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The Edmonton Sun DATE: 2006.04.20 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: 12 BYLINE: MICHELLE MARK, EDMONTON SUN WORD COUNT: 230 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WE'RE STILL UNDER THE GUN LAW -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Talk of scrapping the federal gun registry has sparked a stern warning from the Canada Firearms Centre: Comply or pay the price. The federal Conservatives say they are planning to introduce legislation that would repeal the $2- billion gun registry, leaving many gun owners confused about what they should do in the meantime. But a bulletin addressed to police released Tuesday by the Canada Firearms Centre says gun owners are expected to keep up with renewals and have all the relevant papers for their firearms. "The government has indicated its intention to change registration requirements for long guns," it reads. "However, it will take time to amend the law. Until then, the current law continues to apply." Garry Breitkreuz, the Saskatchewan MP who has led the campaign against the registry, is asking gun owners to bear with the process. "I cannot counsel anyone to break the law," he said. "Just hang tight - we're doing what we can.'' Meanwhile, Breitkreuz said he's hearing from upset gun owners complaining of being harassed and threatened with charges if they don't hurry up and pay up for their renewals. "A lot of elderly people who didn't want to run afoul of the law are now being harassed. It's going to be very upsetting when they find out about this bulletin. This needs to be fixed and fixed quickly," he said. Licence renewal notices advise firearm owners of the risks they may face if they fail to renew their licence on time, including potential revocation of registration certificates and penalties under the Criminal Code for possessing a firearm without a valid licence or registration certificate. The Registrar of Firearms started mailing notices of revocation of a registration certificate to people who failed to renew their paperwork, instructing them to get rid of their firearms or appeal the decision. By June 1, 2006, about 68,000 of those notices will have been mailed out. ----------------------------------------------------- CANADA FIREARMS CENTRE SEPTEMBER 2005 - O.P.P. DIRECTIVE: REVOCATION OF FIREARMS REGISTRATION CERTIFICATES http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/2006_new/47.htm NOTE: Police officers estimate it will take about six hours to process one revocation order following the OPP directive! |