Canada
Tories Used 'Every Trick in the Book' to Stall Police Gun Registry Report
Toronto Star (Ontario), Editorial
1 March 2010
As Parliament resumes sitting this week, among the issues on the order paper will be gun control - specifically, a private member's bill to abolish the long-gun registry. The bill passed second reading last fall by a vote of 164-137 as some Liberals and New Democrats joined the Conservatives in supporting it. Critics of the long-gun registry insisted that it is of little use to the police and not worth maintaining. This argument... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Women's Groups Pressure Opposition MPs to Save Canada's Gun Registry
Canadian Press
26 February 2010
MONTREAL, Canada - Gun-control advocates pleaded with Ottawa's opposition parties to stand united against a move to shelve the gun registry when Parliament reconvenes next week. The call came Friday from a coalition that included police, politicians, women's groups, and Heidi Rathjen, a survivor of Montreal's 1989 Polytechnique massacre. They said they hold no hope of persuading the governing Conservatives to back away... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canada Safety Council Wants Replica Guns Registered, Owners Licensed
CBC News (Canada)
25 February 2010
Replica guns should be licensed and registered just like the real thing, say safety advocates and police. In recent years, police officers across the country have shot and killed several people holding guns that later turned out to be replicas. The Canada Safety Council has approached police to push for gun replicas to be regulated under the federal Firearms Act, said council president Emile Thérien. That would require them to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Toronto Lawyer Loses 30 Handguns to Thieves, Police Remove 170 More
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
23 February 2010
Toronto Police seized about 170 firearms from a Toronto lawyer's downtown home following a break-in, but believe dozens of handguns have been stolen. And investigators fear those guns may already be in the hands of dangerous thugs. Toronto Police say they were called to a fourth-floor apartment on Isabella St., near Church St., around 7:30 a.m. Monday by someone who was looking after the place while the resident, lawyer... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Tories Delayed, Disputed Mounties' Report Showing Gun Registry Success
Toronto Star (Ontario)
22 February 2010
OTTAWA - The release of an annual firearms report last fall was delayed by testy officials in the public safety minister's office who demanded to know, among other things, details about an employee "celebration" of the program's 10th anniversary. That was just one of a series of questions posed to RCMP officials after the 2008 Commissioner of Firearms Report was delivered to the minister's office for tabling - a full seven weeks... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Licensed Toronto Handgun Owner Aced Safety Test, Then Killed Passerby
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
12 February 2010
In the months leading up to the shooting death of innocent bystander John O'Keefe, the man accused of firing the fatal bullet sat through a gun safety course, aced a test, then fired round after round under watchful eyes of certified instructors, a second-degree murder trial heard Friday. It was Sept, 7, 2007 that Edward Paredes, now 24, walked into the Grange Firearms Association north of Toronto and submitted his application for... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Privacy Commissioner Shoots Down Canada Gun Registry Poll Complaint
Canwest News Service (Canada)
26 January 2010
OTTAWA -- The RCMP did not violate the privacy rights of gun owners by giving their names, phones numbers and firearms information to a private pollster to conduct a survey about feelings on the controversial gun registry, says the federal privacy commissioner. Jennifer Stoddart dismissed a complaint from former public safety minister Peter Van Loan, who last September, asked the commissioner to investigate what he described as... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Man Arrested for Going Grocery Shopping with a Rifle
North Bay Nugget (Ontario)
19 January 2010
A man caused a stir at an Algonquin Avenue grocery store when he walked in with a rifle slung over his shoulder. North Bay police reported Tuesday that the man was doing his shopping at about 7 p.m. Monday. The man told officers he didn't want to leave his gun unattended at home. Officers arrested the man but no charges were laid. The investigation continues. ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Saskatoon Man Flaunted Rifle, Shot 6yr-old Girl Sleeping in Next Room
CBC News (Canada)
14 January 2010
The man who carelessly fired a rifle inside a Saskatoon home, hitting a sleeping child in the next room, has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison. The girl, Letisha Kishayinew, was six years old when the shooting took place Jan. 16, 2009. The bullet travelled through an interior wall of the home before striking the child. Spencer Wapass, 21, and another man were arrested within a week of the shooting. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Newfoundland Police Officer Charged After Handgun Stolen From Car
CBC News (Toronto)
13 January 2010
A veteran Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer is facing two firearms charges after his gun was stolen from his parked car in mid-December. A lawyer for Sgt. Campbell Feehan, 47, was in provincial court in St. John's Tuesday morning to hear a judge lay one charge of careless use of a firearm and a second charge of failure to properly store a firearm. Feehan's lawyer, Brad Wicks, is expected to appear in court again to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Assault Rifles Designed to Kill People, Should be Banned in Canada
Prince George Free Press (British Columbia), Editorial
12 January 2010
There is no doubt. It's not a hunting rifle. The assault rifle undercover police officers purchased on the street in Prince George is menacing. The black metal firearm is exactly what you'll see in Hollywood action movies. It's small and the stock folds up, making it easy to carry and easy to conceal. Looking at it in person leaves no doubt in one's mind that it is lethal. And, that it is not a deer rifle. However, it's not an illegal... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States,Canada
Chicago Gun Shop Owner Gets 7.5yrs for Smuggling 200 Guns to Canada
Chicago Sun-Times
18 December 2009
A former suburban gun shop owner has been sentenced to 7½ years in federal prison for illegally exporting more than 200 firearms to Canada -- some of which authorities say have been used in violent crimes. Ugur 'Mike' Yildiz, 39, of Park Ridge, owned the Chicagoland Bells gun store in Franklin Park until federal authorities revoked his license for violating the gun-control act in 2003. Canadian authorities have recovered... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Ontario Attorney General Voices Strong Support for Long Gun Registry
Hill Times (Ottawa), Opinion
14 December 2009
