PING!
Posted on 09/16/2006 1:51:58 PM PDT by GMMAC
Harper sticks to plans to scrap gun registry
Agency didn't prevent tragedy: PM
Effective policies needed, he says
Toronto red Star
Sep. 16, 2006. 01:00 AM
TONDA MACCHARLES
OTTAWA BUREAU
OTTAWA—The government will press ahead with plans to scrap the gun registry as promised, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has indicated in a radio interview to be broadcast today.
"The unfortunate reality" is the federal gun registry failed to prevent the tragedy at Dawson College, Harper told CBC Radio's The House.
Harper first stressed it is important to have "all the facts" before deciding any public policy response.
He said he was "as shocked as anyone else" at the chilling information that emerged about the killer, Kimveer Gill, who entered the Montreal college Wednesday brandishing a semi-automatic weapon and two other guns.
"How could such an individual get such an arsenal of weapons — I think it's truly shocking. And one presumes there is something we can do about that," said the Prime Minister. "But let's find out the facts and make sure that our actions fit the facts. A decade ago people ran out and created a gun registry that, in fact, didn't do anything to prevent these kinds of tragedies and did so at an enormous cost. We want to make sure that what we do is actually effective.''
Moments later, however, when asked about Quebec Premier Jean Charest's opposition to dismantling the gun registry, and the potential negative reaction from Quebec voters to the plan, Harper said, "well, the reason we were told we were going to have a registry was to prevent these very types of tragedies, and Premier Charest, at the time, and myself and many others concluded the registry wouldn't work and the unfortunate reality is that's been shown to be correct."
"I think what Quebecers want is the same thing as other Canadians. They want public policies that are effective."
His Quebec political lieutenant, Michael Fortier, went further, after meeting with Dawson College staff yesterday.
"The gun registry that will be abolished is the long-gun registry," Fortier told reporters in Montreal. He described it as a registry that targets hunters' long guns, and failed to prevent criminals such as the gunman from acting.
"So this has nothing to with the arms that I understand were used in this situation which were registered, which is what I'm told, and were held legally, again I'm told, by this individual, so we're talking about two very different issues.
"This situation, even if the long-gun registry had continued to apply, wouldn't have changed anything. The individual would have owned and would have used these weapons regardless because he was using them under a different registry."
PING!
Thank goodness Canadiens elected someone with brains enough to not be a reactionary indiot like most politicians.
I'm sure that the pols in CA, MA, NY, DC etc. are drawing similar conclusions. </sarcasm>
Viewed from "due South" here...
I think Harper is qualified for that phrase applied to
Chuck Yeager in "The Right Stuff":
"You're d-mned right that's a man!"
From what I have read this man had legally registered all of his weapons and had no previous criminal record.
He was not a criminal at the time he acquired his firearms.
These facts further demonstrate the pointlessness of registry laws.
BTTT
He looks the part! :)
That's a keeper!
It a wonderful picture.
:-)
I remember when Bertie Ahern dressed up in Irish military gear - it didn't suit him at all, Bertie's not a fighting man!!
Like John Kerry.
Yah, but Bertie didn't even pretend to fight in a war!!
LOL!
Neither did Kerry!
Steven Harper...A grown man in a Country of political children.
You're lucky to have him, you'll be wise to keep him.
I hope enough of us have woken up.
I see more waking up every day.
We are very lucky to have him. He has given us our country back.
:-)
Bump!
LOL!! That's true!!
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