I tried. I just couldn’t go a day without posting on the campaign to save Canada’s expensive and ineffective Long Gun Registry. Did I say ineffective? I meant to say ineffective. Not that the Canadian Public Health Association, the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, the Canadian Paediatric Society, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, the Canadian Association of Adolescent Health, the Ontario Public Health Association and the Quebec Public Health Association agree with me. The groups smoked, I mean signed a joint letter which “underscores the risks firearms present to the health and safety of Canadians and the need for rigorous controls.” Can’t wait to read it? Download their anti-anti-Long Gun Registry kvetch here [paraphrasing]. But you don’t read blogs/websites to do all the heavy lifting. A point which TTAG and the above groups realize. Hence the bullet points after the jump. But here’s the money shot: “As health professionals, we know the importance of investing in prevention, whether in road safety or prevention of infectious diseases. We cannot easily measure prevention, but we can certainly measure the effects of ignoring it.” Yeah, that makes sense.
Canadian Long-Gun Registry
Our Last Post on the Canadian Long Gun Registry. For Today.
Recently, new legislation was introduced to eliminate the need to register rifles and shotguns [in Canada]. While licenses to own are renewed periodically, registration is a one time only procedure that occurs when a gun is purchased. A lot of money was spent setting up the system, but the current cost of registering rifles and shotguns is three million dollars a year. Some people say that registration ensures gun owners are accountable for their firearms and that the registry is an important tool used daily by police to prevent and investigate crime. Others say that registering guns unduly burdens gun owners, is of no use and should be eliminated. Which represents your position?
Response:
The concept of registering guns is useful and should be maintained; or
The concept of registering guns is useless and should be eliminated
That seems like a loaded (not to say dull and long-winded) question to me. Never mind. And the survey said!
Editorial: Will the Canadian Long Gun Registry Die Another Day?
This week, Michael Ignatieff threw an unregistered hand grenade into the Canadian gun registry issue. The Liberal leader of the Official Opposition jettisoned the tradition of members voting their conscience during a third reading of a bill. He now wants all his party members to vote against the dismantlement of the much and justly maligned Canadian long gun registry. Instead, Ignatieff urges the government to modify the invasive, unpopular and expensive law. Ignatieef’s decision to jump into the gun control fray (late in the game) comes hard on the heels of a botched abortion vote, where Liberal MPs broke ranks to vote anti-pro-choice. Yes, it’s deja vu all over again.
Canada Set to Deep-Six Long Gun Registry
Even as the U.S. Senate contemplates legislation to lengthen the amount of time that the federal government maintains records of gun purchases, Canada is set to eliminate its Long-Gun Registry. “Canadian taxpayers have shelled out $2 billion and counting to hassle hunters, farmers and sport shooters with registration requirements,” the bill’s backer, MP Candice Hoeppner pronounced. “While receiving nothing in return in crime reduction or prevention . . . This money could have gone toward front-line police officers, or for programs to help our at-risk kids.” A bad idea, then. But how many times have you heard of a federal government getting rid of program that doesn’t work? I mean, can you imagine a world where politicians vote to remove bureaucracy? Obviously, in Canada’s case, it’s an American plot (reported by lakelandtimes.com). . .