NEWS RELEASE

October 4, 2002                                                                                                          For Immediate Release

FIFTH ERRORS REPORT ON GUN REGISTRY SHOWS A PROGRAM IN CHAOS

“How many errors will it take before the Liberals admit their billion-dollar mistake?”

Ottawa – Today, Garry Breitkreuz, Official Opposition Critic on Firearms and Property Rights, issued his fifth errors report on the government’s fatally flawed firearms registry.  Last Saturday, The Ottawa Citizen editorial board called on the Liberal government to “end the gun registry, which has been reduced to mailing stick-on numbers to gun owners.” (“The throne speech we want” - The Ottawa Citizen, September 28, 2002, Page B6).  “The error being referred to by The Citizen was our publication of a Justice Department document showing that 728,046 firearms registration certificates didn’t have serial numbers,” explained Breitkreuz.  “The Liberal solution was to send stick-on labels to, as they say, ‘uniquely identify’ these firearms.  They failed to explain what happens when their little sticker falls off, wears out or is removed by a criminal who steals the firearm from the lawful owner.  The Liberals implemented this stick-up strategy after the RCMP told them it would take 8.8 years to uniquely identify and register seven million guns.  The RCMP’s advice was ignored and their 3,800 volunteer verifier network was abandoned,” reported Breitkreuz.  “What a waste!”

Here are the headlines from Breitkreuz’s fifth errors report:

  1. Justice Department issues 4,114,624 registration certificates with 3,235,647 blank or unknown entries.

  2. Justice Department admits they issued 15,381 firearms licences to persons with no proof of having passed a firearms safety course.

  3. Justice Department admits they issued 26,800 duplicate Firearms Registration Certificates.

  4. Justice Department sends warning letter to deceased man.

  5. Justice Department warns dead man to register a handgun reported to police as stolen 15 years ago.

  6. Justice Department sends transfer notice to a man that has been dead since 1997 - before Bill C-68 even came into effect.

  7. Two years and the Justice Department is still processing a B.C. man’s firearms licence application.

  8. Justice Department and RCMP miss four registered handguns in their search.

  9. Justice Department and RCMP registers two guns to a man who doesn’t own them.

  10. Justice Department transfers a firearm to a man who didn’t buy it.

  11. Justice Department accused of an “absolute bold-faced lie”.

  12. Justice Department sends firearms documents to wrong address.

  13. Justice Department official blames new re-registration errors on the old registration system that had the correct information.

  14. Justice Department sends wrong notices to many, many firearms licence holders. 

  15. Justice Department’s incompetence and poor service generates many, many complaints.

 

Click here for Breitkreuz’s full report and links to previous error reports:

www.garrybreitkreuz.com/publications/errorreport5.htm

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