For those who don't know December 6th is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. It occurs on the anniversary of the Ecole Polytechnique shootings in Montreal which occurred on Dec 6, 1989. Wikipedia offers a great breakdown of the event which is linked below. It marks the moment that Canadians woke up and realized that the movement towards equality between men and women was causing major problems of hatred towards women. Sadly, nothing has changed. The auditor general reports that 53% of all women in Canada will be physically or sexually abused in their lifetime, of those 23% will face violence with a weapon, either a gun or a knife. These numbers were stated by the Auditor General of Canada. However, it should be noted that the numbers mentioned by the the Auditor General fail to state if those are actual criminal abuses or self reported feelings of women. It is also important to note that these include assaults committed by both spouses and strangers. However, Juristat Canada does reports that:
"The majority of victims of spousal assault and over 90% of sexual assault victims did not seek support from the criminal justice system."
and furthermore
"The number of female victims of spousal assault who contacted police or social services remained steady between 1999 and 2004. The number of women accessing shelter services has also been stable in recent years. This does not necessarily represent the need for shelter services, however, as the data show that on a single day there were over 200 women turned away from shelters." [1]
As such it is most likely that the 53% stated by the Auditor General is indeed an estimation covering the Dark Figure.
Let's face it Canada has a problem. Something deep in the culture is happening that states it is appropriate for men to take advantage of women. Yet... what does this have to do with Gun Control?
Where did current gun control laws come from?
In 1995 The Canadian Firearms Act was introduced as Bill C-68. The Firearms Act sets out a set of criteria which must be met in order for someone to legally obtain a Firearm in Canada. This includes the requirement for training firearms owners, screening of applicants, rules on storage of firearms and ammunition, and the requirement for registration of all classes of firearms. This act was brought into force large in part due to the families of the Ecole Polytechnique Massacre. In 2009 when the Conservative Government initially tried to remove the registration requirements of The Firearms Act Heidi Rathjen reported that attempts to remove parts of the bill was "a slap in the face for the victims and families".[3] There are a lot of emotions attached to this bill. Families of the victims of the shooting poured all their grief and angst to get this bill made and passed. Destroying or reworking the bill is indeed "a slap in the face." The memories of the women were used as a fuel to create the law and therefore some believe that reworking the law destroys that memory.
How do you buy a firearm in Canada?
There were two major introductions in The Canadian Firearms Act. The first of these is the requirement for one to hold a Possession Only Licence or a Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL). To obtain a PAL one need only complete the required forms, http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/form-formulaire/pdfs/921-eng.pdf, and send in proof of completion of a safety course for the type of firearm you would like to buy.
Second is upon purchasing your firearm you must hold a valid registration, currently regardless of class, for the specific firearm you are carrying. For Restricted weapons you must also obtain an authorization to transport from the RCMP. To purchase a restricted firearm you also need the consent of the Firearms Officer for the region you live in. This requires a few days of processing time. You cannot obtain your firearm after purchasing it until a Firearms officer has approved the sale.
For all Non-Restricted weapons you only need to show your PAL and you will leave the store with your firearm properly secured and a temporary registration. There is no need to wait when buying a non-restricted weapon. Properly secured means that you have at minimum a trigger lock on the firearm and it is in a case of some sort, be it the box or a lockable case of some sort.
