One of the federal Liberals' campaign promises in the recent election was to reintroduce a long-gun registry.
Of course they didn't call it a registry. Rather, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proposed making gun sellers file records of every sale - purchaser's name and personal information, model of gun, serial number and so on.
That's a registry by another name, a registry via the backdoor. But it's still a registry.
There's nothing more persistent than a "progressive" with a bad idea. And trying to reduce crime by controlling the guns of law-abiding citizens is a bad idea that "progressives" have believed in for decades.
A registry is a bad idea not because it encroaches on an ancient right (which it does) or because it says symbolically that government, not the people, is the boss in our democracy (although it does that too).
It's a bad idea because it doesn't work.
And before governments tell free citizens what to do on any issue (not just guns), they had better be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the restriction they want on freedoms will really, truly improve the situation.
But the reason progressives (liberals) cling to bad ideas so long is that they don't believe in independent proof. Their confidence in their own brilliance is so complete the very fact they believe in an idea is proof enough to them that it must be good. Don't waste their time with facts!
If criminals got report cards, one of the comments might be something like "Has trouble obeying rules and instructions."
It's the very nature of criminals to disobey laws. Indeed, it's impossible to become a criminal without breaking the law.
So it has always been laughable that progressives imagine criminals who are prepared to break much more serious laws against robbery, assault, drug trafficking and even murder could be persuaded by the passing of a bill to tell Ottawa and the police how many guns they have and where.
But in light of the recent horrific murders of two overnight convenience-store clerks in Edmonton there have been calls, especially online, for tougher gun laws. And, of course, the Progressive-in-Chief, Barack Obama, has called for stricter gun control in the States in the aftermath of the San Bernardino terrorist attack that killed 14 earlier this month.
Since Obama is a hero to Canada's new Liberal government, it likely won't be long before Trudeau et al begin suggesting anti-gun laws are a good way to confront the threat of terror here, too.
Consider what a futile exercise gun control would be, though, either in making all-night clerks safer or reducing the threat of terrorism here in Canada. The two suspects in Edmonton's ghastly, execution-style clerk killings late last week both had court orders against them prohibiting their possession of firearms.
A court order is a stronger former of gun control than a registry, in part because it is a total ban and in part because it is directed at a specific individual. Yet despite that, both of the adult suspects - Colton Steinhauer and Laylin Delorme - used restricted weapons in the alleged killing spree.
More than that, both men posted pictures of themselves on social media sites playing with machine guns. And machine guns aren't just restricted, they are outright prohibited. Still, both career criminals managed to get a hold of machine guns despite laws and court orders.
Former Ontario Premier Mike Harris used to have a great line in his stump speech: "How come every time a criminal commits a murder in downtown Toronto, Ottawa's first reaction is to restrict the guns of duck hunters?"
That's as true as it ever was.
Anything possible with that POS . However He has made a lot of promises to piss our money away on other socialist programs , hoping he runs up the deficit high enough and doesn't have the money.
We will for sure have increased restictions placed on our already restricted hanguns and semi autos such as the AR Clones .
Flyer
Ah hell, Jr. is a dink. obama lite, with plenty of the liberal Kool Aid. Anything new in the Liberal party agenda, or is he sticking to the tried and true "screw the western provinces, Quebec is God's gift to mankind" mandate?
Don't like him, didn't like his Pop,s..
[bleep] IDIOTS,THAT VOTED TURDO IN.......
The requirement to record the gun-buyers info has existed for nearly forty years though largely ignored by private sellers. In the US, this requirement has been in place for almost fifty years though again, private sellers, if not exempt, are not compliant.
So what we are seeing here is a politician's (Justin T) total ignorance of the laws already in place. This is not uncommon. Of course we are also seeing the original poster's ignorance of the record-keeping requirement and, it seems to me, if you are going to rant against the potential imposition of a restriction, you should at least be aware the restriction is already in place and is long-standing. I personally think such record-keeping is a total waste of time and no rational person could think it can deter crime but there it is.
GD
watch4bear;
Top of the morning to you sir, I trust that this last morning of 2015 finds you well, warm and dry.
The short answer is most likely the current leadership in Ottawa will attempt further restrictions first and then go to a registry of some sort.
The last one worked so well and efficiently - I'm guessing it employed half of the city of Miramichi, NB - so how could anyone suggest it wasn't a huge success in that light....
A few tidbits or factoids for thought and by the way the Wiki page on the old registry isn't too, too bad for a balanced approach.
When we began the downward spiral and had to get FAC cards in 79 or 80 the Libs said there was "at least" 20 million firearms in Canada.
