May 12, 1994 For Immediate Release
BREITKREUZ CALLS GUN CONTROL LAWS BIZARRE
Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville, described the Honourable Allan Rock's proposals to place more controls on law-abiding gun owners and continuing to ignore the criminal use of guns as "bizarre logic". To prove his point, Garry compared what a law-abiding citizen has to do to buy a gun with what a criminal does.
How a Law-abiding Citizen Buys a Gun
1.Attend a 16 hour instruction course on gun handling (cost between $50 and $300)
2.Successfully complete a federally approved written and practical examination overseen by a provincially certified instructor
3.Complete a four page application form for a Firearms Acquisition Certificate(FAC) complete with two references, including information such as whether you are divorced or separated, failed in school, lost your job or have gone through a bankruptcy
4.Be photographed and personally appear before a firearms officer
5.Background and criminal record check by police
6.Pay a $50 fee at the time of application
7.Wait a minimum of 28 days and possibly up to three months for your FAC application to be processed
8.If the applicant wants to purchase a handgun, in addition to the above, the applicant must have proof of the handgun's current registration, provide a valid reason for acquiring the handgun, obtain a temporary permit to convey a "restricted firearm" from the current owners place or sports shop to the police station to ensure it is correctly registered and then transport the gun back to their residence where it has to be properly stored as mandated in federal legislation. And finally, obtain a permit to convey the handgun any time you take it out of your house.
1.Go to a seedy bar in any major Canadian city
2.Have a beer and wait 28 minutes
3.Pay the black-market price for smuggled guns
4.Put the gun in your belt and walk out
Breitkreuz said, "Canadians should be alarmed. Hundreds and possibly thousands of smuggled guns are sold on the streets of our major cities. With the Minister of Justice proposing to bring in more controls on law-abiding citizens and responsible gun owners, and, with his personal preference of banning guns, the smuggling problem will just get worse," predicted Breitkreuz. Project Gun Runner, an intelligence gathering operation initiated by the Solicitor General for Ontario, learned that 77% of crime revolvers and 91% of semi-automatic pistols were smuggled from the United States. The Minister of Justice is refusing to release copies of the Project Gun Runner report. Breitkreuz thinks the reasons why are obvious.
Garry will be attending the "Save Our Streets" rally in Yorkton this Saturday, May 14th - 7 PM at the Yorkton Parkland Agriplex. He encourages anyone with concerns about the criminal justice system to come out and be heard.
For more information please call:
Yorkton: Phil DeVos - (306) 782-3309
Ottawa: Dennis Young - (613) 992-4394