Legislation to scrap the long-gun registry introduced in Parliament

OTTAWA – Since the idea of a long-gun registry was brought forward by the Liberal government nearly 18 years ago, Yorkton-Melville M.P. Garry Breitkreuz has defended law-abiding Canadians in his pursuit to scrap the registry. Today, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews introduced into the House of Commons the Ending the Long-Gun Registry Act.

“The legislation tabled today has started the process which will put to an end more than 15 years of government waste,” said Breitkreuz. “Scrapping the long-gun registry also puts an end to the useless paperwork law-abiding citizens are required to do. Hunters, farmers and target shooters are the very reason I have kept up this fight for so long.”

When the long-gun registry was first introduced in 1995, the Liberal government promised it would cost taxpayers $2 million to implement over five years. In her 2002 audit, then Auditor General of Canada, Sheila Fraser, reported that the program's costs had skyrocketed to more than $600 million with many hidden costs, making it impossible to calculate the true cost of the program.

“In a follow-up audit in 2006, the auditor general reported the cost of the new information system for the registry had nearly tripled from the initial estimate” said Breitkreuz. “What’s more, the cost of the entire firearms program had mushroomed to nearly $1 billion. Today, the program has cost Canadians $2 billion and remains inaccurate and incomplete.”

While the long gun registry has been perceived as a Western Canadian or rural issue, all Canadians are affected and many are even lured into a false sense of security. The truth is that real criminals don’t register their guns before committing crimes.

The new legislation will repeal the requirement to register non-restricted long-guns; provide for the destruction of all records pertaining to the registration of long-guns currently contained in the Canadian Firearms Registry and under the control of the chief firearms officers; and maintain controls over restricted and prohibited firearms. Under the proposed reforms, firearms owners will still require a valid firearm license to purchase or possess firearms and to purchase ammunition. They will also be required to undergo police background checks, pass a firearms safety training course and comply with firearms safe storage and transportation requirements. In addition, individuals will continue to be required to register prohibited and restricted firearms, such as handguns.

“After nearly 18 years of work on this file, I am personally very pleased to see this legislation introduced. It’s rewarding to say the least,” said Breitkreuz. “It has been a long hard fight, but all Canadians can be assured that the blurred line separating responsible gun owners from criminals has become much clearer as a result of the legislation introduced by this government today.”

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