TORONTO -- Canada's long-gun registry helps to save lives, protect communities, and prevent crime. It is an important public safety resource that our police use every day in the important work they do. This fall a federal private member's bill to eliminate Canada's long-gun registry has been working its way through Parliament and will soon be considered by a House of Commons committee. As a government that is doing everything in... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Long Gun Registry is Much More Than a Symbol
Metro (Canada), Opinion
10 December 2009
This past weekend, groups across the country commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Montreal massacre. Families of the victims mourned their loss and recommitted to defending Canada's gun control law, which they called a monument to the memory of the victims. Twenty years ago, a man walked into l'Ecole Polytechnique, separated the men from the women and screaming -- you are all a bunch of feminists -- killed 14 young women and... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Police Support Massacre Victims: Don't Kill Long-gun Registry
Montreal Gazette (Quebec)
9 December 2009
Two Quebec police unions, the head of a Canadian coalition for gun control and a woman whose sister died during the école Polytechnique massacre of 1989 are calling on Canadians not to be taken in by the "myths" supporting the dismantlement of the national long-gun registry. "After 20 years ... it's really a lack of respect for the victims, for the families, for all the people who worked so hard to change the way that we fight... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Gun Control Advocates Fight 'Misinformation' Over Canadian Registry
CBC News (Canada)
9 December 2009
Twenty years after the École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal, survivors, victims' families, police officers and others are fighting what they are calling a campaign of misinformation about the federal long-gun registry. The groups, which also included advocates working on suicide prevention, appealed to the public to support the existing registry in a news conference in Montreal Tuesday. A private member's bill that... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Jealous Ottawa Husband Shot, Paralysed Wife with Registered Handgun
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario)
8 December 2009
OTTAWA -- A jealous boyfriend who shot his girlfriend in the throat with a semi-automatic handgun, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down, pleaded guilty to attempted murder Tuesday. Alvin Persaud, who was then 29, admitted putting the gun to the throat of 44-year-old Cathleen Lavoie and pulling the trigger just after 3 a.m. on July 22, 2008, in the living room of her Marlin Private home. Lavoie later told police that... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States,Canada
Smuggling Crime Guns from US to Canada 'So Easy,' No Need to Conceal
National Post (Toronto)
8 December 2009
Smuggling handguns into Canada was so easy for Earle Cooke that the dual citizen and status Indian eventually took very few precautions when crossing the border. "At first, I was concealing them, hiding them with the panelling in the vehicle. Then I realized how lax they were at the border. I didn't bother. I could buy a bag of bread and drop them in there. Buy groceries and mix them up with the groceries," Mr. Cooke testified in... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Battle Over Firearm Registry, Gun Control Reveal a Changing Canada
New York Times
7 December 2009
OTTAWA -- Like public health care, Canada's tight gun-control laws help distinguish the country from its powerful neighbor to the south. But as Canadians commemorated the 20th anniversary of one of the country's most notorious shooting sprees on Sunday, their Parliament was on course to eliminate one of its most significant gun-control measures. A long-gun registry, which requires the registration of rifles and shotguns, emerged... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canada Remembers Mass Shooting of 13 'Feminists' by Student with Rifle
Canadian Press
6 December 2009
MONTREAL -- Nobody took Marc Lepine seriously at first, when he walked into a classroom at the Ecole polytechnique on Dec. 6, 1989, and interrupted an engineering student's presentation on heat transfer. He stood there, in his threadbare parka, holding a 223-calibre Sturm-Ruger rifle. People stared, confused. One student asked him if he was playing a prank. "Everybody thought it was just a bad joke until he fired his weapon,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Gun Lobby Less of a Problem than Silence of the Canadian Majority
Toronto Star (Ontario), Opinion
6 December 2009
Twenty years ago today, an angry man walked into l'École Polytechnique in Montreal, separated the men from the women and screaming, "You are all a bunch of feminists!" killed 14 young female engineering students and injured 13 others. Many of us remember exactly where we were when we got the news. And exactly how we felt when we realized it could have been us or our daughters or our sisters. And we remember the outrage when we... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Gun Registry Demise Dismays Canadian Parents, Victims, Police, Women
Toronto Star (Ontario), Editorial
6 December 2009
On this night 20 years ago, a small group of heartsick Toronto women gathered at city hall to hold the first vigil for the 14 young women slaughtered that day at l'École Polytechnique in Montreal by a gunman screaming about "feminists." Every year since, women have marked Dec. 6 with memorials, vigils, reflections and vows never to let it happen again. On the second anniversary, a vanguard of prominent men stood in solidarity... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Scrapping Canadian Gun Registry 'Slap in the Face' for Massacre Victims
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
6 December 2009
Twenty years ago, the aftermath of the Montreal Massacre reshaped public opinion on gun control. Now, the House vote that ended the long-gun registry reopens old wounds - and has survivors fighting mad. To the sisters and mothers and survivors marked by loss, it remains the single most tangible legacy of the bloodshed at the École Polytechnique. It's also the most tenuous. Twenty years after a gunman took the lives of 14 women... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada,United States
Canadian Feminism Fuelled by Misogynist Montreal Mass Killer [Francais]
Le Devoir (Quebec)
5 December 2009
Elles s'appelaient Annie, Anne-Marie, Maud ou Maryse. Elles se nomment maintenant Elizabeth-Ann, Frédérique, Marie-Lise ou Marie. Les premières sont tombées sous les balles d'un homme qui n'aimait pas les femmes, au moment même où les secondes voyaient le jour. Vingt ans plus tard, c'est à leur tour de faire leur entrée à l'université. La tuerie de Polytechnique n'est généralement pas enseignée dans les écoles. Pas... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Generation of Feminists Created by Woman-hating Montreal Mass Shooter
Toronto Star (Ontario), Column
5 December 2009