Their good folks at Spincentral Media continued to reduce that number because - well it made having only 5 million registered look like the whole thing might not be working as well as it might. Again I'll remind all that Miramichi's employment numbers never looked so bright.
As I understand it, all the LEO checks on a person/address were linked to do an automatic check of the registry - so when Fantino and crew would trot out and say how many times a rank and file constable would use the system - they weren't exactly lying - exactly.
A friend of mine from Edmonton Police Services put it to me this way. "So we're called to a house and it comes back as no guns present. We ask ourselves whose motorcycle is that in the back yard - the daughter's boyfriend maybe? Does the son move a bit of product on the side? Remember Dwayne there's a reason why we're going there and just because the registry says no guns means nothing. We always go in expecting trouble - because that's why we were called there in the first place...."
Sorry for the too long response all, I am indeed bracing to fight round two however.
Happy New Year to you all and the best in 2016.
Dwayne
They will grovel to the western provinces because of all the minorities here, the sikhs and orientals need pandering too.
I doubt they will bring in another registry, they said they wouldn't, and as far as new firearms being tracked....the gunstores have always recorded serial numbers of sold firearms so thats not new.
A new registry would be a boondoggle.
greydog;
Happy New Year to you sir.
I hope all is well with you folks and all the best in 2016.
Good post by the way.
Dwayne
I don't believe that the push for a return of the gun registry will come from Trudeau or the Liberal party, they find it too divisive and there is nothing in it for them politically. The push for a registry will come from the police departments:
Representing everyone from beat cops to chiefs, Canada's main police groups are joining forces for the first time to try to stop the Harper government from killing the long-gun registry.
The Conservatives argue that Canada's police forces are divided on the need to save the registry and suggest that the leaders who support it are out of touch with front-line police officers.
But the Canadian Police Association, which represents 41,000 officers across Canada, will share the stage at a news conference in Ottawa on Thursday with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police as part of a new campaign to save the registry.[i][/i]
It remains to be seen if the liberals can resist that pressure. I wouldn't be surprised to see the liberals allow the provinces to have more control over firearms, if your provincial government wants a registry they do it provincially.
When one embraces socialism like Canadians do this is what one gets.
The US is headed down the same path except we have a constitutional ammendment standing in the socialist way.
Please pay attention, your country is already more socialist than ours.
As an individual, you create your own socialism by allowing oneself to feed at the teets of any government.
When PET invoked the war measures act after the kidnap and death of a politician they rounded up all firearms from shooting clubs in Quebec. They couldn't go door to door a and recover arms because they didn't know where the y were, so thereafter they realized along with the police they needed to know where all the firearms were so they could make a clean sweep the next go around. My memory not so good now but I believe it was the FLQ that started and Pierre Elliot Trudeau and Police Canada wide that secretly decided to bring in the registry.
I doubt we will see a return of that stupidity....
Quebec runs that country because the rest of the country thinks the world will end if Quebec has a hissy fit and separates and goes on its own so they give them everything they want.
If Quebec wants a long gun registry then that's what will happen.
As far as I'm concerned the sooner Quebec separates the better.
Good riddance.
I'm a dual CDN/US citizen and Quebec is spoiling Canada as far as I'm concerned.
Wish that province would secede once and for all instead of just threatening to do so.
Quebec and Alberta, both...
Me too, Quebec is always looking for more and now alberta wants a handout
Me too, Quebec is always looking for more and now alberta wants a handout
No Alberta only wants access to the coasts like every province.its up to real Canadians to make that happen.
There will not be any new federal registry.
Alberta doesn't want a handout. We want OUT of this federal arrangement that's spiralled out of control. We want to secede and start fresh and leave the antiquated BS federal policies, laws, and treaties behind, and govern ourselves.
LOL, who would of thought about putting money away for a rainy day fund, the gravey train hit a bump in the road.
I would like to think its temporary but with Iran pumping cheap, high quality oil again who knows how long it will be.
All I want to know is, IF we get another long gun registry, will the 25,000 Syrian terrorists - I mean refugees -- have to register their full auto AK47's?
Police and Forestry personnel don't register their firearms why should any immigrant?
My service pistol serial number was on file locally, regionally, and provincially on several levels. Any time it was sent to the armorer, the numbers followed, and the replacement to me was documented on all those levels. That is for the pistol. Accountability. But this is a question about long guns, not handguns.
But not registered Federal. Like everyone else. All handguns are registered provincial where you buy it at any sport shop , nothing new there.
Well not to belabour the point, but the handguns aren't registered at the gunshop. They are only recorded as to their transfer. The government would have to know what gunshop to look at the records in, and for the record, I do not support long gun registry ........... Never have.
