Another Step Towards Scrapping Wasteful Liberal Long-Gun Registry

November 04, 2009

OTTAWA – Tom Lukiwski, Member of Parliament for Regina – Lumsden – Lake Centre is pleased that a House of Commons vote today marks the beginning of the end of the Liberal long-gun registry.

Members of Parliament voted 164 to 137 to support Private Members Bill     C-391 to dismantle the registry.  The Conservative Party of Canada has promised to end this ineffective program in previous election campaigns, and this is another step towards that goal.

“This is a landmark decision that required that some opposition members support the bill within a minority government situation,” says Lukiwski. “This issue clearly transcends party politics.  It’s about basic freedoms for hunters, farmers and sport shooters. It’s time to end one of the most wasteful programs in Canadian history.

The long-gun registry has been criticized for many years.  It has been error-ridden and grossly cost-ineffective and never actually contributed to the safety of Canadians. Scrapping it will save taxpayers millions of dollars that will be better spent on helping police catch real criminals.

“Placing a piece of paper beside a gun does not make Canadians safer,” explains Lukiwski. “Criminals don’t register their firearms and registering a gun doesn’t mean it can’t be used for a crime.  Any arguments to the contrary are politically motivated, ill-informed or both.

Bill C-391 will undergo closer scrutiny when it is sent to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, which is chaired by Garry Breitkreuz, an MP who has long fought the registry.  It will then be returned to the House of Commons for final reading in the months ahead, so the battle is not over.

“Candice Hoeppner, M.P. for Portage-Lisgar in Manitoba deserves credit for introducing Bill C-391 as a Private Members’ Bill,” says Lukiwski. “She has played a major role in getting rid of this wasteful legacy of Liberal governments gone by.”