Hundreds gathered in Ottawa Tuesday to commemorate the the slaying of 14 women at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal 22 years ago. Many are upset about the Conservatives' move to abolish the long-gun registry. Conservative MPs were not invited to the proceedings in Ottawa.
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We keep hearing about scrapping the long-gun registry, but really what we're talking about is scrapping the requirement for people to register their rifles and shotguns - that's what Bill C-19 aims to do by making amendments to the Criminal Code and Firearms Act. Once passed, people will not have to register their non-restricted or non-prohibited firearms. It also provides for the destruction of existing records in the Canadian Firearms Registry for those firearms.
<em>With files from CBC</em>
What exactly is the registry?
It's a centralized database overseen by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that links firearms with their licensed owners. It contains information about all three types of guns that must be registered - non-restricted, restricted and prohibited. (All firearms must be registered.) To register a firearm, you have to have a licence to possess it.
Does the bill make any changes to licensing requirements?
No. Canadian residents need a licence in order to possess and register a firearm or ammunition and that won't change. There are a couple of different kinds of licences because of various changes to laws and regulations over the years.
What are long guns?
There are three types of guns under Canadian law: non-restricted, restricted and prohibited. Most common long guns - rifles and shotguns - are non-restricted but there are a few exceptions. A sawed-off shotgun, for example, is a prohibited firearm. A handgun is an example of a restricted firearm. Different regulations apply to different classifications of firearms.
How many guns are we talking about?
As of September 2011, there were about 7.8 million registered guns. Of those, 7.1 million are non-restricted firearms.
Why does the government want to get rid of the long-gun registry?
The government says it is wasteful and ineffective at reducing crime and targets law-abiding gun owners instead of criminals, who don't register their firearms.
Who wants to keep it?
Police and victims' groups are big supporters of the registry. Police say the database helps them evaluate a potential safety threat when they pull a vehicle over or are called to a residence. They also say it helps support police investigations because the registry can help determine if a gun was stolen, illegally imported, acquired or manufactured. This year, the RCMP says police agencies accessed it on average more than 17,000 times a day.
When will the registry cease to exist?
The government has passed the legislation and the registry no longer exists. Except for in Quebec, where an ongoing court challenge means the owners must still register their guns in the province.
Why does the government want to destroy the records?
The government is doing this to ensure that no future non-Conservative government can recreate the registry. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has also made it clear that if any province wants to set up its own registry it would get no help from the federal government. The Conservatives are so fundamentally opposed to the existence of the records, because they say they focus on law-abiding citizens instead of criminals, that they don't want them available for anyone to use.
How much does the registry cost?
The registry cost more than $1 billion to set up in 1995 and the cost was the source of much controversy. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said on Oct. 25 that the government's best estimate is that it costs about $22 million a year to operate. That's the entire registry, not just the long-gun portion, but he noted most of the guns in the registry are long guns. He said he didn't know how much money scrapping the requirement to register long guns would save the government. Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner says there are also "hidden costs" that are borne by provincial and municipal police agencies to enforce the registry.
Yosemite Sam, Shooter McGavin, Jim Hillyer.
The Tory MP from Lethbridge, Alberta celebrated last month's vote to abolish the gun registry with finger guns and now the video is starting to ...
Yosemite Sam, Shooter McGavin, Jim Hillyer.
The Tory MP from Lethbridge, Alberta celebrated last month's vote to abolish the gun registry with finger guns and now the video is starting to ...
The Conservative government introduced Bill C-19 in October, which would amend the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act by scrapping the long-gun registry and...
MONTREAL - A battle over the federal gun registry appears headed for the justice system, with experts wondering whether the issue will ultimately be decided...
For 21 years, we've been commemorating Dec. 6 as a day of mourning and remembrance for the 14 young women at École Polytechnique brutally slain by an angry male who hated feminists. Yet this morning felt profoundly different. Today, in spite of real progress, we feel we all must begin the fight again.
