On October 25, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews introduced a bill to amend the Criminal Code and the Firearms act which would put an end to the long-gun registry. The registry (which required that all gun owners be licensed and registered) has been hotly debated since its creation in 1995. Opponents of the registry have claimed that it is ineffective and costly, while advocates say it helps prevent shootings, violence against women, and suicide.
In September of 2010, a combined effort from the Liberals, the Bloc, and the NDP defeated a private members’ bill that would have abolished the registry by only 2 votes.
During his re-election campaign in April, Harper vowed that his party would “scrap the long-gun registry”.
If the registry is scrapped, Harper has announced that the database of formerly registered gun owners will be destroyed as well.Many police officials (including Peterborough Police chief Murray Rodd) have spoken out against this, explaining that the registry database is an important resource for their investigations.
In light of this, the National Assembly of Quebec voted unanimously “that the chief firearms officer take all the necessary measures to preserve the completeness of the data from Quebec entered in the firearms registry.” The province is discussing the possibility of starting its own registry.
