I have always believed that when it comes to setting government policy, we should be looking at the facts and the evidence before making a decision.
The Harper government tells us they want to be tough on crime. So why do they want to abolish the long-gun registry when police use it 11,000 times a day?
My Conservative opponent, Ed Holder, was quoted in the August 31, 2010 edition of the London Free Press as saying that he will vote to abolish the registry.
I find it very disappointing and disheartening that Mr. Holder will be voting based on Conservative ideology and not based on the facts and evidence.
What are the facts and the evidence? The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has come out in favour of keeping the long-gun registry. They have listed 10 myths being propagated by Conservative MPs and other anti-registry groups.
Myth 1: The firearms registry is a financial boondoggle and costs billions to run.
Fact: In 2009, it cost $4.1 million to operate the long gun registry.
Myth 2: There’s too much red tape in registering a long gun.
Fact: Registrations or transfers are done over the phone or on-line in a matter of minutes.
Myth 3: It’s expensive to register/transfer a long gun.
Fact: It’s free.
Myth 4: The gun registry targets the wrong people.
Fact: As of 2009, 111,533 firearms were in police custody for community safety reasons or after criminal use. Of these, 87,893 were long guns.
Myth 5: Criminals use handguns. Long guns are used by law-abiding hunters and farmers.
Fact: Not always. Of the 16 police officer shooting deaths since 1998, 14 used a long gun. In 2007, about 15% of known fire¬arm homicides in Canada were committed with a long gun.
Myth 6: Police don’t support the long-gun registry.
Fact: All of the major Canadian organizations representing police support the registration of all firearms in Canada.
Myth 7: Police don’t use the gun registry or the CFP’s other services.
Fact: Police across Canada access the firearms registry on-line on average 11,076 times a day, 2,842 of those queries for addresses involving community safety incidents
Myth 8: The firearms registry on-line has no impact on police officer safety.
Fact: It does impact officer safety as evidenced by the fact that police used it 4,042,859 times last year.
Myth 9: The long-gun registry does not save lives.
Fact: The registry does more than register guns. It’s another tool that assists police in making informed decisions that contribute to community safety.
Myth 10: The “gun registry” database has been breached over 300 times by hackers – our information isn’t safe.
Fact: Wrong. The registry’s national database has never been breached by hackers. Information is safe and secure.
I grew up on a farm in rural Lambton County, and I am aware that farmers sometimes need to use guns to deal with predators on their property. I understand the issue as it affects farmers and hunters.
Last April the Liberal Party took a principled stand in supporting the gun registry while proposing reforms that would address many of the concerns of rural citizens. Details can be found here:
http://www.liberal.ca/newsroom/news-release/michael-ignatieff-addresses-police-and-rural-concerns-with-gun-registry-reforms/.
The Conservative position supported by Mr. Holder shows how they have allowed their ideology to trump the facts.
We register our cars. We register our dogs and cats in urban areas. Some purebred farm animals are registered. Based on the facts, I don’t think it’s too much to ask to register long guns.
