The Liberal Party of Canada is reaffirming its support for the national firearms registry by launching a series of internet, radio and print ads that highlight the Liberal plan to improve the gun registry.
“The Liberal Party is working to support our police and keep our communities safe,” said Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff. “Thanks to rural Liberal MPs, the Liberal Party has a plan to protect our families and make things simpler for legitimate gun owners.”
The Liberal plan to improve the gun registry would eliminate fees, streamline forms, and for those who fail to register, it’s a ticket for the first time, not a crime.
View the new Liberal ads here: http://lpc.ca/ads.
“Canadians want gun control that works, and that treats gun owners fairly,” said Mr. Ignatieff. “But we won’t abandon gun control. Not when rifles and shotguns are responsible for half the police officers killed in the line of duty in the last few years. Not when the gun registry is a vital tool that law enforcement uses 11,000 times a day.”
Today, survivors of the École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal endorsed the Liberal plan, before testifying at a Parliamentary committee to voice their opposition to the Conservative bill to scrap the registry, known as the “Hoeppner bill.”
The “Hoeppner bill” has been condemned by police, health professionals, victims and women’s groups across the country.
“The Liberal Party opposes the Conservative government’s effort to scrap the gun registry altogether and we will vote against the “Hoeppner bill” at third reading in the House of Commons,” said Mr. Ignatieff.
The gun registry is supported by the Canadian Association of Police Boards, Canadian Police Association and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, who have recently launched a website to dispel myths about the Canadian Firearms Program: http://www.truthsandmyths.ca.
“Police officers say the gun registry helps them do their job,” concluded Mr. Ignatieff. “Why is Stephen Harper ignoring them?”
Background:
A Liberal government would implement the following improvements to the long-gun registry:
• First-time failures to register long-guns would be treated as a simple, non-criminal, ticketing offence, instead of a criminal offence as they are currently, where there are no aggravating factors;
• Fees for new licenses, renewals and upgrades would be permanently eliminated; and
• The registration process – especially the forms – would be streamlined to make registration as easy as possible.
