Canadian Gun-Control

Its been what, about 10 years now since the stricter gun-contol laws were passed in Canada?

What are your thoughts, pro or con, on it effetiveness and affect on Canadian society?

Good question. My biggest concern is the Gun Registry that we once had in Canada. Was it a good idea for Harper to abolish it?

The idea that many people can own these weapons without having to register them concerns me. But it was a very costly program, that may not of been efficient as originally thought. But the fact was we did have legislation in place to fall back on, now that it has been removed were kind of wandering around in the dark. It may of kept weapons out of the wrong hands on more than one occasion, money well spent in my opinion.

I believe our lack of gun crimes in the country stems from much more than our laws. Our media plays a big role, our lack of emphasis on murders on our daily news casts effects our psyches I believe. American news broadcasts are filled with murders, robberies, etc., to go along with their gun control issues.

The 1995 Firearms Act had three main public safety goals: to deter the misuse of firearms, to control access to them and to control specific weapons. The national firearm registry will make it easier to trace guns used in criminal activity and to return stolen guns to their owners. The licensing requirements, which include extensive background checks and a spouse's signature on the application, are designed to prevent those with a history of criminal behaviour, mental illness or spousal abuse from legally owning a gun. To prevent loss of life through accidental shootings, the law requires an applicant for a firearms license to take the Canadian Firearms Safety Course and pass a test demonstrating a basic understanding of who to handle guns safely and the legal responsibilities of firearm ownership. It also requires that all firearms be stored unloaded and locked.

www.canadianembassy.org...

The purpose of this registry was ideal, so doing away with it was a bad idea in my books. I am sure we could of revamped the program to make it more cost efficient rather than closing it down.

Gun Control Plan to Control Costs and Management

Skyrocketing costs of the gun control registry in Canada and scathing criticism of the program by the Auditor General of Canada in December 2002 led the Canadian federal Justice Department to hire management consultants to examine the efficiency and the financial systems and controls of the Canadian gun control program.

canadaonline.about.com...

The goals of this initiative were:

Cost Reduction

* streamlining headquarters
* consolidating the processing sites in Miramichi, New Brunswick and Montreal. Quebec by January 2004
* implementing a Continuous Improvement Plan
* establishing national work performance measurement and cost standards with provinces and other partners to ensure consistency and cost control
* restricting computer system changes
* moving the National Weapons Enforcement Support Team out of the Canada Firearms Centre to the National Police Services of the RCMP to consolidate law enforcement functions.

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Improvement of Service to the Public

To make it less difficult to register firearms:

* online registration of firearms was reintroduced in February 2003
* a 1-800 number is being maintained for telephone information requests
* a goal of 30 days has been set for processing properly completed firearms registration applications.

With little research, it become very clear the registry was flawed. But surely the brains behind our country could of concocted some system that puts an onus on all gun owners to register their weapons.

To anyone who is interested, the 2002 Auditor General's Report can be found here:

www.oag-bvg.gc.ca...

Do any of our Canadian members of AboveTopSecret actually own a weapon? I do not, have never even fired a weapon. My step-father was an avid hunter, but I never went on any trips. Actually refused to fire the weapon on more than one occasion. Guns are not my thing, and I'm skeptical why anyone would insist on filling their home with a gun. Why pose this risk on your family?

Gun Control is one issue that we rarely hear of come election time. It is a bit of a non issue in our country. The only time it became a hot topic was after a school shooting, which are very rare, or when the Registry itself was audited.

So yeah, it is a non issue. But our lack of enforcement on our legislation concerns me. I still don't think we should permit anyone to carry a weapon.

Rambling... Over!

[edit on 7-11-2006 by chissler]