While gun registration may seem no big deal on the surface, like so many other gun grabber proposals it really is about making it easier to grab those guns later, to restrict people from having firearms for protection and hunting and sport
Less than 20 per cent of long guns registered in Quebec ahead of Jan. 29 deadline
Quebec’s attempt to establish a firearms registry is facing resistance, and with a January deadline looming, less than 20 per cent of the long guns believed to be in the province have been declared.
Pro-gun activist Guy Morin is calling on the public to “wait until the last minute†to comply with the law. The spokesman for Tous contre un registre quebecois des armes a feu (All Against a Quebec Gun Registry) said in an interview Friday his hope is either the registry will be abolished or so few people will register that it “cannot be enforced.â€
The government has put the number of long guns — mostly shotguns and rifles — in Quebec at roughly 1.6 million. But since the registry opened last January, only 284,125 guns had been declared, Public Security Department spokeswoman Louise Quintin said.
Morin, whose group last month cancelled a plan to hold a rally at a memorial site for the 14 women killed at Ecole Polytechnique, said Quebec’s law is an affront. “We are Canadian gun owners, and this is insulting to us,†he said. “Why do we have to register here when everywhere else in the country, you don’t have to?â€
And said registry allows government to grow and repress
Following pressure from gun-control groups, Quebec passed a law creating its own registry in 2016. The government has given gun owners until Jan. 29, 2019 to register their firearms or face penalties of up to $5,000.
Quebec initially said its registry would cost $17 million and another $5 million annually to maintain. Quintin said in an email that the budget for setting up the registry is now set at $20 million.
Public Security Minister Genevieve Guilbault told reporters this week the government is hoping it does not have to resort to fines. “Yes, there are fines that can be applied for people who don’t fulfil their obligations,†she said. “But you know, before the repression part, I prefer to focus on the prevention part,†she added, encouraging people to register their guns over the Christmas holidays.
Oh, wait, it gets better
Heidi Rathjen, co-ordinator of PolySeSouvient, a gun-control group formed after the 1989 Polytechnique massacre, lobbied for the creation of the Quebec registry. She rejects arguments it is a waste of money, pointing to provincial police statistics showing 80 per cent of firearms seized during crimes over the past 20 years were long guns.
Rathjen said a registry is essential because guns cannot be controlled if the government doesn’t know how many there are and where they are.
Controlled. The same people are usually soft on criminals at the same time.
Read: Gun Owners In Quebec Are Less Than Enthused About Registering Their Guns »
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