"We are not feminists." A young, incredulous Nathalie Provost said those words to Marc Lépine 20 years ago Sunday. It was a bid to save her and her fellow students' lives -- the women Lépine had isolated in a university classroom before opening fire on them with a semi-automatic hunting rifle. Provost was one of the lucky four who survived. "At the time, I thought to be a feminist meant you had to be militant," says Provost,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Gun Registry a Potent Memorial of Montreal Shooting Massacre [Francais]
Le Devoir (Quebec)
5 December 2009
[Translated summary: Montreal school shooting massacre survivor and gun control campaigner Heidi Rathjen campaigns once again to retain the Canadian long gun registry.] OTTAWA -- Circonstance étrange pour un anniversaire spécial. Le malaise? Le 20e du drame de Polytechnique survient au moment où le principal héritage de l'événement -- le registre des armes à feu -- joue sa survie politique à Ottawa. Et cette épée de Damoclès,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Gun Registry, Gun Laws Save Lives, 'Uphold Social Order' in Canada
Peterborough Examiner (Ontario), Letter
5 December 2009
Recently, MPs voted 164 to 137 to repeal the registry of long guns and shotguns. This despicable, shameless, politically driven action flies in the face of public health, safety, and crime prevention. The issue of gun registration must not and cannot be limited to its impact on criminals. There are compelling reasons and widespread consensus in favor of compulsory gun registration. Gun registration provides vital safety information... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Misogynist Montreal Mass Shooter Rejected 'Mad Killer' Epithet [Francais]
Le Devoir (Quebec)
5 December 2009
«Même si l'épitète [sic]Tireur Fou va m'être attribué [sic] dans les médias, je me considère comme un érudit rationnel.» Ainsi se décrivait Marc Lépine dans sa lettre d'adieu, qui annonçait le carnage dont il sera l'initiateur et que chaque année l'on commémore. Depuis vingt ans, tout a été écrit sur cette tuerie de jeunes femmes. Tout, et dirions-nous, pas assez. Surtout à cause de la récupération politique... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Montreal Massacre Highlights 'Narrow Interests' of Minority Gun Lobby
Waterloo Record (Ontario), Opinion
5 December 2009
It is nearly 20 years to the day that a man with a legally acquired rifle entered our school and shot 23 people, including me, Nathalie Provost. Several of our close friends were among the 14 young women who died on Dec. 6, 1989, at l'École Polytechnique in Montreal. Our crime? Most of the shooting victims were women who wanted to become engineers. And an angry man was able to easily get access to a lethal weapon. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
MPs, Victims, Women's Groups Boycott Canadian Shooting Anniversary
Toronto Star (Ontario)
5 December 2009
OTTAWA -- The potential demise of Canada's long-gun registry cast a shadow Friday over any attempts by federal politicians to mark the 20th anniversary of the massacre of 14 women at Montreal's l'École Polytechnique. In the Commons, Bloc Québécois MP Thierry St-Cyr (Jeanne-Le Ber) said the survivors of the tragedy have been let down by the "hypocrisy" of a government that helped usher in recent private member's legislation to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
A Chronology of Canadian Gun Control Laws and Long Gun Registry
CBC News (Canada)
4 December 2009
When Canada's auditor general tabled her December 2002 report, she set her sights on Ottawa's controversial gun-registry program. Sheila Fraser blasted the federal government for exceeding its estimated budget, saying that by the time the smoke cleared and all gun owners and their guns were registered, the program would have cost taxpayers more than $1 billion. Opposition critics were quick to point out that figure is 500 times... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Massacre Survivor Says Canadian Government Can't Kill Gun Registry
Canadian Press
4 December 2009
MONTREAL -- A survivor of the murderous rampage at the Ecole polytechnique says the government will have blood on its hands if the controversial federal gun registry dies and there is a spike in firearm-related killings. Heidi Rathjen, a former engineering student at the school, was among those who worked to reform Canada's gun laws and set up the registry in the wake of Marc Lepine's attack on the school on Dec. 6, 1989. "I... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Polytechnique Shooting Survivor Backs Gun Control
Canadian Press
4 December 2009
A survivor of the deadly 1989 rampage at the École polytechnique says the Canadian government will have blood on its hands if the controversial federal gun registry dies and there is a spike in firearm-related killings. 'What does it say about all future gun victims? If this goes through, and the registry is abolished and gun-related murders and crimes go back up, the Conservatives will have blood on their hands.' -- Heidi Rathjen,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Tories Plan 'Huge Step Backward' to Dismantle Canadian Gun Registry
CTV News (Montreal)
4 December 2009
It was a cold early December night. The memories, all these years later, remain as sickening as ever. It's not something you can forget, nor should you. Their only crime was that they were bright young women with futures so promising. They were our daughters, our sisters, our friends. They will never grow old, have families, become engineers. December 6, 1989 changed all that. 20 years later we have come far. The legacy of the murders... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Tory 'Girlfriends' Hew to Party Line on Femicide, Vote to Kill Gun Register
Toronto Star (Ontario), Column
4 December 2009
If it weren't so hypocritical, it would be hysterical. On Wednesday, at a Parliament Hill ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the Dec. 6 massacre at Montreal's L'École Polytechnique, Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner co-starred in Status of Women minister Helena Guergis's show of sympathy. Bad enough that, last month, Guergis voted for Bill C-391, the legislation that aims to kill the long-gun registry and Hoeppner... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Nova Scotia Gun Amnesty, Buyback Swaps Cameras for 1,074 Firearms
CBC News (Canada)
3 December 2009
NOVA SCOTIA - More than 1,000 guns were collected during a month-long gun amnesty program in the Halifax area, police announced Thursday. The Pixels for Pistols program, which began Nov. 2, allowed local residents to turn in working guns in exchange for a new digital camera. Broken guns or ammunition could be traded for a gift card worth about $80. The program was a partnership between the police department and Henry's,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada,United States
Americans Amazed at Arrest for Smuggling Hidden Handgun to Canada
KIRO-TV News
26 November 2009
SEATTLE, Washington -- Canadians will welcome you and your money when the winter Olympics begin in February. But trying to take something else across the border could land you in jail. Gerald Burke of Tacoma knows that first hand, and is facing an uncertain future because of it. "The charge that the Crown is after is that I do three years in prison," he told KIRO 7 Investigative Reporter Amy Clancy recently. Burke... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Pistol Stolen from Licensed Gun Owner, Used to Blind Toronto Bus Driver
