Dateline: 05/17/06
Updated: 06/21/06
The Conservative government took advantage of a second Auditor General Report detailing cost overruns in the Canadian Firearms Program to make a start at dismantling the Canadian gun registry. They are beginning with a one-year amnesty to protect previously licensed owners of non-restricted firearms from prosecution.
Guns and gun violence were a high-profile issue during the 2006 election campaign, and the Conservatives proposed eliminating the Canadian gun registry completely. Since the Conservatives were elected with just a minority government, and all three opposition parties support the gun registry, the Conservative government is not sure of enough votes in Parliament to pass legislation to cut the gun registry altogether. Instead they started by leaving the law as it is, and taking what immediate regulatory measures they can to dismantle the long-gun portion of the registry.
Measures being taken include:
- The RCMP will take over responsibility for the Firearms Act from the Canada Firearms Centre.
- A one-year amnesty has been put in place to protect previously licensed owners of non-restricted firearms from prosecution and to encourage them to comply with the law as it currently stands.
- Fee waivers and refunds will be implemented for license renewals.
- Physical verification of non-restricted firearms is being eliminated.
In June 2006, the federal government followed up on the amnesty by tabling a bill to abolish the long-gun registry, although they will not be able to move on it before the fall of 2006. They federal government is also consulting with the provinces to set-up "effective firearms control," including the possibility of a less stringent licensing system.
