Editor:
Re: The much-talked about firearm debate, by Jon McCormick, Observer, Jan. 21, 2011.
It has never been shown that the Firearms Registry has been a valuable tool for law enforcement officers, nor has it been established that it is a crime prevention tool.
How could it be, when the only people it is directed at are law-abiding citizens? Without going into the lengthy list of incidents where known criminals have had access to firearms and others who have been approved have gone off the rails, it is obvious that laws and bureaucracies cannot and do not control human behaviour.
Criminals ignore law in general and our corrections institutions are living proof that weapons and drugs cannot be kept out of provincial and federal prisons.
If guns cannot be obtained legally for lawful purposes, it does nothing to prevent their acquisition by illegal means for unlawful purposes.
The registration of firearms is often compared to the registration of vehicles, which does nothing to prevent theft
or criminal misuse of vehicles.
The difference is that if a vehicle is stolen and/or used in a criminal offence, the registered owner is not charged with improper safe storage.
Nor are your other vehicles seized and you are not banned from owning vehicles in future.
Should you fail to renew a vehicle licence or allow it to expire, your property is not seized.
You are still allowed to own and operate it on private land.
You do not need to show proof of registration to purchase fuel, parts or obtain service.
Firearms registration continues to be a political football with the CPC dangling the carrot of abolishing the Firearms Registry if given a majority and the Liberals ranting about public safety and the banning of handgun ownership by lawful citizens.
In the meantime, criminals are having a field day disregarding any and all laws pertaining to firearms, the illegal trafficking in guns unabated.
Todd Birch
Quesnel