Posted on 07/01/2003 6:44:50 PM PDT by Dan from Michigan
1.6 million guns elude registry
By DANIEL LEBLANC
Tuesday, July 1, 2003 - Page A1
OTTAWA -- The grace period to register rifles and other long firearms ended yesterday with about 1.6 million shotguns and rifles -- about one of every five such weapons in the country -- still outside of the national database.
But the federal government is not rushing to track down and charge people with unregistered long weapons.
Despite being past the deadline, Canadians will not face punishment if they contact the Canadian Firearms Centre to register a weapon in the coming weeks.
They run the risk of a fine or jail term only if they are caught by police with an unregistered weapon.
Over all, about 6.3 million firearms are registered with the Canadian Firearms Centre, short of the government's estimate of 7.9 million long firearms in Canada.
In addition, Ottawa estimates there are 2.3 million firearms owners in Canada, of which about 200,000 have not signed up for a licence.
Critics of the registry say the law will make criminals out of otherwise law-abiding gun owners.
Canadian Alliance MP Garry Breitkreuz said the huge number of unregistered weapons and unlicensed gun owners is a sign of the system's failure. He urged Ottawa to scrap the costly registry, which requires all gun owners to get a licence and register their firearms.
"[This] creates a whole new class of paper criminals in this country," he said.
Mr. Breitkreuz said he is not reassured by Ottawa's promise that no one will be prosecuted simply for the late registration of a firearm.
"This verbal amnesty makes a mockery of the Criminal Code," he said.
David Austin of the Canadian Firearms Centre said Canadians will not be punished for the late registration of a firearm, but that they are taking a risk in waiting too long.
"In terms of an individual who is outside the system, we'd recommend that they immediately apply," he said.
There was a last-minute surge of people registering long firearms yesterday. The influx of electronic registrations even slowed down the Canadian Firearms Centre's Web site.
The registry was initially estimated by the Liberal government in 1995 to cost $2-million, after licensing fees were collected, but is now pegged to cost $1-billion by 2005. The Canadian Alliance said the money should have been used to increase the number of police officers in the country.
The deadline for gun owners to register their long firearms had been extended from Jan. 1.
(Handgun registration has been mandatory since 1934, and regulations were tightened in 1977 to restrict handgun possession and prohibit automatic and other heavy weapons and such items as silencers.
The pressure group Coalition for Gun Control estimates there are about one million handguns in Canada.)
The law allows police to charge first-time offenders, who have not registered long guns under the Firearms Act, and penalties could result in a $2,000 fine or six months in jail. Or police may lay Criminal Code weapons charges of illegal possession, which carry tougher penalties of up to 10 years in jail.
However, it is not clear who will face prosecution for failing to register. British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have announced that they will not prosecute people who fail to register rifles or shotguns.
Korean War veteran Oscar Lacombe, 74, of Edmonton, tried to get charged for failing to register his weapon, but police decided to use the Criminal Code rather than the Firearms Act.
The former sergeant-at-arms of the Alberta Legislature carried his unregistered .22-calibre rifle to the legislature in January, pleading with police to arrest him.
He wanted to challenge the Firearms Act to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Only 7.9 million longarms?
There are some states here that have more than that. ;-)
SO9
Of course ... they want to live longer.
There are counties in Texas with more than that.
Is this a nice way of saying they used the handgun regulation to know where the guns of all the people the didn't think should have them were so that they could go get them.
Q So, what is the point of gun registration?
A To cut down on crime.
Q But didn't this law just create 200,000 criminals just by a stroke of the pen?
A You shouldn't look at it that way, look at it as saving the Canadian people.
Q This program cost the Canadian people over a billion dollars, and with 200,000 new criminals that need catching, trying in court, and possibly incarcerating for up to ten years at the tune of $40,000 per inmate per year, and not counting the lost revenue of having otherwise law abiding citizens working, taking care of their families and paying huge taxes, how exactly does this help Canadians
A By getting guns off the street.
Q And how does this bill get guns off the street?
A Because it will get 1.6 million guns out of the hands of criminals.
Q What criminals?
A The 200,000 criminals that don't register.
Thank you for your time.
What will they risk when only the govt is armed...
The first rule of bureaucracy is, if you can't hit the target, move the target.
They keep lowering the estimate in order to make it seem as if most of the guns are registered. In a couple of months they will announce that all the estimated 6.2 million long guns have been registered.
How does crap like this become law? Here's a good hint. This is the straight-up garbage that is being taught in the public schools today:
I found this pic in my health textbook under the chapter "Intentional and unintentional injuries." -Elnheir
If this doesn't make your blood boil, check your pulse. You may be dead.--E_M_B
Stereotypes...
1. White guy with Mullet
2. Camo pants.
3. Beard.
I'm sure there are more.
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