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Edmonton Journal - Opinion
November 19, 2000

Gun law aids in protecting Canadians

By David Cassels

The current federal election has aroused much debate about Canada's gun control legislation. This legislation responds directly to concerns raised by the police community again and again over the past decade.

Canada's Firearms Act balances public safety concerns and the legitimate needs of farmers, hunters and sports shooters. This past August, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) stood firm in its support for the firearms law, along with major public safety and crime prevention organizations across Canada. Experts continue to support the legislation as an essential tool to reducing the misuse of firearms and the illegal gun trade.

The firearms legislation provides critical tools for policing. The licensing system will ensure effective screening of applicants. The fact is that most criminals get their guns from so-called law abiding gun owners and that without mechanisms to track guns we have no way of controlling the illegal gun trade or enforcing existing safe storage laws.

The greatest problem we faced with the old system is the Firearms Acquisition Certificate (FAC) allowed individuals to buy as many rifles and shotguns as they wanted over a five-year period and these firearms could not be easily traced to the original owner. Currently, there are approximately five million rifles and shotguns in circulation and under the old system, police did not know who owned them. As of Oct. 28, 2000, over 1, 065,850 gun owners have applied for a licence and over 1,869,495 firearms are known to police.

Gun theft is a major problem. Evidence clearly shows that while safe storage laws are on the books, they are difficult to enforce without information about who owns what. Gun owners will be more accountable for their firearms and more likely to store them securely if they know their names are attached to them.

At least six public inquests into tragic incidents have recommended registration and licensing as preventative measures. In Canada there are currently 70,000 prohibition orders for people considered to be a risk to themselves or to public safety. But without registration, it is difficult for police to enforce them; we simply do not know who owns guns or what guns they own in high-risk situations. Registration will allow us to intervene earlier by providing information about what officers may encounter. As such, the law will be a major contributor to officer safety.

It is true that the costs are higher than originally anticipated but that is largely the result of concerted opposition from the gun lobby and its political allies. Millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent battling the legislation in court.

The legislation is really intended to hold irresponsible gun owners responsible for their firearms. It brings Canada in line with other industrial nations and makes a major contribution to making our streets safer.

Chief David Cassels (retired),

Winnipeg Police Service,

Radium Hotsprings,

B.C.

 

 

 
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