NEWS RELEASE

January 22, 2004                                                                                             For Immediate Release

GUN REGISTRY FAILS TO TRACK 288,688 GUNS BROUGHT INTO CANADA BY TOURISTS

“Customs never checked to see if the American hunters took their guns when they left Canada.”

Ottawa – Today, Garry Breitkreuz, Official Opposition Critic for Firearms and Property Rights, released detailed reports from Canada Customs showing the gun registry has once again failed to do what the Liberals promised in 1995.  Documents obtained from the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) show that law-abiding foreign hunters and sport shooters declared 288,688 firearms on their way into Canada between January 1, 2000, and March 31, 2003, and paid more than $11 million for the privilege.  The documents also show no firearms being exported during the same period (see spreadsheet summary attached).  The RCMP previously admitted that the guns declared by foreign visitors were not being recorded in the Canadian Firearms Registry as promised by Ministers in charge of the firearms program.

“The Liberals have never been able to produce a shred of evidence to show that these American tourists have ever been a threat to public safety or that their rifles and shotguns have ever found their way into criminal hands,” stated Breitkreuz.  “Two weeks ago, media reports revealed that Customs is only checking 5% of mail for smuggled goods.  Instead, they’re wasting their time checking 100% of law-abiding American hunters and doing next to nothing to stop the illegal firearms trade.  These useless Liberal laws are also doing serious harm to the tourism and outfitting industry.  The federal government picked $11 million dollars out of these tourists’ pockets before they had a chance to spend it in Canadian lodges, hotels and restaurants.  Welcome to Canada, eh?

The Customs documents also reveal a two-tier gun control regime – total gun control for Canadians and gun-control-light for Americans.  The government allowed more than 200,000 “non-licensed” foreign hunters and sport shooters to come into the country with their guns but forces every Canadian gun owner to pass a firearm safety course and obtain a federal firearm license before they can go hunting or shoot recreationally.

“The government and its dramatically dwindling number of gun registry supporters continue to defend the gun registry by saying: ‘All guns start out as legal guns.’  But the fact of the matter is that since January 1, 2000, all gun smugglers have to do is fill out a Firearm Declaration form at the border, pay their fifty bucks and bring their guns into Canada.  The government took their forms and their money but never checked to see if the guns ever left Canada.  This isn’t gun control – this is government out of control and just more proof that the entire Firearms Act must be scrapped and completely re-written,” concluded Breitkreuz.

STATISTICS FROM NON-RESIDENT FIREARM DECLARATION FORMS – 2000-2003

http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/ForeignVisitorswithGuns2000-2003.xls

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