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bizorky
Guest
That long-held promise to do away with the gun registry is gone. The Conservatives are fobbing it off to the RCMP and providing exemptions for long guns.
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fiendishlibrarian
Guest
The Chiefs of Police Association and some other police organizations cried bloody murder on that proposal, so it looks like their lobbying paid off. That is one core constituency the Tories don't feel they should alienate (along with long-gun owners). They'll eat their crow on this one.
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unimaginative2
Guest
They only ever promised to eliminate the long gun registry. That IS the gun registry that has been so controversial. The police chiefs are not thrilled with this plan.
Federal gun registry is working, police say
Firearms list checked 5,000 times a day by officers in course of routine duties
GREG MCARTHUR
Any criticisms found in the Auditor-General's report on the federal gun registry shouldn't overshadow the program's contribution to stopping gun violence, two of Canada's top police chiefs said yesterday.
The Conservative government plans to grant amnesty to all long-gun owners who haven't been licensed under the controversial program. The move marks the decline of a crime-fighting tool that was never given a chance, said Chief Jack Ewatski, president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, and Chief Armand La Barge, president of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police.
"The merits of the registry, the positive aspects of the program, have never really been properly told to the citizens of this country, and as a result I think there are more critics than supporters," said Chief La Barge, who also heads York Regional Police.
What has been lost on the public, Chief La Barge said, is that police officers across the country search the registry about 5,000 times per day.
A 2004 report from the Commissioner of Firearms that was released without much publicity detailed the increased number of hits the registry was getting from police departments. Patrol officers routinely run names and addresses through the registry to see if they might encounter a gun when responding to a domestic disturbance or break-in, Chief La Barge said.
The Canadian Firearms Centre has also used it to get recreational weapons, such as hunting rifles, out of the hands of the mentally ill, he said. In 2004, according to the commissioner's report, 2,500 gun licences were revoked and 550 licences were refused.
"These are individuals who have shown a tendency to violence," Chief La Barge said. "The program has worked very well from that perspective."
Investigators have also taken advantage of the registry when applying for search warrants and wiretaps, said Mr. Ewatski, who is chief of the Winnipeg police force. In 2004, the firearms centre also prepared 2,265 affidavits that police officers used to persuade judges to allow surveillance and raids on suspected criminals.
"We've always said that information is the lifeblood of policing. The more information we can give our front-line officers, the better position they're in to perform their duties. If the registry is shut down or even if the long-gun registry is shut down, they're going to lose an important database of information and that would be very unfortunate."
Chief La Barge said he has tried over the years to convert many opponents of the registry -- including his own father, a lifelong deer hunter from rural Eastern Ontario. The two continued to bicker about the program until his father's death two years ago. In the end, they could not find common ground, he said.
"Nothing I ever said or did convinced him of any merit in the gun registry. I think a lot of people saw the registry as a slippery slope, a total ban on guns."
Federal gun registry is working, police say
Firearms list checked 5,000 times a day by officers in course of routine duties
GREG MCARTHUR
Any criticisms found in the Auditor-General's report on the federal gun registry shouldn't overshadow the program's contribution to stopping gun violence, two of Canada's top police chiefs said yesterday.
The Conservative government plans to grant amnesty to all long-gun owners who haven't been licensed under the controversial program. The move marks the decline of a crime-fighting tool that was never given a chance, said Chief Jack Ewatski, president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, and Chief Armand La Barge, president of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police.
"The merits of the registry, the positive aspects of the program, have never really been properly told to the citizens of this country, and as a result I think there are more critics than supporters," said Chief La Barge, who also heads York Regional Police.
What has been lost on the public, Chief La Barge said, is that police officers across the country search the registry about 5,000 times per day.
A 2004 report from the Commissioner of Firearms that was released without much publicity detailed the increased number of hits the registry was getting from police departments. Patrol officers routinely run names and addresses through the registry to see if they might encounter a gun when responding to a domestic disturbance or break-in, Chief La Barge said.
The Canadian Firearms Centre has also used it to get recreational weapons, such as hunting rifles, out of the hands of the mentally ill, he said. In 2004, according to the commissioner's report, 2,500 gun licences were revoked and 550 licences were refused.
"These are individuals who have shown a tendency to violence," Chief La Barge said. "The program has worked very well from that perspective."
Investigators have also taken advantage of the registry when applying for search warrants and wiretaps, said Mr. Ewatski, who is chief of the Winnipeg police force. In 2004, the firearms centre also prepared 2,265 affidavits that police officers used to persuade judges to allow surveillance and raids on suspected criminals.
"We've always said that information is the lifeblood of policing. The more information we can give our front-line officers, the better position they're in to perform their duties. If the registry is shut down or even if the long-gun registry is shut down, they're going to lose an important database of information and that would be very unfortunate."
Chief La Barge said he has tried over the years to convert many opponents of the registry -- including his own father, a lifelong deer hunter from rural Eastern Ontario. The two continued to bicker about the program until his father's death two years ago. In the end, they could not find common ground, he said.
