GUN REGISTRY
GARBAGE PILE GETTING HIGHER & HIGHER
By
Garry Breitkreuz, MP – Updated: May 29, 2002
“What
use is a gun registry to police when it’s riddled with errors?”
NOTE #1: All errors in firearms licences and registration certificates should be reported to the Minister of Justice and the Auditor General of Canada. All errors that either violate your privacy rights or have the potential to do so should be reported to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Contact information is provided at the end of this document.
NOTE #2: Breitkreuz’s original error report was released on February 28, 2002:
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/breitkreuzgpress/GunControl57.htm
NOTE #3: Breitkreuz’s second error report was released on April 10, 2002:
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/breitkreuzgpress/GunControl60.htm
1.
JUSTICE DEPT. ADMITS 90% +
42% ERROR RATE IN FIREARMS REGISTRATION APPLICATIONS:
Justice Department letter dated May 22, 2002 (ATIP File – A01-051/ok): “The
error rate for applications received up to July 18, 2001, was 90% of a total of
362,375. In addition to errors
detailed in Appendix A, 42% of firearms registration applications contain errors
in the firearms description, in comparison to the Firearms Reference Table.
The sum of the errors exceeds the number of applications received because
the application is only counted once even though it may contain multiple
errors.”
2.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ADMITS TO ISSUING 259 FIREARMS LICENCES WITH THE WRONG
PHOTOGRAPH:
Department of Justice letter dated April 10, 2002: “Access to Information
Request A01-0324 – Please provide copies of reports that show the
number of firearm licences that have been issued with the wrong photograph for
each year since December 1, 1998. December
1, 1998 to December 31, 1999 = 0;
3.
992 LICENCING AND REGISTRATION ERRORS REPORTED TO THE CANADIAN FIREARMS CENTRE
(CFC) AND THE CENTRAL PROCESSING SITE (CPS) IN MIRAMICHI, SINCE JANUARY 1, 2002:
Justice
Department letter dated May 17, 2002 (ATIP File – A-2002-0019/mb):
Licencing Errors reported to the CFC = 49;
Registration Errors reported to the CFC = 144;
Licencing Errors reported to the CPS in Miramichi, NB =
799;
TOTAL LICENCING ERRORS REPORTED = 848;
TOTAL REGISTRATION ERRORS REPORTED = 144;
TOTAL ERRORS REPORTED SINCE JANUARY 1, 2002 = 992.
4.
A LEGALLY ACQUIRED 9 mm HANDGUN AND THREE SHOTGUNS CONFISCATED FROM THE HOME OF
HELL’S ANGEL LEADER MAURICE “MOM” BOUCHER:
On May 15, 2002 the Montreal Gazette published the following
clarification: “A story in The Gazette of May 3, based on testimony at the trial of 17
Hells Angels charged with gangsterism, drug-trafficking and conspiracy to commit
murder, reported that guns confiscated by the police in the house of Maurice
(Mom) Boucher were acquired by Boucher legally by going through the application
process. However, later court
testimony showed that the firearms-acquisition certificate with which one
handgun and three pump-action shotguns had been purchased belonged to Boucher's
girlfriend, not to Boucher.” [Page 2]
5.
RCMP RE-REGISTER A HANDGUN AS A “MACHINE GUN”: On May 1, 2002, an Alberta firearms owner faxed
copies of his 1987 Restricted Weapon Registration Certificate and his 2002
Firearms Registration Certificate for the same firearm.
The man wrote: “This is a copy of my original green registration
that the people in Miramichi got their information for my new registration from.
It definitely states ‘HG’ for handgun.
They fouled up and listed on the new one as a ‘machine gun’.”
6.
SASKATCHEWAN MAN RECEIVED A FIREARM REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE FOR A 12-GAUGE
SHOTGUN HE NEVER OWNED: This Lloydminster man wrote his Member of
Parliament: “I have in my possession a copy of a Firearm Registration
Certificate # -------------. This
certificate is for a 12-gauge shotgun. I
have never owned this gun, nor have I registered any firearms.
I took it to the RCMP who told me they had nothing to do with this hated
legislation. Thought you might be
interested in receiving another log for the fire of contempt towards our Ottawa
Police State.”
7.
RCMP ISSUES NINE REGISTRATION CERTIFICATES FOR THE RE-REGISTRATION OF SIX
HANDGUNS:
On May 27, 2002, a Yukon firearms owner sent copies of nine registration
certificates for handguns he had re-registered.
Three of them were duplicates even though the description of each firearm
was exactly the same in all respects.
8.
B.C. GUN OWNER RECEIVES FIREARMS IDENTIFICATION CARD FOR A PERSON LIVING IN
SAULT STE. MARIE, ONTARIO: The
National Firearms Association issued a new release reporting: “Nanaimo area
resident John Heggie applied to register his firearm; however, the results were
not what he expected. On Monday
April 8, 2002, Mr. Heggie opened an envelope from the Canadian Firearms Centre
in Miramichi. Inside the envelope,
were (a) A Firearm Identification Number Card issued to Mr. Heggie, (b) A
Firearm Identification Number Card issued to a person from Sault Ste. Marie,
Ontario. Mr.
Heggie states he does not know the person in Ontario.
He and other firearm owners are very concerned about the careless
disregard for personal privacy that this sort of incident reveals.”