Toronto Star (Ontario)
25 November 2009
The gun used in the shooting that blinded TTC bus driver Jaime Pereira has an ugly criminal history. Forensic experts have determined the Browning FN 9mm handgun was linked to a series of crimes: The murder of youth worker Kempton Howard in 2003. Two young men were convicted. Two 2005 shooting incidents, one in Whitby, with no victims. The April 14, 2006, wounding of a customer in a variety store in Malvern... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Tory MPs Face Backlash After Voting to Scrap Canadian Gun Registry
Tyee (British Columbia), Column
17 November 2009
"The recent vote is appalling. We will witness the tragic consequences of this bill." -- Dr. Carolyn Snider, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians A lot of people had strong opinions on last week's column opposing the vote in Parliament to kill the long gun registry, passed with all Conservative and some Liberal and New Democrat MPs voting in favour. Today, I return fire on registry critics. Long guns... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States,Canada
Using 'Straw Buyers,' Particularly Women, Part of US Gun Crime Trend
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
17 November 2009
Katrina Wickett was 23 in the summer of 2007 when her life spiraled out of control. The father of her children moved out of their Bangor apartment, leaving her with a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old and a newborn. A few months later, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services placed her children in the custody of her parents. By fall, she was without work, without a relationship and without her children, according to documents filed in U.S.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Scrapping Canadian Gun Registry 'Dangerous Mistake, Will Haunt MPs'
Star Phoenix (Saskatchewan)
13 November 2009
The decision by a majority of Members of Parliament to scrap the long gun registry is a serious mistake that will return to haunt them. They caved into the right-wing redneck element that has opposed the registry since Day 1. The result will weaken our police forces and make the country a more dangerous place. Long guns basically are hunting rifles and they are more numerous and just as deadly as handguns. The registry... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Scrapping Canada's Long Gun Registry Is Pandering to Vocal Minority
Vancouver Sun
9 November 2009
Will Canadians ignore the irony of Parliament scrapping the long-gun registry the day before two more mass shootings in the United States and just before the 20th anniversary of the massacre of 14 women by a man with a rifle at a Montreal university? Prime Minister Stephen Harper had better hope so because the stratagem of using a private member's bill is a transparent attempt to subvert what Canadians clearly want while evading... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Conservatives Distorting Firearm Facts to Suit Gun Lobby in Canada
Toronto Star (Ontario), Editorial
8 November 2009
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's law-and-order Conservatives have no valid reason to kill off Canada's rifle and shotgun registry, beyond pandering to their rural constituencies. So they've resorted to playing up the cost of the so-called "long gun" database and denying its usefulness, trying to cast it in the worst possible light. And sadly, with support from a handful of spineless New Democrats and Liberals, the Harper government... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Firearm Database Popular With Police: Canadian Tories Hid Report
Toronto Star (Ontario)
7 November 2009
OTTAWA -- New quarterly figures posted on the RCMP's website reveal not just increased police use of the controversial firearms registry, but increased civilian use as well, meaning more guns in the hands of Canadians are being legally registered. At the end of September, 7.46 million firearms were registered, up from 7.36 million at the end of last year. Of that total, 6.7 million are non-restricted long guns, such as rifles and... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
An Appalling Betrayal: Canadian MPs Cave In to Disgruntled Gun Owners
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario), Opinion
6 November 2009
What a bitter spectacle: MPs from all parties, except the Bloc Québécois, caving to a decades-long campaign by disgruntled gun owners, to U.S.-inspired attack advertising in targeted ridings and to self-interest to issue a death warrant to the long-gun registry. The symbolism could hardly be more poignant -- well, yes, it could be. Our parliamentarians missed the 20th anniversary of the Montreal massacre, which inspired the creation... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canada's Competing Views on Guns Reinforce Town and Country Divide
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
6 November 2009
Different reactions. Divergent visions of a country. Wednesday's vote in the House of Commons to abolish the long-gun registry reinforced the divide between rural Canada and its metropolitan centres. While it was a good news day for hunters in small communities like Tarbutt Township, population 450, in Montreal there was dismay. "For city people, this registry is important, it's a relevant tool to fight crime,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
MPs Are Way Off Target: Long Gun Registry Makes Canada a Safer Place
Montreal Gazette (Quebec)
6 November 2009
Canada's long-gun registry was a product of tragedy, a response to the massacre of 14 young women at Montreal's École Polytechnique on Dec. 6, 1989. A registry was a rational step toward trying to make sure that the country would never again experience mass murder. The Polytechnique killer, Marc Lépine, used a semi-automatic gun that allowed him to shoot 28 people in 22 minutes. Few Canadians in 1989 knew it was considered... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Death of Canadian Gun Registry Would Not Be a Defeat for Gun Control
Globe & Mail (Toronto), Editorial
5 November 2009
The money spent on the federal long-gun registry would be better spent on preventing handguns and other weapons from crossing the border into Canada, or on youth programs in the most at-risk neighbourhoods. If the registry dies because of a Conservative private-member's bill, which passed a key vote this week, it would not be a defeat for gun control. It would be the end of a costly bureaucratic system whose benefits are uncertain. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Gun Registry Queries Jump 24%, 100,000 Gun Owners Fail to Relicense
CBC News (Canada)
5 November 2009
The number of police officers using the firearms registry jumped last year, according to a report prepared by the RCMP. Figures contained in the Mounties' annual performance report show that the number of queries to the Canadian Firearms Registry rose 24 per cent in 2008-09. The report also says the government spent just $8.4 million on the registry last year -- a third of what had been budgeted, in part because it needed... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Liberals Soften on Canadian Gun Law, May 'Decriminalise' Lawbreaking
