Manitoba Refuses To Prosecute Firearm Registration Offences

[Drizzt]

MANITOBA REFUSES TO PROSECUTE FIREARM REGISTRATION OFFENCES
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Prosecution Policy Leads Provinces in Opposition To Federal Government's Gun Registration Scheme: Mackintosh

Manitoba confirmed today its prosecution policy directing Crown attorneys not to prosecute any firearm registration offences issued under either the Firearms Act or the Criminal Code.

"We have been opposed to the federal government's registry scheme right from the beginning," said Attorney General Gord Mackintosh. "There is no benefit to the public in making criminals out of hunters and farmers, and it is a waste of time and resources to have provincial Crown attorneys prosecuting registration offences."

Most charges are likely to be laid by police under the Firearms Act, which the provincial government does not enforce. Where police lay charges under the Criminal Code, which the provincial government is generally required to prosecute, Manitoba will request that the federal government prosecute these charges. Should the federal government decline, Manitoba will stay these charges on the basis that prosecution by the province is contrary to the public interest.

"It is not in the public interest to prosecute offences that are trivial in nature and do not enhance public safety," said Mackintosh.

"Our policy will force the federal government to assume responsibility for enforcement, and will allow Manitobans to hold the federal government responsible for its own laws," said Mackintosh. "Our provincial policy has evolved to the point where we have pushed the legal limits in order to take a stand against this ill-conceived federal boondoggle. Taking this stand is particularly important as we move closer to the federally announced July 1 implementation date after which police could begin to lay charges."

Additionally, Manitoba Conservation officers will not administer or enforce long gun registration laws. Officers checking firearm users in the field will not be inspecting camps to check for compliance.

"The primary responsibility of Manitoba Conservation is the management of the province's natural resources, not to waste time and energy enforcing ineffective federal laws," said Conservation Minister Steve Ashton.

Manitoba does not expect to incur any costs associated with the administration of the federal registration scheme. Reimbursement of any unexpected costs will be sought from the federal government.

"The federal costs associated with implementing this scheme have grown into the billions," said Mackintosh. "We believe these resources could have been more effectively used in proven crime prevention efforts and in prosecuting serious crimes that pose a real threat to our communities and citizens."

http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/press/top/2003/04/2003-04-15-02.html

 

[WilderBill]

Hmmm, sounds like a possible attack of common sense north of our border.

 

[PATH]

Sounds like common sense is breaking out all over MAnitoba!

 

[Justin]

Hooray for our heroic neighbors to the north!

 

[WonderNine]

Additionally, Manitoba Conservation officers will not administer or enforce long gun registration laws.

Wouldn't want to let those handguns get out of registration though...they give too much power to the serfs outside of their property!

 

[SDC]

"Wouldn't want to let those handguns get out of registration though...they give too much power to the serfs outside of their property!"

Exactly; the "good" thing is, those conservation officers aren't going to meet anyone HUNTING with handguns, because the Liberal dip****s in power couldn't figure out a way to arrange our transport permits ("Authorizations To Transport") to allow hunting with a handgun. I believe that this BS is slowly going to die, but it's going to take either a change in the Liberal leadership (that parasite Chretien has too much invested in this law to let it die) and/or a complete new party in power (unfortunately, a lot tougher than it sounds, because the Liberal support is clustered in Toronto, which has the MOST population, and the MOST seats in parliament).

 

[stevelyn]

Common sense and patriotism starting from the top down.

 

[JackM]

Well, folks, that is a Government of Manitoba press release, and don't expect Gary Doer's NDP socialist government to get anything more than half right. As Paul Harvey says, "Now for the rest of the story".

http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/brodbeck.html

NDP shoots self in foot
By TOM BRODBECK -- Winnipeg Sun

If the Doer government doesn't want to make criminals out of gun-owning farmers and hunters, it's going to have to do a lot better than this week's flip-flop on its supposed refusal to enforce Ottawa's beleaguered gun
registration scheme.

Justice Minister Gord Mackintosh announced this week that he's changed his policy on prosecuting gun registration offences. Until recently, the province had planned to prosecute some registration offences but insisted it would bill the federal government for any costs incurred.

The policy contradicted the NDP's longtime opposition to the gun registration/licensing scheme.

After that was made public by The Winnipeg Sun last month and after the newspaper reported the federal government had no plans to pay such bills from Manitoba, Mackintosh changed his tune.

The policy now is that the province won't prosecute any gun registration offences, either under the Firearms Act or the Criminal Code.

ANOTHER HATED COMPONENT

What they didn't tell the public this week, however, is that it still plans to prosecute gun-licensing offences -- another hated component of Bill C-68 -- which also fall under the Criminal Code.

Under C-68, you need to register your long gun and you need a license to possess it, even if you've owned it for 30 years.

Mackintosh said this week that there's no benefit to the public "in making criminals out of hunters and farmers."

Well, if you prosecute farmers and hunters for not having licenses for possessing long guns, you're making criminals out of them.

The story behind the story on this one is that the NDP desperately wants to preserve the rural seats it now has, including the two Brandon ridings. And it wants to make inroads into new rural ridings.

Premier Gary Doer is not satisfied to simply win the next election. He wants a landslide victory and he wants to take a few rural seats away from the Opposition Tories.

That would be a much taller order if his government was caught enforcing any part of the federal government's gun registration scheme. Gun registration is hated in most rural ridings. And enforcing it would be a serious
impediment to winning the hearts and minds of voters in southern Manitoba.

That's why we saw the big flip-flop this week.

No more talk of prosecuting some registration offences if they're part of a number of other Criminal Code offences. Gone is the bravado of "sending Ottawa the bill" for prosecuting any gun laws at all.

Unfortunately for the NDP, its flip was OK, but its flop didn't land entirely sunny side up.

The NDP still has to admit to farmers and hunters that it will prosecute them for not having a licence for that old Winchester in the barn.

And that, my friends, will not be welcomed with open arms.

Bye
Jack

 

[Partisan Ranger]

The leftist parasite extremists in Canada primarily reside in the eastern part. The western part is more aligned with American values.

I have long favored this swap - We'll take Alberta, they can have California.

 

[Soap]

Awesome!

 

[Dave R]

Even with the caveats, that is a courageous stand for a Provicial offical to take.

Can you imagine the Governor of Vermont, or Texas, or FL, or Idaho, saying "our state policy is to NOT prosecute offenders of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban" or any other piece of Federal gun regulation?

I can't even imagine it.

Kudos to Manitoba.

 

[Ian]

Yep, I can imagine that. I just think "Wow, imagine what we might be able to pull off with the Free State Project...."

 

[JackM]

Manitoba isn't leading, it's following Saskatchewan and several other provinces at a safe distance. The other catch is that the RCMP is a Federal force and can pass any charges to a federal prosecutor, even though this is rarely done in Canada.

Bye
Jack