Once again, the masses miss the mark on this topic. The long gun registry has done NOTHING to save a life. It has DONE NOTHING to prevent gun violence. This Liberal boondoggle has been a money pit since it's inception. Take the money from the Long Gun Registry and put it to work in places like, more policing, women's shelters, mental health care, ect.
jimfortysix: Once again, the masses miss the mark on this topic.
If only that was what it will be spent on. Rather it will be spent on an omnibus bill that will do nothing at all to reduce crime in this country as proven time and time again. Heck TEXAS says it is too extreme and does not work.
BBlitzer: If only that was what it will be spent on.
What do you expect from a guy like this, a "Tory", no conscious, and very disrespectful. They consider themselves above the law. Then jerks like us vote them in. Millions of dollars already spent on this registry, and law enforcement advising them not to destroy it. Harper swings his batton and they all jump like puppets.
i find it so strange that the "law 'n' order" party is destroying the gun registry AND all records even though police all over Canada say it helps them with law enforcement
i guess harpo et all only support police when it suits them?
bogey1: i find it so strange that the "law 'n' order"
Yes, and former Ontario top cop Fantino supported the registry... until he joined the Cons in govt and now all of a sudden he doesn't support it. Funny that.
viennawoods: Yes, and former Ontario top cop Fantino supported the registry...
What impresses me most about the CPC is their sensitivity and empathy. Notice how the Hon. member for Lethbridge was careful not to exceed Lepine's total! How he is not Minister for the Status of Women I'll never know.
freeSpeakr: Was that today??? What impresses me most about the CPC
The ignorance of the the Harper government makes me ashamed to be a Canadian. Their mindset is so mean-spirited and absent of compassion - all about punishment and retribution and celebrating inequality. They are eliminating gun registrations, imposing social reforms consisting mostly of sending more people to jail, giving police the power to spy on everybody's Internet usage without a warrant, spending billions on on useless F-35 fighters while cutting social services, and limiting help to native people to donuts and audits ... all the while rewarding the wealthy with tax breaks and the desire to cut their taxes still further. The Harper gang is sick, sick, sick, and I am so ashamed that we as Canadians voted them into office.
Stephen_Gillies: The ignorance of the the Harper government makes me ashamed
What is adult about playing with guns? Your persistent point of children against adults is sad in that children are the most loving and understanding people in society. Children are not born with judgement in their minds, children are optimistic, and are constantly able to find the beauty and awe in the most mundane things. I understand you are saying that children do not have an understanding of the world, are needy and are easily upset in this metaphor. Look at a child you know, either you view them with optimism and believe they will accomplish their dreams, or, you tell them from the day they are born that the world works against them and teach them to be cynical in every way. How would you want to raise your child?
jeffytom: What is adult about playing with guns? Your persistent point
Right.
Never seen high school girls interact with each other?
The adult comment refers to the fact that the gun registry was never designed to control guns, it was a cynical and disgusting use of a tragedy by the liberals to gain political advantage.
They KNEW it was bad policy, that's why they enacted it. http://www.garrybreitkreuz.com/publications/Article75.htm
CanadaStan: Right. Never seen high school girls interact with each other?
If you are familiar with Lethbridge and southern Alberta, this should not surprise you. I've lived there all my life. The people there are very open-minded - they like country and western music, and they actually drive different brands of truck.
Leon_Hodgkinson: If you are familiar with Lethbridge and southern Alberta, this
These conservatives are simply not likable people. I have never before seen politicians like this. They go out of their way to alienate people! About 24% of Canada's population voted for them in the last election. Do the conservatives have to behave like this in order to keep that 24%? No! My guess is that the conservatives alienate more people from the 76% who did not vote for them than they win over from the 24% who did vote for them.
Amorak: These conservatives are simply not likable people. I have never
CanadaStan, you portray yourself as some kind of a feathered thing, so please go and hatch and get what ever is stuck up you out...maybe an egg, sure not an extension of your brain.
xwho: CanadaStan, you portray yourself as some kind of a feathered
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The Huffington Post Canada Michael Bolen First Posted: 12/06/11 02:40 PM ET Updated: 12/06/11 03:28 PM ET