Neither do I. I figured it may be a good way to recover stolen rifles but that isn't working either. The Police auction them off to bankroll their parties. Same with most other stolen items. Cars are returned, the only thing that can't be auctioned off legally.
Don't know where you live, but that most definitely does not happen where I have lived or policed. Makes for good banter on an internet site, though.
Our policy on found property was to try to investigate who the real owner was, and if we couldn't, after three months, the finder could have it. Liquor that was seized was either returned to the Liquor store, or the part bottles were dumped down the drain with witnesses. Good system that I never saw abused in thirty plus years, and we dumped literally gallons of the stuff.
But somehow stories still abound about the local police drinking the exhibits, and selling off property to fund their . . . . . (pick one) parties, vacations, brothel visits, etc ad nauseum. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz!
Hey I have a friend who had 6 rifles taken by the police, 4 were returned, what happened to the other 2. Still looking for them after 6 years.
Sounds like an RCMP thing.
Were the firearms involved in a criminal investigation? Was there an order in court for disposal?
He got stopped on the way to the local firing range. Apparently his rifles had no locks on them, so they seized them all.
He got stopped on the way to the local firing range. Apparently his rifles had no locks on them, so they seized them all.
378Canuck;
Good morning to you sir, hopefully the week treated you well and this last Saturday of the month finds you in fine shape.
Please note I'm not commenting whatsoever on what happened to your friend as I have no direct knowledge of the circumstance.
For clarity of anyone reading here however, when we are transporting non-restricted firearms in Canada, they absolutely do not have a requirement to be locked as long as a person with a PAL is present.
IF we leave them unattended in said vehicle then the rules change, BUT if a valid PAL holder is there, then they don't require a lock or even a case.
Speaking from many personal encounters with LEO in BC, not one has raised an eyebrow when they saw unlocked non-restricted firearms.
"Do you have any more firearms in the vehicle sir?" or "I'm going to say that's unloaded since I can see the open bolt" is about what I get from them - which of course is as it should be.
Anyway I hope your friend gets his firearms back someday sir. All the best to you this weekend.
Dwayne
Rifles dont need trigger locks when being transported, simple.
My young friend had an RCMP officer stop him at a roadblock, jump back when he saw the rifles him and his young friend had, heaven forbid they had camo on...they were coyote hunting.
He made them lay down on the ground, cuffed them, threw the rifles on the hood of his car, scratching the brand new 500 dollar scope on one of the rifles. My young friend said hey were hunting,
the cop said no you weren't, and they were not trigger locked, young guy said they dont have to be.
The mountie called the CO and the CO confirmed that indeed the young guys were perfectly legal.
Ironicaly, my young friend is applying for the RCMP shortly as it has been his lifelong dream to be an RCMP officer.
I think many would be surprised at the lack of knowledge about what the laws are regarding firearms in Canada, many RCMP do not.
673;
Good morning to you sir, I'm hoping that your part of BC is as sunny and still as ours is thus far.
Your story is unfortunately not that uncommon as most LEO are emphatically not gun people and some are more than a little uncomfortable around them.
A good friend of mine in Vancouver PD had to give a lecture on a topic to his fellow classmates as part of his training program.
He chose "how to handle a stop with a hunter" and said that the overwhelming response from his classmates was that they'd had no clue about such things.
As he's a Penticton boy, he told them that if they'd be calling out the ERT team every time they saw a gun in a truck at the 7-11 parking lot from September to the end of November they'd get unpopular quite quickly with their CO.
When he told them that if it was a 4x4 pickup, with a quad or boat rack on the back they should ALWAYS expect a firearm out here in the fall - and the spring during bear season too.
Anyway sir, it's good that a few LEO are gun folks, but it's best for us to remember that they're the exception and not the rule and approach situations with them and long guns with that information in mind.
All the best to you this weekend sir, lets hope it's a bright and sunny one.
Dwayne
Ever since that happened I use locks on all my rifles even when going 3 miles to the range. Can't take chances losing my rifles.
at gun shows we have to have ties or locks on guns or bolts out.
and have to check buyers pal for class of firearm being bought and expire date of said PAL ,
norm
The dynamics of the federal election would suggest no. The Liberals made inroads in the west, while the Conservative using the racism card retained their Quebec seats. Ergo, the Liberals need their western seats. Quebec looks on the guns differently than the west. Gun owners were a cash cow for the Conservative, that's why it took so long to remove the long gun. The Liberals would be stupid to revive that cow. And Jimmy Sinclair's grandson is not stupid.