Gun registry update.

[A.W]

Tories quietly extend long-gun registry deadline
11/04/2007 9:17:52 AM

The Conservatives are giving hundreds of thousands of long gun owners in Canada a reprieve -- exempting them from having to obtain licenses for another year, CTV News has learned.

A long gun seized in the raid is displayed in this image made available by the RCMP.

The Harper government, which has long been trying to abolish the federal gun registry, says long gun owners now have until May 2008 to register their weapons.

The move is being applauded by firearms advocates who have opposed the registry for years.

"I think it says that the government has realized that the firearms control system is a big failure -- and they're buying time to make a major change in firearms control that makes sense," David Tomlinson, national president of the National Firearms Association, told CTV News.

The Tories introduced the regulation change quietly over the Easter weekend. Instead of issuing a press release or official statement, the government published its Amending Order in the April 7 issue of the Canada Gazette -- the government's "official newspaper."

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day was unavailable for an interview on the issue. His officials pointed CTV News to the posting on the Canada Gazette website, refusing to comment on why the order wasn't made more public.

The Firearms Act brought in by the Liberals more than a decade ago is still the law of the land. The Tory move essentially buys the government some time, allowing it to ignore the long gun registry for another year, and possibly through another election.

Day brought in regulatory changes in May, 2006 that included a one-year amnesty for any rifle and shotgun owners facing prosecution for failing to register their weapons.

Under the present Amnesty Order 2006, previously-licensed owners of non-restricted firearms have until May 16, 2007 to register their weapons -- "unless it is extended by the Amending Order," reads the statement on the Canada Gazette website.

Reaction

Families of victims of gun crime, who support the long gun registry, are calling the amended order a bad move that will make the registry two years out of date -- and essentially useless to police.

"It think that it's totally and absolutely ridiculous," Audette Sheppard, a gun control advocate whose son Justin was shot to death in Toronto in 2001, told CTV News.

"I think they're extending it in part because they couldn't get the legislation through the House of Commons."

Shepard says the Tory move will lessen the controls of long guns and the shotguns in Canada.

"It truly demonstrates a total disregard for the Parliamentary process, because if you can't change a law through the proper channels, it's inappropriate to use an amnesty to undermine the will of Parliament," she said. "These people just don't get it, and they may not get it unless they become intimately affected by the results of what guns can do."

Government critics say the Tories are trying to sneak a major change through Parliament without having to pass a new law.

"It says the Conservatives are trying to do by stealth what they can't do out in the open -- which is kill the long gun registry," said Liberal Justice Critic Marlene Jennings.

"But by doing it by stealth, they are attempting to ensure that the vast majority of Canadians won't know what they're doing, and so they get away with it."

The controversial gun registry has long been decried by more than hunters and farmers. Target shooters have long complained about the system as well.

Flora Kupsch, owner of the Wild West Shooting Centre in Edmonton's West Edmonton Mall, said she has long stopped trying to decipher federal laws pertaining to long guns.

"I'm very confused. I don't know what's going on now these days with the gun registry. You can't keep up," Kupsch told CTV News.

To that end, the Canada Gazette posting says "renewed public communications" are needed on the issue because long gun owners are "confused" -- and have "failed to understand" the new legislation.

CTV News first learned in February 2006 of the Conservative government's plans to gut the gun registry by granting an amnesty to rifle and shotgun owners.

Created in 1995, the gun registry soared in costs for a host of reasons. A 2002 report by the auditor-general found it had cost the feds $1 billion.

Harper's office reportedly want quick action on the file because it's a key campaign promise.

But scrapping the registry altogether would require legislation -- not just regulatory amendments. New Democrats and Liberals are split on the issue, but strong majorities in both caucuses want to keep the registry, while the Bloc Quebecois is virtually unanimous in rejecting its abolition.

With an exclusive report by CTV parliamentary correspondent Graham Richardson in Ottawa

http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/TopSto ... try_070410

[swiftfox]

A.W. hopefully the registery will fall into the big white bowl and get flushed. As my "scottish " mother would have said whoever thought about creating the gun registry must have had a "slate sliding".

off topic--but I would also like to thank Peter the marketing dude for getting my crossbow fixed and ready for Turkey hunting. Thank you Peter, it was nice to have met you.

[ch312]

i cant believe that some idiots still think the registry is usefull. seriously, in what way could the registry prevent someone from comitting murder? do they seriously think a small piece of paper will stop someone thats angry enough to kill someone? these idiots that think the registry is actually preventing crimes need to give their heads a shake.

[rutman]

Criminals are always willing to follow rules and laws aren't they?. Notice all the oppositional voices are women. Probably between the ages of 40 and 55 and have a cat for a pet and belong to at least one radical animal rights organization such as PETA. They really don't care about who gets mudered< it's what animal might be hunted.

[swiftfox]

Rutman. Thanks for the sterotype. Just to let you know that I am a Lady hunter who has been hunting for 40 years .....you can do the math or I'll loan you my calculater. I own a 87lb black lab who hunts upland game with me, bye the way she's a female also. The only "radical" group I belong to is OFAH. Next time before you make any off the wall statements may I suggest that you put your mind in gear before you put your mouth in motion.

[A.W]

rutman. Swiftfox just let you have both barrels at once there.

[dsr]

Good shooting Swiftfox. I thought maybe rutman was in a frustrated rut with that rant.

[VixChix]

Rutman. Thanks for the sterotype. Just to let you know that I am a Lady hunter who has been hunting for 40 years .....you can do the math or I'll loan you my calculater. I own a 87lb black lab who hunts upland game with me, bye the way she's a female also. The only "radical" group I belong to is OFAH. Next time before you make any off the wall statements may I suggest that you put your mind in gear before you put your mouth in motion.

I was tempted to say something to the same effect. Not quite as many years of hunting, and my dog doesn't hunt with me, but I'm an OFAH member as well and just as happy to be out hunting as most guys I know... and it goes without saying that I'm totally opposed to the long-gun registry as well!

[rutman]

Thats just the stereotype to a T of an animal rights activist. The thought did cross my mind that one of the female forum members may misconscrue my reply. Sorry for your misinterpretation.

[MADMAX2]

billion dollar boooooondogle !!I for one think that its a step in the right direction,it gives them time to fix the fiberal f**k ups.

[kitty kat]

Does anyone have the insight as to what is going to happen to the semi-automatic shotguns? I have just got a decent semi and I sure would have to loose it. I had to go to a semi auto because of various operations on my back and shoulders. A pump is simply out of the question, and that would leave me with the side by side double. Any response would be appreciated.

[A.W]

kitty kat. I believe that idea was scrapped.

[ecoaster]

Yep, thrown out!