Toronto Star (Ontario)
5 November 2009
OTTAWA -- In a surprising softening of Liberal policy, party leader Michael Ignatieff says penalties for violating requirements of the long-gun registry could be "decriminalized" as part of an effort to broaden its legitimacy in the eyes of rural Canadians. Ignatieff's statement set the stage for a vote hours later in the House of Commons in which a majority of MPs voted, for the first time in 14 years, to give "approval in principle"... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Minister Grilled Over Delayed Release of Canadian Gun Registry Report
Canadian Press
5 November 2009
OTTAWA -- Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan attempted to undermine a report to Parliament on the federal gun registry Thursday -- calling into question the agenda of its authors after refusing to make the report public before a crucial parliamentary vote. The 2008 annual assessment of the Canadian Firearms Program by the RCMP will be tabled Friday, said Van Loan, 48 hours after the Conservatives won a vote in the House of Commons... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Minister Touts Favourite Canadian Gun Registry Figure, Ignores Others
CBC News (Canada)
5 November 2009
Peter Van Loan isn't releasing the annual report of the firearms commissioner until tomorrow -- a deadline he must adhere to under the rules of Parliament. But, the public safety minister was more than happy today to tell Canadians one statistic that apparently isn't in the report he received some time ago. That one statistic -- not in the report -- is this. Of the 3.5 million times police accessed the Canadian... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Quebec Prepares Emotional Backlash to Thwart Gun Registry Scrapping
Canadian Press
5 November 2009
MONTREAL -- If federal politicians want to kill the gun registry, the may have to stare down the families of Polytechnique massacre victims and a high-profile delegation from Quebec. The province's public safety minister reacted furiously to a move to scrap the long-gun registry, which was inspired by the murder of 14 Montreal university students almost 20 years ago. His comments Thursday underscored the emotional reaction... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Reports of Canadian Gun Registry's Imminent Demise May Be Premature
National Post (Toronto), Column
5 November 2009
The cagey MP sat back holding his glass of merlot and smirked at my naive assertion that the gun registry was indeed dead. A private member's bill killing the billion-dollar registry was endorsed with surprising strength in the House of Commons on Wednesday and is heading off to committee for fine tuning and, in theory, a rubber stamping. Not so fast, apparently. "It's going to the Public Safety committee," the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Both Sides Agree Canadian Long Gun Registry Appears Doomed
Toronto Star (Ontario)
4 November 2009
OTTAWA -- Opponents of a long-gun registry in Canada are about to put a bullet in it. Both sides of the gun-control debate believe the Conservatives now have enough Commons votes to give parliamentary approval in principle to a private member's bill to kill the registry for rifles and shotguns. The vote late Wednesday is on the second reading of the bill, which would send it to a committee for more study and possible amendment... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Vote Moves Long Gun Registry Closer to Its Demise
Sun Media (Canada)
4 November 2009
OTTAWA -- The gun registry has moved one critical step closer to its slow demise. MPs voted 164-137 in favour of C-391, a private member's bill from Manitoba MP Candice Hoeppner to abolish the 14-year-old registry. Cheers of applause rippled through the House of Commons tonight after the vote passed with the support of 21 Liberal, NDP and independent MPs. The vote means the bill has approval in principle of the House. It... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Clear Majority of Canadian MPs Vote to Scrap Long Gun Registry
CanWest News Service
4 November 2009
OTTAWA -- MPs voted by a clear margin Wednesday to repeal the federal long-gun registry, signalling for the first time since the program was adopted 14 years ago that it is headed for the scrap heap, despite police assertions that it saves lives. A private member's bill, sponsored by Conservative backbencher Candice Hoeppner, had the backing of all the Tories, from Prime Minister Stephen Harper down, and enough Liberal and New Democrat... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Majority Votes to Repeal Canadian Long Gun Registry Requirements
Toronto Star (Ontario)
4 November 2009
OTTAWA -- A long-running effort by the Conservatives to kill the long-gun registry has passed an important hurdle in the House of Commons, with a majority voting for the first time in 14 years to study a bill to repeal it. MPs voted 164-137 to give "second reading" -- or "approval-in-principle" -- to a private member's bill sponsored by MP Candice Hoeppner (Portage-Lisgar) that calls for the repeal of legal requirements to register... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Police Chiefs Say 'We Lose the Long Gun Registry at Our Peril'
Globe & Mail (Toronto), Opinion
3 November 2009
The House of Commons will vote today on Bill C-391, which is intended to eliminate the need to register rifles and shotguns. This private member's bill will require the destruction of more than 8,000,000 firearms records. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police strongly opposes it. The chiefs believe the elimination of Canada's national firearms licensing and registration system for rifles and shotguns will make Canada less... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Long Gun Registry a Gift that Keeps On Giving to Canadian Tories
Toronto Star (Ontario), Column
3 November 2009
OTTAWA -- Some political gifts just keep on giving. Among the most generous is the long-gun registry. Parliament is to vote Wednesday on the future of a sound idea gone horribly wrong. Whatever the result, it will be win-win for Conservatives and lose-lose for public policy. Carelessly created by Jean Chrétien and cynically kept alive by Stephen Harper, the overly complex, needlessly expensive registry is now a national... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Time to Put a Bullet in the Canadian Long Gun Registry - Vote Wednesday
National Post (Toronto), Editorial
3 November 2009
It's a good time for the federal gun registry to die. After 11 years of low-calibre crime-fighting -- shooting blanks at bad guys, backfiring financially or taking aim at all the wrong targets -- the billion-dollar boondoggle uncovered in 2002 by the Auditor General will likely be placed on the de-registration block Wednesday afternoon. The magic number to send the gun registry kill bill off for committee scrutiny and sober... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Bill to Abolish Canada's Gun Registry 'Well On Its Way to Becoming Law'
