ONTARIO MPP FEARS PROVINCIAL REGISTRIES

ONTARIO MPP FEARS PROVINCIAL REGISTRIES: Gun owners and those concerned with the waste of money should be glad to see the end of the long gun registry -- an issue that has long frustrated farmers, hunters and recreational shooters. Ending the registry was part of the federal Conservative platform. It's expected legislation to that end will be introduced this fall and will be similar to the Private Member's Bill voted down jointly by the Liberals, NDP and Bloc Quebecois last year. I have been a critic of the long gun registry and Bill C-68 since the Chretien Liberals proposed it in the 1990s. I rode the bus to Ottawa with constituents to march on Parliament Hill to protest the then-pending legislation. Estimates put the amount of money wasted on tracking farmers and duck hunters at more than $2 billion while doing nothing to address criminals. By definition criminals don't obey the law, so why would they register their guns? And while the federal gun registry may soon be history, I remain concerned about the potential for a provincial registry. In Quebec, there is speculation about the provincial government implementing its own registry. And there has been media speculation that Premier McGuinty might take similar measures. As Official Opposition we are opposed to any long-gun registry, federal or provincial. Can we trust that Mr. McGuinty will not implement a provincial long gun registry? By way of contrast, Mr. McGuinty asked the federal government for a handgun ban in 2007. The federal Conservatives denied his request, saying it might do more harm than good. The NDP also support a comprehensive handgun ban. (Toby Barrett, Progressive Conservative MPP [Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant] and opposition Environment critic – Sachem.ca – August 23, 2011)