B.C. WILDLIFE FEDERATION

For Immediate Release: May 27, 2004

Proposed gun registry changes are just ineffective tinkering

After months of speculation, and election preparedness, the federal Liberals have released what they claim is “a comprehensive package of improvements aimed at controlling Canadian Firearms Program costs and enhancing the capacity of law enforcement agencies to combat gun crime”.

The B.C. Wildlife Federation is extremely disappointed that there was no successful attempt to address the real issue of the financial, procedural and social problems inherent in the current firearms legislation.

In spite of a new poll showing that over 75% of the Canadian public believe that the firearms registry should be scrapped the government chose to continue it, hoping to make the program more palatable to firearms owners by simply claiming they will eliminate registration and transfer fees after the election and to the general public and capping the annual funding to the firearms registry at $25 million. This legislation still treats law-abiding long gun owners as criminals for simply owning firearms and does nothing to enhance public safety from criminal activities.

In the current tinkering, the Liberals demonstrate they have no interest in dealing with the fundamental problems of the registry and that it is simply bureaucratic business as usual.

None of the concerns identified by the B.C. Wildlife Federation and others were given serious consideration. At the end of the day, the firearms registry will continue to waste taxpayers’ dollars and law-abiding firearms owners will still be treated as criminals by dint of this oppressive legislation.

It is a puzzle why the Liberals insist on preserving such poorly written, ineffective and unsupported legislation.

The BCWF is the largest and longest standing, province-wide, voluntary and locally funded conservation organization in British Columbia and is the voice of conservation-committed hunters and anglers. The BCWF consists of 30,000 members and 125 clubs in all areas of the province.

For further information contact Tony Toth, Executive Director, at 604-533-2293 or Email: atoth@bcwf.bc.ca

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BCWF ALERT

John B Holdstock
BC Wildlife Federation
Kelowna, BC

jbholdstock@shaw.ca
http://www.bcwf.bc.ca/

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