Gun registry ‘useful tool’: RCMP

OTTAWA—An internal RCMP evaluation says the federal gun registry is a “useful tool” for police, but there’s widespread confusion and misunderstanding about the firearms program.
The report concludes the registry prepares officers for urgent calls, helps them trace weapons found at crime scenes, and assists in keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally unstable.

“It ensures police are better equipped to respond to, for example, a situation of domestic violence, assess potential safety risks, and confirm the possible presence of firearms and their legal status,” the evaluation says.
The Canadian Press obtained a copy of the February, 2010 evaluation, which examines the overall firearms licensing and registration program administered by the RCMP.
“Effective risk management and accountability hinges on having both licensing and registration in place,” says the report, which was to be formally released today.
The evaluation comes just weeks before Parliament resumes debate of a Tory private member’s bill that would kill the long-gun registry.
The reviewers recommend continuing the program, saying there is an “ongoing need” for promotion of public safety through the regulation of firearms.
“The majority of firearms in Canada are long guns,” says the evaluation. “The majority of firearm deaths in Canada are caused by long guns.
“Universal licensing and registration of firearms create an atmosphere of accountability,” it adds.
“Knowing that individuals and businesses are accountable for their firearms, and the use of them decreases the likelihood that an individual will misuse, traffic, or commit a crime with a firearm.”
But the evaluation says the political debate over the program and federal policy decisions since the Harper Conservatives took office, including amnesty provisions for long-gun owners, have posed challenges.
It found confusion over the status of the overall firearms program and the obligation to comply with regulations, as well as a lack of “clear and consistent messaging.”
“There is a further need to communicate that firearms are an important public safety issue.”
The evaluation makes 33 recommendations on everything from firearms training to working with aboriginal communities.
The Conservatives say the long-gun registry is a wasteful imposition on farmers and hunters while many opposition MPs argue it helps keep the streets safe.
“I think if there was a debate, it’s now over,” said Liberal public safety critic Mark Holland.
“This report is extremely definitive and demonstrates that the gun registry is a very effective law-enforcement tool that does save lives.”
The evaluation notes there are “mixed feelings” among police about the registry.
Some told the reviewers they always presume a firearm is present in a house, so consulting the registry is irrelevant when called to the scene.
Others were concerned the registry wasn’t complete, meaning they couldn’t depend on its accuracy.
Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner, sponsor of the private member’s bill, argued the report shows the long-gun registry is “wasteful and ineffective.”
“The report also clearly shows that claims made by advocates of the unreliable long-gun registry about its so-called value to front-line officers are highly misleading,” she added.
In a news release, Hoeppner said many checks of the registry simply are triggered by a broader computer search of general criminal data.
“This means that even when an officer stops a vehicle at the roadside for a broken tail light, the long-gun registry is automatically queried.”
The evaluation is a report on the effectiveness of the overall firearms program “and not a report that specifically looks at the long-gun registry alone,” noted Chris McCluskey, a spokesman for Public Safety minister Vic Toews.
“Our Conservative government has always been clear: we support the licensing of people who own firearms and the registration of prohibited and restricted weapons,” McCluskey said.
“We have also been clear that we do not support the wasteful and ineffective long-gun registry—something that puts a further burden on long gun owners in addition to licensing.”