and the Justice system the funds they need. This move by the Conservative government is a good first step towards restoring faith in our criminal justice system” said Executive Director Larry Whitmore. “The only way to deter the criminal use of firearms is to make it too costly for the criminal. The mandatory sentencing provisions previously announced by the government will go a long way to making our streets safer” he goes on to say.

It is unfortunate that some supporters of the controversial gun registry have resorted to inflated and false claims to justify keeping it alive. For example, the few police organizations that support the long-gun registry claim that it is accessed over 5,000 times per day and that officers need it to determine if there are guns present at any specific address. The truth of the matter is that any inquiry on the police information computer, even for a traffic violation, automatically generates a ‘hit’ on the registry database. There is no way to determine how many of these ‘hits’ are actual requests for firearms information.

Also, contrary to statements by some individuals, the Firearms licensing system is to remain intact. Firearms licensing information can be accessed by police officers to determine if an individual is licensed to own firearms indicating that their household could contain guns. However, it does not tell police whether there are illegal guns present, the very guns that present a threat to public safety.

The legislation further guarantees public safety by requiring a check for every firearm sale to verify the currency and validity of the seller’s and purchaser’s licenses.

We sincerely hope that responsible Members of Parliament will support this first important change. Politicians must understand that public safety is not compromised because people commit crimes with guns; it is compromised because people commit crimes.

The Canadian Shooting Sports has been at the forefront in lobbying efforts to make these and other changes to the Firearms Act. We will continue to press the government for more legislative changes to protect the rights of law abiding Canadians.

For more information and current developments, see our websites:

www.cdnshootingsports.org and www.twelvesix.ca

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