CBC News (Canada)
2 November 2009
According to my own informal survey of rural opposition MPs, it looks like Candice Hoeppner's bill to abolish the long gun registry is well on its way to becoming law. The vote on second reading is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4. And because C-391 is a private member's bill, it'll be a free vote. That means MPs are freed from the usual requirement of voting along party lines. Despite holding almost all of northern... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Conservatives 'Don't Care About Good Policy,' Gun Violence
Hill Times (Ottawa)
2 November 2009
The Conservatives, who are running aggressive radio ads in 17 opposition rural swing ridings to pressure MPs to vote for this week's vote on the repeal of the long-gun registry, are using the divisive issue to try to win the ridings in the next election and in an effort to win a majority. "Conservatives are very successful in building up small constituencies to add to their base and this is a way of doing it, you find a wedge issue... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Conservative Wedge Issue Attack Threatens to Kill Canadian Gun Registry
Toronto Star (Ontario)
2 November 2009
OTTAWA -- Gun-control advocates say they are horrified and fearful that Canada's long-gun firearms registry is on the verge this week of being scrapped because the Conservatives may have enough support from the opposition to kill it. Wendy Cukier, president of the Coalition for Gun Control, says her organization has been monitoring the progress of a Conservative private member's bill to abolish the registry and is now bracing for... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Tories 'Ignore Majority to Appease Gun Lobby,' Scrap Canada's Registry
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario)
2 November 2009
MONTREAL -- With the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Polytechnique Massacre just weeks away, gun-control advocates and the victims' families are urging opposition members of Parliament to vote against a private member's bill that would abolish Canada's long-gun registry. If the bill is eventually passed by the House of Commons, it would eliminate the need to register the type of semi-automatic rifle that Marc Lepine used in 1989... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Gun Registry Attack May Backfire as Targeted Canadian MPs Turn Away
Winnipeg Free Press (Manitoba)
31 October 2009
OTTAWA -- The federal Conservatives launched a publicity campaign this week trolling for enough votes to push through legislation that would scrap the federal long-gun registry. But at least one Manitoba MP says the plan might be backfiring and actually welcomed the campaign as free advertising for himself. The bill, introduced by Manitoba Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner, comes up for its first vote in the House of Commons... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Licensed Canadian Gun Dealer, Family Face 30 Criminal Weapon Counts
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
31 October 2009
Former Vancouver Police firearms expert Gordon Bader, his wife and three sons are facing more than 30 criminal charges including illegal storage of firearms and possession of restricted weapons and magazines. And the family firearms training business, Silvercore Advanced Training Systems, is named in 11 of the charges, according to court documents obtained by The Vancouver Sun. Yet Silvercore, which operates at 7198 Vantage... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Gun Registry Ads Target, Annoy Opposition MPs [Francais]
Presse Canadienne
29 October 2009
[Translated Summary: A Conservative Party advertising campaign is targeting opposition MPs in an attempt to get them to vote for a bill to repeal the long gun registry. The minority Conservative government is nine votes short of the required majority in the House of Commons. Opposition MPs supportive of the Bill feel insulted by the ads and some are reconsidering their support for the government's initiative. The Coalition for Gun Control... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Gun Registry 'Difference Between Life or Death,' Say Ontario Police
Mid-North Monitor (Ontario)
28 October 2009
Should the gun registry be eliminated? That is a question that is coming up in national Parliament in the next few days. And, at this time of year, hunting season, the gun registry issue always seems to rear its 'provocative' head. Conceived some years ago as an opportunity to register all guns, it turned into a major financial fiasco for the reigning Liberals of the day. The Conservatives have decided to take it on as an issue.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
MP Hedges Vote on Canadian Gun Registry, Suggests Hearings Instead
North Bay Nugget (Ontario)
28 October 2009
Despite mounting local pressure for MP Charlie Angus to support a private member's bill to abolish the controversial gun registry, he says he will vote neither for nor against it. Angus, the New Democrat MP for Timmins-James Bay, said if it gets to a vote in the house, he will recommend that it be sent to committee for further evaluation. If it goes to committee, presumably the Justice Committee, witnesses would be brought... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Opponents of Canadian Long Gun Registry Set Sights on MP
Northern News (Ontario)
28 October 2009
KIRKLAND LAKE, Ontario -- Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus will vote to have a private member's bill abolishing the long gun registry sent to committee. Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner, who represents the Manitoba riding of Portage-Lisgar has put forth a private members bill to end the long gun registry and at the same time the Conservative party is running a campaign to get MPs who are on the record of supporting this view to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Gun Control Battle Rages as Canadian Tories Try Again to Scrap Registry
London Free Press (Ontario)
26 October 2009
OTTAWA -- A federal spending watchdog group is picking up arms in the brewing battle to kill the gun registry, but the pro-control side is fighting back. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is flooding its 60,000 supporters with letters today urging them to lobby MPs and party leaders to help abolish the 14-year-old gun registry. The debate is heating up before a scheduled Nov. 4 vote on private member's bill C-391 to repeal the registry.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Conservatives Step Up Fight to Abolish Canada's Long Gun Registry
Edmonton Sun (Ontario)
25 October 2009
OTTAWA -- Conservatives are ramping up their fight to kill the gun registry with a series of hard-hitting ads targeting a dozen or more opposition MPs, Sun Media has learned. The series of radio spots to hit airwaves Monday will directly call on Liberal and NDP MPs in designated rural ridings to stand up for their constituents in a Nov. 4 vote to repeal the registry. Conservatives expect the vote on C-391, a private member's... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Long Gun Registry Nears Crucial Vote: Scrap It or Not?
