As chair of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, I was not surprised to hear many witnesses recently testify that the national long-gun registry does nothing to keep Canadians safe.
The committee heard 33 witnesses over five days in May and members of Parliament from all political parties were invited to ask them questions on Private Members' Bill C-391.
After hearing from these witnesses and acting out of desperation, the opposition MPs on the committee formed a coalition to kill the bill. They used their combined majority to return the bill to the House of Commons with a recommendation to kill it without even voting on it at 3rd reading. They claim that since there are police associations that support the registry, any notion of dismantling it should be rejected.
Meanwhile, they chose to completely ignore the experienced police officers who appeared as witnesses who believe the registry is actually a potential hazard to any peace officer who uses it.
Former inspector Jack Tinsley, who is now retired after 33 years as a Winnipeg police officer, was a member of the SWAT team and a team leader of the sniper unit. He told the committee that the registry is a waste of time and money. He also said that many officers who oppose the registry did not provide input to the committee debate because they feared it could have a detrimental effect on their career advancement.
"Hundreds of currently serving police officers have been effectively silenced after making it known that they also believe the long-gun registry is ineffective," testified Inspector Tinsley. "To be blunt, they've been ordered not to appear at this hearing by their respective chiefs of police, and therefore not to speak from their hearts and consciences with a mind to promoting effective alternatives for reducing violent crime against women and all other persons in this country."
Chief Bob Rich of the Abbotsford Police Department in BC told the committee: "It's my firm belief that the registry is horrifically inaccurate. I talk to my investigators and I talk to my gun expert, and in story after story, whenever they've tried to use it, the information in it is wrong So I find my investigators actually don't rely on the registry.
They are obligated to check the system when there's a domestic violence situation, because we should use everything we have, but I think a flawed system is worse than any system. If we can't fix it, with the greatest of respect, the long-gun registry should be scrapped."
Many other police officers and firearms experts testified that the registry is a useless money pit for taxpayer dollars. Bill C-391should not be killed by the Liberal-NDP-Bloc Quebecois coalition before MPs have a chance to vote on it.
To read excerpts from evidence provided by witnesses who appeared before the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security in support of Bill C-391, please visit my website at: www.garrybreitkreuz.com.
