As an owner of firearms used for hunting, I was skeptical about the registering of long guns. As a law abiding citizen I registered each one and paid the fee. The government agency returned the money at a later date when they found that the fee was a barrier to the poor in registering their firearms. With the registering my personal long guns I also became aware of the careless manner in which I looked after them and the manner in which I protected ammunition.
Because of this I installed a proper vault and separate place for ammunition. This made me a responsible gun owner. During my life I have seen first hand the careless handling of weapons that have lead to serious accidents. As coroner in the Arctic I investigated incidents where long guns were the accidental cause of death. Well meaning people were careless because for years it was part of the northern culture, and a necessary tool for existence hunting.
With a little training in proper use and storage of these guns few accidents occured. A program was started whereby gun cabinets were made and distributed to owners of long guns and proper security was taught. During my years up north very few accidents were reported.
Today in Canada we have an excellent registry after years of chaos and wasteful problems. Every law agency and group except the NRA and similar groups laud the registry. Police are protected and warned of guns in a home before they visit a situation in a home where there is a possibility of violence. People who are mentally unstable are denied the purchase of firearms and the list goes on.
Very soon the Government of Canada will vote on the disbandment of the gun registry. There is a call by the RCMP to continue the registry, but a small voice backed by a right wing conservative minority who are determined to vote it down, have the power to do so if they get the support of a dozen NDP members. If this occurs it will be the third Billion Dollar mess this year by our politicians. We trust better thoughts will prevail from all sides and we keep this important tool for our law enforcement officers in place.
Wow - you have really come to appreciate that registry. I remember how upset you were initially, but I agree, it is a necessary step to at least try to mitigate misuse of arms.
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