Red River Valley Echo (Manitoba)
22 October 2009
The first hour of debate has passed and the second hour is scheduled for Oct. 28 on Portage-Lisgar MP Candice Hoeppner's private members bill that seeks to eliminate the long gun registry for rifles and shotguns. The first vote on the issue could be as soon as Nov. 4. Hoeppner said support seems to be high, adding if party leaders allow a free vote, the long gun registry requirement for businesses and individuals could... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada,United States
Canadian Student Smuggled 22 Handguns from US to Canada, Got 5yrs
KFYR-TV News (North Dakota)
22 October 2009
BISMARCK, North Dakota -- A man has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for buying about two dozen handguns smuggled into Canada by two North Dakota college students who traded the pistols for cash and drugs. Gokhan Ozturk was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Bismarck on charges of conspiracy to export firearms and conspiracy to distribute the drug Ecstacy. Ozturk, 23, of Winnipeg, was given a 57-month sentence... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Edmonton Gun Hostage-taker an 'Angry Crack Abuser,' Says Ex-wife
Edmonton Sun (Alberta)
22 October 2009
The Edmonton man charged in connection with today's hostage-taking drama at the WCB headquarters is an angry crack cocaine abuser, says his fearful ex-wife. And, in a recent court-filed affidavit in support of a restraining order, Kristy Clarke, the former common-law wife of Patrick Charles Clayton, alleges he has harassed her and vandalized her home since they split up in 2005. "I am afraid that (Clayton) will continue... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Licensed Canadian Gun Dealer Convicted for Illegal Possession, Import
Tri-City News (British Columbia)
22 October 2009
The former owner of a Port Coquitlam gun store received two years' probation and a 10-year firearm ban for illegally possessing a prohibited weapon without a licence. Several other charges against Shahriar Tavazoie and his common-law wife Maryam Behagh were stayed by the Crown. Tavazoie and Behagh, who operated Sureshot Hunting and Tactical on Prairie Avenue in PoCo, were arrested in February and initially charged with... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada,United States
Another American Couple Found Smuggling Handguns Into Canada
Vancouverite (British Columbia)
21 October 2009
VANCOUVER -- Suspicious Canadian border officials have thwarted an attempt by an American couple to smuggle guns into B.C. Two easily concealed weapons were found by border officials at the Douglas crossing when suspicious officers sent the couple in for secondary examination, said border services agency spokeswoman Faith St. John. "During the vehicle examination, border services officers found weapons and ammunition hidden... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canada Gun Registry Has 'No Impact' on All-methods Homicide, Suicide
Winnipeg Free Press (Manitoba), Opinion
20 October 2009
The homicide rate had fallen impressively before 2001, but has remained relatively stable since. In 1991, the homicide rate was 2.7 per 100,000; in 1996, the homicide rate was down to 2.1; and by 2000, it had slid to 1.8. By 2005, the rate had risen to 2.0. The gun registry had no impact on suicide rates either. Canadian suicide rates have declined more slowly after 2001 than before. The national suicide rate was 12.6 per 100,000... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Ex-wives, 156 Illegal Guns in Quebec 'Hell Hath No Fury' Saga [Francais]
La Voix de l'Est (Quebec)
20 October 2009
Translated Summary: Judge denies bail 'without hesitation' to trucker/gun collector caught with 84 smuggled, unregistered, prohibited firearms, noting the accused threatened to blow up the police tipster's house if she reported the guns, as well as the 72 boxes seized for which matching firearms could not be found. The man left Switzerland to avoid paying spousal support to an ex-wife. GRANBY, Quebec -- Le tribunal a refusé hier... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Ammunition Shortage Affects Saskatchewan Gun Retailers, Hunters
CBC News (Canada)
19 October 2009
Sporting goods stores in Saskatchewan are feeling the pinch of a North American ammunition shortage. Although it's hunting season, a time when many hunters are stocking up on ammo, some store owners say they're having trouble getting enough stock. Hoarding in the U.S. is one explanation, according to U.S. media reports. According to the National Rifle Association in the U.S., Americans buy about seven billion rounds... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada,United States
Canadian Double Homicide Gun Just One of Many from Maine Gun Shop
CBC News (Canada)
19 October 2009
A gun allegedly used in two Ottawa homicides in 2007 was smuggled hundreds of kilometres from a rural corner of Maine into Canada. The gun -- a .40 calibre HiPoint semi-automatic pistol -- costs less than a base-model iPod in the U.S., and was allegedly used to shoot Ziad Ahmad, 32, and Phillip Salmon, 23, at Pari's Motel in Ottawa's east end two years ago. Jury selection begins Monday in the trial of Kawku Frimpong, the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Over 100 Guns, Prohibited Weapons Seized from Quebec Firearm Owner
Sherbrooke Record (Quebec)
19 October 2009
A Sûreté du Québec (SQ) investigation led to the seizure of over 100 firearms and some 1,000 rounds of ammunition in two Montérégie-area homes on Thursday afternoon. The two residences that were searched -- an apartment on William Street in Cowansville and a house with a garage in Saint-Armand -- are owned by Stephen Rothen, a 42-year-old man of Swiss origin. Rothen faces a series of charges that include unauthorized... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Saskatchewan Court of Appeal Shoots Down 'Right to Bear Arms'
Lawyers Weekly (Canada)
12 October 2009
Saskatchewan's top court has shot down arguments that Canadians have a constitutional right to bear arms for self-defence -- but the court didn't blow away the case completely. Instead, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal implied it might reconsider Edward Hudson's constitutional challenge if the gun rights activist can muster expert and other evidence to bolster his contention that the right to bear arms for self-defence is an inalienable... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Shooting Sees Licensed Canadian Gun Owner Lose His 43 Guns - Again
Halifax Chronicle-Herald (Nova Scotia)
10 October 2009
Some Shelburne County residents are upset that more than 40 guns seized from a local man several years ago were returned to him this year. And they're also miffed that they weren't notified. Now Michael Laurie Goulden, 49, of Carleton Village is charged with shooting an ATV rider in the back with a 12-gauge shotgun in his yard in the wee hours of Sunday morning. He was released on bail and returns to court next month. Jeremy... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Rare US-Made Machine Gun Found in Canadian River Linked to Killings
CTV-BC TV News
8 October 2009
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- A fisherman in Richmond, B.C., recently reeled in a most unusual -- and troubling -- catch. Bobbing down the Fraser River, encased in a black waterproof bag, was a rare MAC-11 machine gun equipped with a silencer. Forensic tests have linked the illegal gun to a number of gang-related shootings in the Vancouver area, Vancouver police Insp. Brad Desmarais told reporters on Thursday. "This... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Collector Gets Guns Back, Shoots Man, RCMP Seizes 43 Firearms, Again
Halifax Chronicle-Herald (Nova Scotia)
7 October 2009
