For American gun owners curious about what's been going on lately north of the border here's some good news. The newly elected Canadian Prime Minister, Steven Harper, has announced plans to scrap Canada's long gun registry. It seems that folks are beginning to realize that criminals don't register their firearms and that there has been no evidence to indicate that the registry has done anything to lessen gun violence in Canada. Ten years ago, the Canadian public was told that the registry would only cost 2 million dollars. As the cost began to skyrocket the then government in power promised to scrap the registry if the cost were to reach 150 million. Well less than ten years later the cost was now over 1 billion dollars and it was still rising. Some analysts claim that the true current figure is now near 2 billion dollars but no one seems to know for sure. So now the new government wants to scrap the rifle registry and increase penalties for criminals who use guns. They promise that in the future, the money that would have gone into maintaining the registry will now be spent on crime control. Go figure ...
Canadian Gun Laws ... Encouraging News
- Thread starter Autolite
- Start date
- Status
Standing Wolf
Member in memoriam
That's a good first step.
creitzel
Member
So does anyone have any idea what this will mean for U.S. citizens who want to take long guns into Canada? I own some property up in Ontario, and I'd like to take long guns up there for wilderness protection (black bears in the area) and for plinking. I've been doing some reading on the subject, and it seems like a real hassle with the current laws. Any idea what will change if the registry is abandoned?
Unfortunately, the new conservative Canadian PM does not have much of a "mandate". Because Canada uses the European parlimentary system that has multiple parties, unlike the United States, the conservatives do not have a true majority. What they currently have a rather weak coalition of parties and interests in the canadian parliment that may not be allies of the liberals, but are no fans of the conservatives either.
It seems to me that much of the hullabaloo over the recent Canadian election is just the shock value of having the conservatives in power. Much like the leftist trifecta of the Democratic Party, Mainstream Media, and Hollywood here in America, there is an attitude of entitlment to power on the political left. And it's my opinion that much of the "outrage" over Bush/Cheny/Iraq/Patriot Act/Haliburton/WMD etc. etc. etc. is realy just symptoms of the underlying disease of their current political impotence.
I personaly doubt the Canadian gun registry will be truly scrapped unless Harper has complete executive control over it and can do so without passing something in the Parliment first. At best, I think you'll see band-aid "solutions".
It seems to me that much of the hullabaloo over the recent Canadian election is just the shock value of having the conservatives in power. Much like the leftist trifecta of the Democratic Party, Mainstream Media, and Hollywood here in America, there is an attitude of entitlment to power on the political left. And it's my opinion that much of the "outrage" over Bush/Cheny/Iraq/Patriot Act/Haliburton/WMD etc. etc. etc. is realy just symptoms of the underlying disease of their current political impotence.
I personaly doubt the Canadian gun registry will be truly scrapped unless Harper has complete executive control over it and can do so without passing something in the Parliment first. At best, I think you'll see band-aid "solutions".
island
Member
Actually, estimates are now putting it somewhere closer to 3 plus billion - the auditor general is still finding paperwork, apparently...
Lobotomy Boy
Member
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2004
- Messages
- 2,449
But that's 3 billion Canadian, which works out to something like U.S. $14.89 at the current exchange rate. 
Cost
Maxwell,
Look for "Financial Results"
http://www.atf.treas.gov/pub/gen_pub/2003annrpt/index.htm
635 million is the official budget but, I don't know if that covers everything..
This is for 2003
900 million for 2001-2002
DCH
Maxwell,
Look for "Financial Results"
http://www.atf.treas.gov/pub/gen_pub/2003annrpt/index.htm
635 million is the official budget but, I don't know if that covers everything..
This is for 2003
900 million for 2001-2002
DCH
Lucky
Member
AJ Dual
"Unfortunately, the new conservative Canadian PM does not have much of a "mandate". Because Canada uses the European parlimentary system that has multiple parties, unlike the United States, the conservatives do not have a true majority. What they currently have a rather weak coalition of parties and interests in the canadian parliment that may not be allies of the liberals, but are no fans of the conservatives either."
NDP and Liberals are both kind of socialist party. NDP is more towards the economic socialism, Liberals are more towards centralized power and authority aspects of socialism. They seem too be copying US Democrat styles, hoping to gain support. Right now they are trying to 'polarize' the country because of out involvement in Afghanistan. (It's a UN mandated peacekeeping mission where they have already had the success of introducing democracy) I hope they fail, and the country recognizes that they are actually playing politics with a serious military operation.
Once the conservatives have been in power for a couple years, people might realize that the country didn't fall into the ocean, as they were told it would. So the conservative party will gain support if it simply governs in an intelligent and honest manner. They've already guaranteed themselves my votes forever if they democratize the senate, and scrap the registry. But aside from long-gun registry being cancelled, it would take a big paradigm shift in a lot of people for gun-rights to be expanded. Society would have to change radically, institute a militia, or firearms training in schools, that sort of thing.
(Big point here - if the senate is democratized, then the senators would be elected, instead of appointed (for life) by the Prime Minister. The Senate is designed, has a stated purpose, of representing REGIONS of the country (like yours, except the more populace areas do still get a few more votes). And they can veto any legislation proposed. So Ontario (Toronto) would not be able to control the laws of the country any longer. This really really worries them, and I love it. IMO our current gun-control law (banning so so many things) would not have been passed if the senate had voted on the wishes of the regions.
"Unfortunately, the new conservative Canadian PM does not have much of a "mandate". Because Canada uses the European parlimentary system that has multiple parties, unlike the United States, the conservatives do not have a true majority. What they currently have a rather weak coalition of parties and interests in the canadian parliment that may not be allies of the liberals, but are no fans of the conservatives either."
NDP and Liberals are both kind of socialist party. NDP is more towards the economic socialism, Liberals are more towards centralized power and authority aspects of socialism. They seem too be copying US Democrat styles, hoping to gain support. Right now they are trying to 'polarize' the country because of out involvement in Afghanistan. (It's a UN mandated peacekeeping mission where they have already had the success of introducing democracy) I hope they fail, and the country recognizes that they are actually playing politics with a serious military operation.
Once the conservatives have been in power for a couple years, people might realize that the country didn't fall into the ocean, as they were told it would. So the conservative party will gain support if it simply governs in an intelligent and honest manner. They've already guaranteed themselves my votes forever if they democratize the senate, and scrap the registry. But aside from long-gun registry being cancelled, it would take a big paradigm shift in a lot of people for gun-rights to be expanded. Society would have to change radically, institute a militia, or firearms training in schools, that sort of thing.
(Big point here - if the senate is democratized, then the senators would be elected, instead of appointed (for life) by the Prime Minister. The Senate is designed, has a stated purpose, of representing REGIONS of the country (like yours, except the more populace areas do still get a few more votes). And they can veto any legislation proposed. So Ontario (Toronto) would not be able to control the laws of the country any longer. This really really worries them, and I love it. IMO our current gun-control law (banning so so many things) would not have been passed if the senate had voted on the wishes of the regions.
- Status