To the Editor:
Canada's Firearms Program requires the registration of all guns and licensing of all gun owners. The registration of long-guns was added in 1995 to previous firearms laws and is only one small component of the overall program.
Therefore, when Stephen Harper, his Conservative MP's, and their friends in the gun lobby, falsely claim there is a "long-gun registry" that cost $2 billion dollars they are guilty of deliberately misleading Canadians! The truth is the entire Firearms Program has cost less than $1 billion over the last ten years.
The "2006 May Status Report of the Auditor General of Canada - Canadian Firearms Program" .states: "The program's actual net cost - was $946 million from 1995 to March 2005 and "currently, annual funding is set at $82.3 million".
The $82.3 million annual funding is for the entire Firearms Program and includes: Licensing costs of all firearm owners - $61.5 million, Registration costs for all firearms, including hand guns, restricted weapons, and long-guns - $15.7 million, and the remaining $5.1 million is allocated to Justice System Support, Border Control, International Initiatives, and Public/Stakeholder Outreach!
The recent RCMP report proves the Firearms Program is working very well and valued by law enforcement. Abolishing the registration of long-guns would only save $3.6 million per year.
So why are the Conservatives, and their gun-lobby friends, lying about the Registry and so willing to waste all the time, effort, and progress made, to save only a few million dollars per year. The answer: votes and paranoia!
Gordon Steele, Edmonton, AB.