Defining the classifications of firearms
Moving on. The Criminal Code of Canada specifies the classes of firearms in Canada under Section 84. These classes, and the weapons that fall under them, are described as:
(a) Prohibited;
“prohibited firearm” means
- (a) a handgun that
- (i) has a barrel equal to or less than 105 mm in length, or
- (ii) is designed or adapted to discharge a 25 or 32 calibre cartridge,
- (b) a firearm that is adapted from a rifle or shotgun, whether by sawing, cutting or any other alteration, and that, as so adapted,
- (i) is less than 660 mm in length, or
- (ii) is 660 mm or greater in length and has a barrel less than 457 mm in length,
- (c) an automatic firearm, whether or not it has been altered to discharge only one projectile with one pressure of the trigger, or
- (d) any firearm that is prescribed to be a prohibited firearm;
(b) Restricted; and
- “restricted firearm”
« arme à feu à autorisation restreinte »
“restricted firearm” means- (a) a handgun that is not a prohibited firearm,
- (b) a firearm that
- (i) is not a prohibited firearm,
- (ii) has a barrel less than 470 mm in length, and
- (iii) is capable of discharging centre-fire ammunition in a semi-automatic manner,
- (c) a firearm that is designed or adapted to be fired when reduced to a length of less than 660 mm by folding, telescoping or otherwise, or
- (d) a firearm of any other kind that is prescribed to be a restricted firearm."[4]
- an ordinary rifle, shotgun or combination gun that is not
described below as being restricted or prohibited.Use of the Firearms Registry
As of September 2011 there are 1,886,057 individuals in Canada who hold a licence to possess/purchase firearms [5]. Here is the kicker, there are currently 7,865,994 registered firearms in the National Firearms database [6]. On average there are 24,882 firearms for every 100,000 people, with Nunavut, Northwest territories, and Saskatchewan as the highest ratio of firearms:people [6]. Furthermore, more firearms traded hands in Q3 of 2011 than any year previously [6]. RCMP fails to report what percentage of registered firearms are restricted and Non-restricted, though, it is estimated that 90% of all firearms registered are Non-restricted [7].
The use of the system has increased substantially since 2004. RCMP report that the average daily checks on the firearms database was 2,017 in 2004. In 2011 the database is checked on average 17,402 times per day[6]. Don't get too excited as this is an automated program. When a police officer runs your plates that check is automatically cross referenced with the Firearms database resulting in a query. In truth, as of 2010, specific inquiries for Serial numbers were only made 530 times out of a total of 14,012 queries or 3.7%.[7]
Cost of the Registry
The biggest issue for most Canadians is the cost of the registry. Initial estimates back in were that the program would cost $119 million dollars with $117 million being recouped from gun owners for the registry fee. This would leave Canadian taxpayers on the hook for $2 million dollars. If this was true it would be well worth the money. Sadly it is not. In 2004 Zone Libre, a french branch of the CBC reported:
"Canada's controversial gun registry is costing taxpayers far more than previously reported, CBC News has learned. Nearly $2 billion has either been spent on or committed to the federal program since it was introduced in the mid-1990s, according to documents obtained by Zone Libre of CBC's French news service. " [8]
In 2005 the Liberal Government ceded that the program had actually cost Canadian taxpayers $1 Billion dollars [9]. For a program that was to cost $2 million the figure has ballooned 500 times its initial estimates. These costs included other things such as advertising, lawyer fees, court fees, enforcement fees, ect. RCMP has also agreed that the $1 Billion dollar price tag is accurate.
As it stands right now, The RCMP reports, that the system alone costs taxpayers around $4 million per year to operate the registry. They reported:
" For instance, the gun registration portion of the CFP has been determined, by independent sources, in terms of cost savings to the CFP, at a range of $1.195-$3.65 million for the initial year, and subsequent years will range from $1.57-$4.03 million depending on the classification certification that will still be required."[10]
This yearly $4 Million dollar price tag does not seem to be accurate. The Global and Mail states, referring to the report the quote above was taken from, "Elsewhere in the report the RCMP puts the annual net cost of the Canadian Firearms Program for 2010-11 at $66.4-million." [11]
The overall setup fee of the program went 500 times over budget. RCMP is doubtful that the program is running within their cost estimates of $4 million per year. This is a huge issue. The defining issue for most people but it is not the only one.
What is the issue surrounding The Firearms Registry?
Currently in reading is Bill C-19. Bill C-19 is the name give for the law that is designed to end the long gun registry. A link to both the Current Canadian Firearms Act and the amendments proposed under Bill C-19 can be found below.
