Bryan Hayes Member of Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie and area promised during his election campaign that he would work to abolish Canada’s ineffective Long-Gun Registry.
On April 5th, 2012, MP Hayes along with the Government of Canada followed through with this promise and welcomed Royal Assent for Bill C-19: Ending the Long Gun Registry Act.
Recently, Thomas Mulcair, leader of the NDP, has committed his party to reviving the Long-Gun Registry. Mulcair says requiring firearms to be registered is the same as the obligation to register a car or license a dog. He also says duck hunters don’t need assault rifles, unless they’re planning to shoot a pterodactyl.
“I am proud that our Government followed through so quickly with our promise to end the wasteful and ineffective long-gun registry once and for all!” said MP Hayes. “The Long-Gun Registry unfairly targeted law-abiding farmers and hunters and cost millions of dollars.”
This summer, the Conservative Government announced the Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act which will:
· Merge the Possession Only License (POL) and the Possession and Acquisition License (PAL);
· Restrict the ability of Chief Firearms Officers to make arbitrary decisions;
· Create a grace period at the end of the five-year licence to stop people from immediately becoming criminalized for paperwork errors;
· End needless paperwork around Authorizations to Transport by making them a condition of a license;
· Require mandatory firearms safety courses for first-time gun owners;
· Strengthen firearms prohibitions for those who are convicted of domestic violence offences; and
· Fix the problem of arbitrary reclassification once and for all.
“Our government believes that owning a firearm is a right that comes with responsibilities. That is why we are committed to safe and sensible firearms policies,” said MP Hayes. “We delivered on our promise to abolish the Long-Gun Registry and we will always stand up for law-abiding hunters, farmers and sport-shooters.”
