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[IronNoggin]

Immediately following Question Period yesterday, MP Gary Breitkreuz for Yorkton-Melville presented a Private Members Bill to get rid of the useless and excessively expensive Gun Registry:
http://www.garrybreitkreuz.com/inthehouse/...s/2009_feb9.htm

BREITKREUZ BILL - BACKGROUNDER - Draft #1

By Garry Breikreuz, MP (Yorkton-Melville) - February 9, 2009


This Bill accomplishes a number of innovations to lower the excessive costs and unnecessary complexities of the Firearms Act without having any negative effect on public safety:

- Eliminates the useless Long-Gun Registry for Non Restricted Firearms;

- Asks the Auditor General to perform a Cost/Benefit Analysis every five years;

- Requires License Verification upon Transfer of Non-Restricted Firearms;

- Merges "Authorizations to Transport" for Licensed Individuals;

- Combines the Possession Only Licences and "Possession and Acquisition Licenses;

- Changes the License Renewal Period to 10 Years; and

- Changes the Grandfathering Dates for 12(6) handguns.


- Firearms owners will still require a License, background checks, continuous eligibility, references, and safety training;

- All licenced owner information is still available to police;

- Bill does not affect restricted and prohibited gun registries. They remain intact;

- Save taxpayers millions of dollars per year to be redirected to real police priorities.

Streamlining Authorizations to Transport (ATT):

- Bill makes no changes to lawful transport or storage requirements

- Bill re-establishes the existing reasons for transport in the Firearms Act; and

- Provides an increase to public safety by freeing up more funds and resources for law enforcement.

Combining the POLs and PALs:

- Currently: Three kinds of license: Possession and Acquisition License (PAL), the Possession Only License (POL) and the Minor's License. Amendment in bill merges POLs and PALs;

10 Year Licensing:

- The RCMP has developed the enormously successful Continuous Eligibility System;

- The Continuous Eligibility System cross-references the individual license holder's name with every police computer in Canada. In effect this amounts to an individual's license being renewed daily;

- High tech data management solution eliminates the costly paperwork system developed in 1995;

- This will save significant costs spent in an unnecessary renewals process; and

- The bill adds a two-year license suspension period to allow owners with expired licenses to renew without inadvertently becoming criminals. Holders may not acquire firearms or ammunition during this suspension period.

- No impact on public safety as police will still receive the same information in a timely manner.

Loooong Overdue IMHO! Certainly hope this one passes!

Cheers,
Nog

[Oliver]

Interesting.  But how does this actually change anything (aside from not calling it a registry)?  It appears to maintain the licensing system, and hence the status of having a gun without a license is still an offense.  Having a license entails registering (yourself, i suppose, as opposed to your firearm--same gist though).  You'll recall that the PAL and PO licenses came in with the registry, I assume...

[tommyflyfisher]

What would combining the PAL and POL look like, assuming you had a POL?