OTTAWA – Saskatchewan M.P. Garry Breitkreuz, a long-time opponent of the federal long-gun registry, was astounded by NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair’s recent comments about creating a new registry to track every gun in the country.

“I fought the wasteful and ineffective long-gun registry from the time it was introduced by Allan Rock under the previous Liberal government,” said Breitkreuz. “And I was proud to stand in Parliament two years ago to support and pass the Ending the Long Gun Registry Act.”

Originally budgeted to cost Canadian taxpayers $2 million, the long-gun registry spiraled out of control to a tune of $2 billion a decade later. “The registry was nothing more than a money pit that did nothing to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and gangs,” Breitkreuz added.

“It’s incredulous that the Leader of the NDP would consider bringing the registry back when even members within his own party don’t support it. The gun registry was created to give the impression that Canada would be a safer place – and nothing could have been further from the truth. It didn’t work because it targeted the wrong people,” said Breitkreuz.

In the two years since its demise, the sky hasn’t fallen – and gun crime has not run amuck, as many gun-control activists had predicted. In fact, new homicide data released last week by Statistics Canada shows that the murder rate in 2013 dropped by 8 per cent. More importantly, firearm-related homicides decreased by 25 per cent – yet more proof that the gun registry never did contribute to public safety.

“Laying a piece of paper beside every gun in the country was a colossal waste of time and money,” continued Breitkreuz. “The long and short of it is that criminals do not register their guns and they don’t obey laws. Wasting $2 billion to keep a list of the property of individuals predisposed to obeying the law was not a good use of government resources.”

Breitkreuz suggests that Mr. Mulcair listen to some of the rural M.P.s within his own caucus who say they will stand firmly against him if he attempts to bring back the long-gun registry. “Years ago, the Ontario Solicitor General of the day stated that for half a billion dollars we could put 5,900 police on the streets to go after the real criminals. We need a bit of common sense in Parliament, but it appears that across the aisle, common sense is not so common.

“Canadians can rest assured that this Conservative government will continue to focus on measures that truly increase public safety and reduce the cost of crime in Canada by tackling those who are predisposed to break the law, rather than those who are simply trying to enjoy a way of life that has been part of Canada’s heritage since Confederation,” concluded Breitkreuz.

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