NEWS RELEASE

 January 2, 2004                                                                                             For Immediate Release

BREITKREUZ SENDS OPEN LETTER TO PAUL MARTIN

“Here are 12 good reasons why the whole Firearms Act has to go – not just the gun registry.”

Yorkton – Today, Garry Breitkreuz, Official Opposition Critic for Firearms and Property Rights, sent an open letter to Prime Minister Paul Martin urging him to scrap the entire firearms program and go back to the drawing board.  “The shootings in Toronto over the past year should convince anyone that the gun registry missed its target by a mile,” said Breitkreuz.  “Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino has said repeatedly that the gun registry hasn’t helped at all.  While he pleads for the money to hire 400 more police officers, the federal government remains committed to wasting more than a hundred million dollars a year on a completely ineffective program aimed at the good guys instead of the bad guys.”

Breitkreuz’s letter provides supporting documentation for twelve reasons why the entire Firearms Act has to be scrapped:

(1)               The Firearms Act violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in a dozen ways;

(2)               Government’s Performance Report contains at least 12 inaccurate statements;

(3)               Cost-benefit analysis of the firearms program remains a Cabinet secret;

(4)               Entire 115-page report on economic impact remains a Cabinet secret;

(5)               Justice Dept. evaluation identified 90 problems with the firearms program;

(6)               Privacy Commissioner reports firearms program violates citizens privacy rights;

(7)               RCMP’s Firearms Interest Police database collects information on witnesses and victims;

(8)               Government refuses to report “major additional costs” requested by the Auditor General;

(9)               Statistics Canada’s annual homicide report proves the firearms program is off-target;

(10)       Government ignored the recommendations from the Minister’s User Group on Firearms;

(11)       Government refuses to pay compensation for the value of the registered guns they ban; and

(12)       Non-compliance with the licensing phase of the program, especially by Aboriginal people.

“As author of the 1993 Red Book, you should really tell Parliament and the Canadian people how your own promises got so far off the rails,” urged Breitkreuz.  “Before you waste another billion dollars, it’s time to sit down to work cooperatively with the provinces and responsible firearm owners in Canada to draft a cost-effective gun law.  It’s time to put police and public safety priorities ahead of political priorities.”

FULL TEXT OF BREITKREUZ’S 4-PAGE OPEN LETTER TO PAUL MARTIN:

http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/Article217.htm

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