Canada tables bill to scrap long-gun registry
OTTAWA — The federal government has introduced legislation to scrap the controversial long-gun registry.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews tabled a bill dubbed "An Act to amend the Criminal Code and Firearms Act" Tuesday in the House of Commons.
The Conservatives tried to pass a similar bill during the previous Parliament but it failed due to the party's minority status.
The Tories now have a majority in both the House and Senate and the bill is likely to pass, albeit amid heated debate as the registry has long divided Canadians along rural-urban lines.
While some feel the registry is an important tool for police to keep track of firearms, others think it's an expensive burden for otherwise law-abiding gun owners.
The registry has also caused tension in NDP and Liberal ranks as members struggled to reconcile the wishes of rural constituents with the their overall wish to maintain the registry.
On Monday, Toews indicated that provinces that wish to implement their own registries will receive no help from the federal government.
"Provincial governments are free to proceed as they wish but we will not assist in setting up another registry," he said during question period. "Records held by the Canadian firearms program will not be shared with the provinces."
Toews made the comments in response to a question from Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia who suggested some provinces, like Quebec, were prepared to assume the responsibility themselves.
Read more: http://www.canada.com/Canada+tables+bill+scrap+long+registry/5602799/story.html#ixzz1bo1H0NgU
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發表於 2011-10-25 06:58
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