Licensing:
A Cancer of the Soul

While endorsing Mr. Breitkreuz's Bill C-301, a private member’s bill to amend the Firearms Act, Lethbridge Conservative MP Rick Casson continues to propagate the self-serving Conservative line that the “long gun registry” component of the Firearms Act is responsible for the horrendous cost overruns. However, look no further than MP Garry Breitkreuz's own website and you will find that the licensing component is the most expensive culprit of the Firearms Act. That unpleasant bit of information has to be ignored if you intend to retain the worst element of the Firearms Act, the POL/PAL licensing contrivance, which Bill C-301 perpetuates.

The Conservative's continuing spurious efforts to lump everything bad about the Firearms Act into the globular term firearms “REGISTRY” has confused most citizens and many gun owners. However, the Conservatives conveniently omit their POL /PAL licensing device from the “registry”. But their licensing scheme is a registry – a registry of people. Inexplicitly this registry only tracks people who are not criminals.

Mr. Casson is correct when he says,

But this observation applies, not just to the “long gun registry”, but also to the entire Firearms Act. The Conservatives appear intent on continuing to monitor responsible firearms owners - who are not the problem - while criminals continue to ignore the firearms licensing requirement while they shoot away.

Mr. Breitkreuz's Bill C-301 will continue making potential criminals out of responsible, honest citizens for nothing more then their "papers" not being in order. Mr. Breitkreuz's proposed amendment is nothing more than a pig in lipstick.

Al Muir Stellarton, Nova Scotia 12 February 2009