It comes as good news to many Canadians that two oppressive firearms regulations have been put on the back burner for two years.

The previous federal government created legislation that is unfair to gun owners. Fortunately, the government under Stephen Harper has deferred the rulings until December 2012. One of the regulations that's still on the books would force firearms manufacturers to etch products coming to Canada with a “CA” designation followed by the year. This custom engraving would significantly inflate a firearm's cost by some $200 and cripple the retail and distribution industry in Canada.

The current government also deferred a regulation that would have introduced new gun show restrictions even though gun shows have never posed a problem in Canada.

The federal opposition parties have a long track record for making gun ownership difficult for those who enjoy Canada's heritage sports. The opposition fails to recognize that imposing their brand of gun control does nothing to address the problem of firearms crime. The Hon. Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, addressed this serious regulatory defect when he deferred both of these redundant regulations. His decision was unanimously supported by his own Firearms Advisory Committee, which is comprised of Canada’s leading heritage shooting experts.

All new firearms sold in Canada already bear serial numbers. Those numbers reveal when and where the firearm was made, and where it is destined for sale. Adding a “CA13” etching three years from now would not provide the authorities with any more information than is already stamped on the gun. These international firearms marking protocol do not provide a number unique to that firearm and do not really provide any new information that cannot be obtained through existing means.  If international firearms manufacturers were prepared to cater to Canada's demand – which is doubtful – the cost of Canada-bound guns would soar. Unfortunately, foreign manufacturers could simply refuse to ship to the relatively small Canadian marketplace, which is likely the engine behind the opposition parties' legislation.

Gun owners have reason to fear for the future of heritage shooting sports. The New Democratic Party has introduced Private Members Bill C-580 that purports to “fix” the long-gun registry. Most firearms owners, however, aren't taking the bait. They know that the bill clearly plans to ban some very popular sporting firearms. This is the worst kind of deception when a political party pretends to be helping hunters and sport shooters when it's actually introducing firearms confiscation measures.

I have spent most of my 17-year political career trying to illustrate the vast difference between responsible firearms owners and the perpetrators of deliberate crime. The heavy-handed gun control laws introduced by the previous government don't reduce crime. But, they do tar responsible gun owners with the same brush. Many of these ill-conceived laws sell short our millions of sport shooters, hunters and farmers. My constituents tend not to be tricked by the opposition's deceit, and I hope Canadians elsewhere can see past the propaganda that threatens our wholesome firearms community.

-30-

The audio version of Garry's February 14, 2011 op-ed column can be heard by clicking here