"Nothing I ever said or did convinced him of any merit in the gun registry. I think a lot of people saw the registry as a slippery slope, a total ban on guns."
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bizorky
Guest
Well, when pressed, the Conservative dude who ran in my riding was adamant that the entire naughty, wasteful registry was to be done away with. Like so mant Conservatives, his view was that punishment is the key.
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afransen TO
Guest
This is a bad move... long guns are frequently used in crime.
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cacruden
Guest
^ please enlighten us on this with some statistics 
The gun registry will not reduce crime with guns ....
"I can't rob the bank with you today, because I have registered by hunting riffle!" :rollin
Now locking up people that have committed crimes with guns (for a long time) will stop them from doing it again.
The gun registry will not reduce crime with guns ....
"I can't rob the bank with you today, because I have registered by hunting riffle!" :rollin
Now locking up people that have committed crimes with guns (for a long time) will stop them from doing it again.
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unimaginative2
Guest
All the tough-on-crime sentencing you want isn't going to make a damned bit of difference if you don't actually catch the criminals, for which the gun registry is certainly a useful tool. Also, the police can use it to check whether a house is likely to have weapons when they go in for a domestic dispute or other reasons. This can save police lives. Surely, as a conservative, you are concerned about the safety of police.
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afransen TO
Guest
Police lives are expendable in the name of liberty from the tyranny of a $5 registration for your lethal weapons.
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cacruden
Guest
"Also, the police can use it to check whether a house is likely to have weapons when they go in for a domestic dispute or other reasons"
Bull, not without a search warrant. And to get a search warrant they must have probable cause. They can't just go fishing. The domestic disturbance is not grounds for a fishing trip. If they did, the courts would throw out the "evidence" anyway.
"All the tough-on-crime sentencing you want isn't going to make a damned bit of difference if you don't actually catch the criminals"
If you can't catch the criminal flashing a gun in public or when robbing a store .... how are they suppose to catch them with the gun in storage?
Also, this program has been in operation for years now -- with it's associated cost -- list the number of times someone has been arrested for not registering a weapon (exclusively).
Very little cost benefit.
If someone is walking around Toronto with a gun, the police can arrest them (they don't need to check if it is registered)
Bull, not without a search warrant. And to get a search warrant they must have probable cause. They can't just go fishing. The domestic disturbance is not grounds for a fishing trip. If they did, the courts would throw out the "evidence" anyway.
"All the tough-on-crime sentencing you want isn't going to make a damned bit of difference if you don't actually catch the criminals"
If you can't catch the criminal flashing a gun in public or when robbing a store .... how are they suppose to catch them with the gun in storage?
Also, this program has been in operation for years now -- with it's associated cost -- list the number of times someone has been arrested for not registering a weapon (exclusively).
Very little cost benefit.
If someone is walking around Toronto with a gun, the police can arrest them (they don't need to check if it is registered)
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cacruden
Guest
"Police lives are expendable in the name of liberty from the tyranny of a $5 registration for your lethal weapons."
Again, what is the evidence that the registry of long guns saves police officer's lives.
If a criminal is going to use a gun, then the criminal is not likely to follow the law of registering the gun, and they are likely to buy it on the black-market (already illegal) so it is not traceable.
We already have very tight gun regulations, especially for hand guns, long gun registry is a waste of money.
There is a limited amount of public money to spend -- focus that money on things that will actually have a reasonable success rate.
BTW, I am not a gun owner/hunter etc.
Again, what is the evidence that the registry of long guns saves police officer's lives.
If a criminal is going to use a gun, then the criminal is not likely to follow the law of registering the gun, and they are likely to buy it on the black-market (already illegal) so it is not traceable.
We already have very tight gun regulations, especially for hand guns, long gun registry is a waste of money.
There is a limited amount of public money to spend -- focus that money on things that will actually have a reasonable success rate.
BTW, I am not a gun owner/hunter etc.
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Abeja de Almirante
Guest
I honestly do not believe that people who make such statements care if supporting evidence exists or not.
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ganjavih
Guest
I ain't no neo-con but I'm also not convinced that this was a wise use of money. It's a legitimate question, is there any evidence that it has been helpful? It's nice that the police are using it often, but has there been a real change in either crime rate or ease of catching criminals?
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Abeja de Almirante
Guest
When that crazy fellow in Alberta shot the four RCMP officers, IIRC correctly his guns were not registered. Thus, here's one case that the registry served no purpose. Granted, that's one case, but let's find a case of where the registry of long guns saved a policeman's life.
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afransen TO
Guest
It's much harder to show that a cop wasn't shot because of the registry, as the media tends not to report police not dying, rather than being killed by a psychopath who was armed to the gills as a result of our lax laws regarding long guns.
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Darkstar416
Guest
Although, having non-registered guns in one's possession should also come with an extra penalty if used in a crime. I realize this nut killed himself, but that doesn't mean it couldn't be useful in other situations.