On Wednesday, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews tabled the proposed Firearms Information Regulations. They're aimed squarely at the RCMP's provincial chief firearms officers (CFOs), who are responsible for administering firearms rules.
After a long battle, the Conservative federal government scrapped this country's controversial long-gun registry in February.
However, Ontario's CFO stated he would force vendors to keep records for anyone who purchased firearms, including long guns, in police-owned ledgers.
Toews said Wednesday that won't be permitted.
"The regulations we are proposing under the Firearms Act will ensure that a long-gun registry will not be created through the back door and the will of Parliament is respected," Toews said in a statement.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Toews said the incoming rules will stymie the efforts of those who might try to revive the long-gun registry in the future.
"(This will) ensure that the leader of the NDP will not be able to use data collected by CFOs to attack the rights of law-abiding hunters, farmers and sport shooters through recreating the long-gun registry as he has promised to do, should he ever get the chance," he said.
Under the proposed federal regulations, a news release said, firearms vendors would no longer be required to keep the information that identifies the buyer of a non-restricted firearm. This "will eliminate the potential for the re-creation of the federal long-gun registry" the release said.
The regulations will be debated at Parliament's public-safety committee before coming into force.
Police groups have repeatedly stated their support for the long-gun registry at Parliamentary committee and in the media, saying it is a valuable tool in solving crimes and protecting the public.
In May, Ontario Chief Firearms Officer Supt. Chris Wyatt circulated a letter to firearms vendors explaining how Bill C-19, the Ending the Long Gun Registry Act, would be applied in the province.
He instructed firearms vendors to continue collecting information about purchasers of long guns — such as their names and addresses — and threatened to revoke their licences if vendors refused to comply.
"Bill C-19 does not define record of registration," Wyatt's letter said. "The chief firearms officer is taking the interpretation that a record of registration is the registration certificate number or a firearms registration number, only."
All provincial chief firearms officers met in February to discuss the ramifications of Bill C-19, a spokesman for Wyatt told Postmedia News. He said there was general agreement that firearms sales ledger information should still be collected, and that other provinces will likely follow Ontario's lead.
"That was the interpretation the CFOs nationally were taking," spokesman Steve Ridout said in May.
Tony Bernardo, the president of the Canadian Sports Shooting Association, said he was gratified to see the government slam the door on the "mini-registries."
"Some CFOs tried to flex their muscles by ignoring the spirit and intent of Bill C-19," he said. "The government has brought that game to a screeching halt with these new regulations."
By no longer forcing firearms vendors to record the names and addresses of customers, the government "has clearly illustrated that sport shooters are not criminals-in-waiting," Bernardo said.
Original Article
Source: ottawa citizen
Author: Jeff Davis
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