The mother of an ATV driver who was shot early Sunday says the man accused of firing on her son should never have had his weapons returned to him. Rhonda Dixon is the mother of Jeremy Shand, 28, who was peppered with No. 4 birdshot while he and a friend drove all-terrain vehicles near a Carleton Village, Shelburne County, home. Ms. Dixon said her son is lucky to be alive and she is alarmed at how a man who once had his... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Guns Smuggled from Texas Found at Toronto Crime Scenes, Jury Hears
National Post (Toronto)
7 October 2009
A gun smuggling ring that led to the distribution of dozens of handguns from Texas to "the streets of Toronto" began with a meeting in a parking lot in Brantford, an Ontario Superior Court jury was told today. The Crown is alleging that the importer was Steven Lucas, a Brantford resident, who purchased the handguns that were smuggled into Canada by Earle Cook, expected to be the key prosecution witness at the trial. Mr.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
MP Takes Aim at Tories Over Costly Waiver of Gun Registration Fees
Prince George Citizen (British Columbia)
7 October 2009
Regardless of Tory talk of taxes, waiving fees on the long-gun registry leaves Canadians out of pocket, says a northern B.C. MP. Nathan Cullen made the comments in the wake of a CBC report that an amnesty on fees gun owners paid to the federal program to register their weapons cost $15.3 million this year and will cost $60 million over the next three. Cariboo-Prince George MP Dick Harris said Tuesday he makes no apologies for the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Naked Canadian Gun Owner Charged with Shooting Passing ATV Rider
Halifax Chronicle-Herald (Nova Scotia)
7 October 2009
A man who says he fired a shotgun while two ATVs raced around him in his yard on the weekend gave his version of events Tuesday. Michael Goulden, 49, was stark naked when he jumped from his bed shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday and ran out of his house to confront some rowdy ATV riders. He soon ducked back inside his home but not to grab his trousers. He picked up his 12-gauge Winchester pump-action shotgun instead.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Naked, Licensed Canadian Gun Collector Shot ATV Rider, 43 Guns Seized
Halifax Chronicle Journal (Nova Scotia)
6 October 2009
YARMOUTH -- RCMP say a man was shot in the back while riding an ATV early Sunday in Carleton Village, Shelburne County. Michael Laurie Goulden, 49, appeared in Yarmouth provincial court Monday after he is alleged to have shouldered a 12-gauge shotgun and opened fire at close range on two ATV riders in the pre-dawn darkness. He is charged with assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm, pointing a gun and careless... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Gun Registry 'Crucial Policing Tool,' Largely Ignored in Canada's North
Northern News Services
5 October 2009
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE -- Earl Evans sits in his log cabin-style home, which is adorned with mounted animal heads and a stuffed bear. He shakes his head when asked about the Canadian Firearms program. "Guns are an everyday part of life," he says. "You ask the average aboriginal person 10 questions on gun laws, they might be able to answer one or two." The Fort Smith hunter, who has registered his own firearms, estimates... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Nova Scotia Gun Owner Shoots 'Reckless' ATV Driver, Loses 43 Firearms
Canadian Press
5 October 2009
SHELBURNE -- RCMP in southwestern Nova Scotia say a man is facing charges after the driver of an ATV was shot over the weekend. Michael Goulden, 49, of Carleton Village, near Shelburne, is charged with assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm, careless use of a firearm and pointing a firearm. Police say the 28-year-old driver of the all-terrain vehicle was shot in the back with a 12-gauge shotgun. Police... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Ottawa Forgoes $60million in Firearm Fees to Pacify Canadian Gun Lobby
CBC News (Canada)
5 October 2009
The Conservative government is forgoing millions of dollars in gun registry and licensing fees at a time when the government is running record budget deficits. Documents obtained by the CBC under access to information show the federal government's decision to waive fees for people licensing their firearms will cost more than $15 million this year alone. Should the fee waiver be extended for another three years, internal forecasts... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
MPs Gunning for Canadian Firearm Registry to be at Miller Fundraiser
Owen Sound Sun Times (Ontario)
1 October 2009
Three prominent long-gun registry opponents will be in the area Friday to attend a Conservative Party fundraising dinner in Ayton. Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MP Larry Miller is bringing Saskatchewan Conservative MPs Candice Hoeppner and Garry Breitkreuz, authors of separate private member's bills to scrap the registry for long guns, to the party's dinner Friday night. Tickets for the fundraiser are still available by calling... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Gun Licence Can Cost Less Than Dog Licence in Canada
Toronto Star (Ontario), Opinion
30 September 2009
The one thing I will never understand about the Conservatives is how they say they can be so down on crime -- and yet so up with guns. Some guns, anyway. Guns such as that used to murder those four Mounties in Mayerthorpe, Alberta in 2005. Guns such as those that took out 13 of the 15 police officers killed over the past decade or so. This week, again, and again, bills to scrap portions of the national gun registry... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Man Chases Wife and Family, Shoots Out Tyres, Dies in Police Standoff
Canadian Press
30 September 2009
FORT ST. JOHN, British Columbia -- A northeastern B.C. man has been shot and killed by the RCMP after a five-day standoff that started with a domestic dispute. It's the second time in less than a week that a northern B.C. resident has died in gunfire with police after a man died Saturday near New Hazelton while Mounties tried to arrest him. The RCMP say the latest incident began Saturday when the 41-year-old resident of... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada,United States
Montana Tourist Found with Illegal Handgun at US-Canada Border
Niagara Gazette (New York)
30 September 2009
NIAGARA FALLS, New York -- A man from Montana was arrested Wednesday morning after trying to bring a gun across a U.S. bridge and into Canada. Robert C. Thornberry, 64, attempted to secure his Browning .9-mm firearm with a New York State Court Officer after being told by custom officials he could not bring it across the border. A background check showed Thornberry didn't have a valid New York pistol permit. He was charged... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Teens Stole Guns, Planned Shooting Rampage at Winnipeg Schools
Winnipeg Free Press (Manitoba)
30 September 2009
Two troubled teens admitted on Tuesday to planning a random shooting rampage inside three Winnipeg-area schools and a church. The 17-year-old boy and his 18-year-old girlfriend -- who can't be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act because they were youths at the time -- pleaded guilty in a brief court appearance to conspiracy to commit murder. Police arrested the pair in January 2008 and said they planned to "harm... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Parliament Debates Tory MP's Bill to Scrap Canadian Gun Registry
Winnipeg Free Press (Manitoba)
28 September 2009
OTTAWA -- Manitoba Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner took political hits from all three opposition parties Monday morning during opening debate on her bill to get rid of the national gun registry. Hoeppner said her bill is necessary because the registry doesn't prevent gun crime and the funds spent on it would be better spent going after illegal weapons, including handguns smuggled in from the United States. "It's primarily... ( gunpolicy.org )
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