PUBLICATION: The Calgary Sun
DATE: 2005.10.10
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: 7
ILLUSTRATION: photo of VIC TOEWS
BYLINE: SARAH KENNEDY, CALGARY SUN
WORD COUNT: 210


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GUN REGISTRY CASH 'BETTER SPENT' HIRING MORE COPS

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Canada's gun registry is a complete failure and the money would be better spent on hiring more police officers, says the government's justice critic.

Manitoba MP Vic Toews said the gun registry hasn't been successful in lowering the crime and murder rates in the country. "Crime in Canada is not going down and in fact, in the last 10 years there has been a steady increase," he said. "The murder rate would be higher, too, if it weren't for timely medical intervention."

Toews said since the registry came into place, few people have gone to jail for possessing an unregistered firearm.

"The issue isn't registration," said Toews, who was in Calgary Saturday for a town-hall meeting on city crime. "The issue should be that we catch these guys who are using guns and put them in jail for longer periods of time."

The meeting was organized by MP Lee Richardson.

Government figures estimate the cost of the controversial registry at $1 billion. Opposition members have pegged the cost closer to $2 billion.

Toews said the registry should be scraped and the money channeled into police resources.

In a September Calgary Sun online poll, readers were asked if they thought the federal gun registry was a good idea. Out of 939 respondents, 7% said yes and 93% said no.

Calgary resident Vern Doten, 78, said he is sick of hearing about shootings happening in the city.

He agrees with Toews the registry isn't working and said it's up to the courts to take a harsher stance.

"I feel as far as the courts are concerned, when an illegal, unregistered gun is found in a vehicle, there should be a way to prosecute," he said.

Out of the estimated 7.9 million guns believed to be in Canada, there are still 900,000 that have not been registered.

TEN YEARS AND $2 BILLION LATER: NUMBER OF GUNS UNREGISTERED
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/issues/guninfo/fafu_2005_05_17.doc

18% OF 311,388 REGISTERED HANDGUN OWNERS WITH A VALID FIREARMS LICENCE
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/issues/guninfo/2005_firearmsfactsupdate_06_10.doc

STATISTICS CANADA TABLE: VIOLENT CRIME RATE MORE THAN 4 TIMES GREATER THAN IN 1962!
(Requires Acrobat Reader - Free Download)
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/ViolentCrimeinCanada1962_2003.pdf

STATISTICS CANADA TABLE: VIOLENT CRIME INVOLVING FIREARMS, 2001-2003
(Requires Microsoft Excel)
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/2005_April_ViolentCrimesInvolvingFirearms_2001_2003.xls
2003 - Firearms Present in 2.74% of Violent Crimes
2003 - Firearms Causing Injury in 0.47% of Violent Crimes

WHAT THE LIBERALS CAN’T OR WON’T TELL YOU ABOUT THEIR $2 BILLION FIREARMS PROGRAM
By Garry Breitkreuz, MP, Conservative Firearms Critic – August 8, 2005
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publicate/Columns/2005_aug_8.htm

TEN YEARS OF GUN REGISTRY POLLS
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/issues/guninfo/2005/ffu_07_14.doc