Mr. Heggie can be reached in Nanaimo at (250) 756-1466.
BC NFA President Sheldon Clare can be reached at (250) 652-2131.
9.
ONTARIO FIREARMS OWNER RECEIVED 24 REGISTRATION CERTIFICATES FOR HIS EIGHT
RIFLES:
On April 22, 2002, a Mississauga firearms owner reported: “I own 8 rifles
and according to the computerized [registration system] I think they have me
down for either 16 or 24 firearms. I
now have two sets of numbers and three sets of registration certificates dated
December 12 and 14, 2001.”
10.
ONTARIO GUN OWNER RECEIVES REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE FOR A WINCHESTER RIFLE HE
HAS NEVER OWNED:
In a letter dated April 16, 2002, a firearms owner from Bracebridge, Ontario
wrote: “Attached is a photocopy of a gun registration received in the mail
which is not mine. I do not now or
have I ever owned this gun. I
notified by phone the Firearm Registration Centre today, but they were not
interested in checking into the error they made and advised me that it is my
responsibility to have the registration taken out of my name, even though I
never requested it in the first place. I
am concerned, however, that if this gun is involved in any crime, the RCMP will
be at my door looking for the gun which I do not have.”
11.
SASKATCHEWAN GUN OWNER RECEIVES THREE POSSESSION AND ACQUISITION LICENCES IN
THREE DAYS:
On April 29, 2002, a firearms owner from Kindersley, SK, wrote his Member
of Parliament: “On November 28, 2001, I received my Possession and
Acquisition Licence - number --------.0004 and then on November 30, 2001, I
received two more licences – numbers --------.0002 and --------.0003.
All licences seem to be in sequence.
I find this both amusing and also very disgusting to see how our
Government is handling an issue, they assure us the people of Canada want, in
such an inefficient way.”
12.
N.B. MAN STILL WAITING FOR HIS FIREARMS LICENCE SINCE APPLYING OVER 20 MONTHS
AGO: On
May 29, 2002, Larry Petersen’s letter was printed in The Moncton Times and
Transcript: “Again
I write because I read the letter from David Austin of Communications and Public
Affairs, Canadian Firearms Centre, Ottawa, Ont. in the Times & Transcript
about the prompt service to the public regarding the gun registration.
While I have never had the benefit of owning a possession licence, I have
paid for mine on Oct. 4, 2000 and I still have not received it.
Why is that, I ask? I have
called and here are the dates: January 4, 2001, July 13, 2001, Feb 5, 2002, Feb
19, 2002, March 10, 2002, March 11, 2002, May 8, 2002 and May 16, 2002.
Now I know how all of us can get caught up on a good thing, but I think
this has gone on long enough. This only tells me that the system is not working
that great. The officials can feel free to contact me. I'm still waiting to go
hunting. My family would starve if
I had to feed them by hunting game.”
13.
JUSTICE DEPT. AND RCMP HAVE NO CONTROL OVER FIREARMS WITHOUT SERIAL NUMBERS:
On May 7, 2002, a firearms owner from Alberta wrote his MP: “When
submitting an application for a firearms certificate, it states that if a
firearm doesn’t have a serial number one will be generated for it and a
sticker provided. Two of my
firearms fall under this rule. I
received certificates with blank serial numbers.
Thus I could have as many of these as I want with no control, or no
control over the specific firearm as it could be traded or sold in the place of
another one of the same make.”
14.
FIREARMS OFFICER REFUSES TO CORRECT SERIAL NUMBER ERROR:
On April 24, 2002, a British Columbia firearms owner wrote to the
Canadian Firearms Centre: “I am attempting to correct the information in
your data base. I am an approved
verifier. The initial information you have was entered incorrectly. I asked my
local firearms officer to correct it, but she refused. As a five-year jail
sentence is the outcome for making a false statement, I want to give you the
correct information. The firearm has a serial number of 84-42929 engraved on it.
My attitude is if I have to obey this legislation, so do you.”
15.
MANITOBA MAN GAVE UP TRYING TO GET THE WRONG PHOTO ON HIS LICENCE CORRECTED:
When he found out that the Canadian Firearms Centre admitted to issuing
259 firearms licences with the wrong photo, Brian Buckley, proud owner of the
first registered Black and Decker soldering gun in Canada wrote: “I know of
one person that still has the wrong photo on his.
He gave up trying to get it changed.”
CONTACT
INFORMATION
The
Honourable Martin Cauchon, P.C., M.P.
Minister
of Justice
Room
312, West Block
House
of Commons
Ottawa,
Ontario
K1A
0A6
Telephone:
(613) 995-7691
Facsimile:
(613) 995-0114
E-mail :
Cauchon.M@parl.gc.ca
Mrs.
Sheila Fraser
240
Sparks Street
Ottawa,
Ontari
K1A 0G6
Telephone: (613) 995-3708
Facsimile: (613) 957-0474
E-mail:
communications@oag-bvg.gc.ca
Mr.
George Radwanski
The
Privacy Commissioner of Canada
112
Kent Street
Ottawa,
Ontario
K1A 1H3
Phone (613) 995-8210
Toll-free 1-800-282-1376
Fax (613) 947-6850
E-mail:
info@privcom.gc.ca