He's against it altogether and he wants Saskatchewan to know it.
Garry Breitkreuz, M.P. for Yorkton-Melville, says any province that might consider starting its own firearms registry must first turn a blind eye to the mountains of evidence that the national registry has been a total failure.
The federal government's intention to introduce legislation this fall to scrap the long-gun registry has prompted a few provinces to speculate on creating their own. Breitkreuz has been a key advocate on firearms issues since he was elected in 1993 as a Reform Party member. He believes the wasted money and energy spent on a futile federal registry for 16 years would simply be replicated at the provincial level."The anti-gun lobby continues the charade of telling Canadians that the firearms registry is some sort of gun control system," explains Breitkreuz. "By its own design, a registry merely tags a gun with a person's name without indicating where a firearm is actually located. How does that help a police officer when he or she is answering a call? It doesn't. In fact, if a registry data dip tells a young officer there are no guns present and if they believe it, the results could be catastrophic.
"I have heard from hundreds of police officers who believe that registries are a pitiful joke and can't be fixed," he adds. "They refuse to even consult the registry because it's not designed to keep them or the public safe. It is mystifying that any province would even consider creating another one of these tax dollar sinkholes just to pretend it's a public safety measure. Have we learned nothing from the $2 billion federal boondoggle?"
Breitkreuz is the engine behind more than 500 federal Access to Information applications on firearms issues since the registry was created. He has received many awards from shooting sports organizations and outdoors federations across Canada for his work to reduce the onerous paper burden on responsible firearms owners. Breitkreuz notes that some firearms legislation makes "overnight criminals" out of law-abiding gun owners who did nothing to deserve the former government's wrath.
Breitkreuz himself initially believed like so many others that the long-gun registry might help deter crime. When he analyzed the alleged link between the registry and public safety, however, he easily concluded the registry was conjured up by the Liberal government of the day to merely placate Canadians.
"If police can't believe the registry data, and if criminals don't register their guns, what possible good can it do?" he asks. "Most people believe if it saves just one life, it's worth it. I agree, but it hasn't saved a life because a registry is not designed to do that.
"I am saddened when I see women's groups, emergency services agencies and victims' right advocates lobbying to keep the registry, because they may actually be hurting their own causes," he adds.
"This massive amount of cash should be used to fight real crime by putting more police officers on the street with better training and technology. The former government missed the boat, and it would be a shame if a short-sighted provincial government follows suit to garner votes. It's wrong to play on the emotions of voters who are not aware of the facts."