The bill removes all references to the registration of and requirements for sale of all Non-restricted Firearms. It means that neither the Non-restricted weapons may transfer hands without the need for Government or police to know. It also means that if transporting an Non-restricted weapon there is no need to prove that you are the owner, you may simply state that you are. However, and this is important, it does not remove the requirement of the holder of an Non-restricted weapon to hold a valid PAL and requires that at all sales, private or otherwise, the purchaser must show a valid PAL. To be fair it does not place a requirement that the seller check the validity of the purchasers PAL but allows for inquires to be made. Requirements for registration of Prohibited weapons (which only grandfathered individuals may own) and Restricted weapons have not changed. This can be found under the amendments to S. 23 of Bill c-19.
Both the Liberals and the NDP are asking the bill to be struck down. Jack Harris, NDP for St. Johns East states "The fact is the Conservatives have destroyed our last safeguard against deadly firearms, and they did it on the back of a napkin." [2] At, as of Nov 1, 2011 C-19 has failed to pass readings due to technical writing errors but it is expected to pass due to a majority Conservative Government and whipping of its memebers.
In short there are three issues. The first is that a person may sell or buy an Non-restricted firearm without having to tell anyone, as long as they have a PAL. All information on sales must be kept by the seller. Furthermore, all current records pertaining to ownership of Non-restricted firearms in the national firearms database will be destroyed. No one will be able to track where and how Non-restricted weapons are moving in Canada. This, issue, was brought to my attention by an aquantence.
Second is the cost. The cost overruns have been astronomical. A program that has been marketed as a $170 million dollar program has ballooned to more that $1 Billion dollars as of 2004 with base estimates that this figure could reach as much as $2 Billion.
Third is the impact the law has had. We cannot know this until we look at the crime statistics for the past few years. That will be another day.
The Long gun registry has its problems and really what safety does it offer? Does the cost outweigh the value it gives to save a life? Has it saved lives at all? When I opened the door on this issue I did not expect that it would be this long. It is good though to be brought to a point of challenging our beliefs. In the end this may end up being a 3 part blog. Which I think would be fantastic. Part 2 will deal with crimes committed with firearms and Part 3 will be my own personal views about gun control and what you can do to make sure our streets are safer. As long as I don't get sued for not referencing something or some such silliness like that. As such it should be noted that where possible I referenced appropriately, but not by APA standards. If I missed something I apologize. This is work completed by myself and represents my own personal views surrounding gun control laws. You can take what you want from this. If you are reading this from outside my own circle of friends please bear in mind that I make no claims to be an expert in the field. I do hold my BA in Applied Justice Studies from Mount Royal College, however, I have not done any work in the field of research, or academic writing, for quite some time. If I have missed any references and offended you by such please let me know and I will reference appropriately. All references and links used can be found below. I recommend reading through the RCMPs own findings on the Gun Registry.
If you took the time to read through this whole thing I thank you.
Blessings and Peace
Ecole Polytechnique Massacre - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89cole_Polytechnique_massacre#Violence_against_women
Canadian Firearms Act - http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/pol-leg/act-loi-eng.htm
Bill C-19 - http://parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&DocId=5193892
RCMP Findings on Firearms registry - http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/pubs/fire-feu-eval/index-eng.htm
Time-Line of the Gun Registry, by CBC - http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2009/10/06/f-gun-registry.html
References
[1] - http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/061002/dq061002a-eng.htm
[2] - http://openparliament.ca/bills/41-1/C-19/
[3] - http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/a-slap-in-the-face-for-victims/article1390008/
[4] - http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/page-39.html
[5] - http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/facts-faits/archives/quick_facts/2011/se-eng.htm#a
[6] - http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/facts-faits/archives/quick_facts/2011/se-eng.htm#b
[7] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Firearms_Registry#cite_note-ReferenceB-23
[8] - http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2004/02/13/gunregistry_rdi040213.html
[9] - http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2009/10/06/f-gun-registry.html
[10] - http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/pubs/fire-feu-eval/pg13-9-eng.htm
[11] - http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/gun-registrys-price-was-not-as-advertised/article1717453/
