To the Editor:
Most gun owners in Canada believe that once the long gun registry is revoked by C-19, everything will return to normal to pre C-68 days. How wrong it is to think this way.
Killing the long gun registry has really not changed much in terms of controlling the people who own and use firearms in a peaceful manner. There are an estimated 396,000 possession licenses which will expire between now and May of 2013. There are over 300,000 already expired. These 396,000 firearm owners will become criminals in the eyes of the law as written in C-68.
Let's remember that C-68 has not been repealed in its entirety, a promise that Harper made over and over again before he became the PM. In other words, if you own a long gun (registered or unregistered), you must prove that you also have a valid possession license (PAL or POL), or you have broken the law and could face a fine or jail time for illegal possession of a weapon. The long gun no longer needs to be registered, but you the firearm user must be registered.
In Canada firearm owners are seen as potential criminals and therefore all must be registered, so that the police know where all these potential criminals live. The Harper government will not waive the license fee as they have in the past. Because of budget shortfall, the Harper government wants to start collecting the $80 fee starting this September estimated to be over $20 million.
Some provinces continue to keep back door registry information on lawful long gun owners despite calls from the feds to stop this activity. This mandatory possession license will impact the purchase of ammunition, firearms, hunting licenses, transportation, storage, etc. etc.
So what has changed? Lawful firearm owners continue to be treated worse than criminals. In my opinion , all firearms laws should be removed from the criminal code. Please call your MP and let him or her know how you feel about this matter.
Inky Mark, MP, Dauphin MB.
