Firearm plans embraced by gun group
Red Deer (Alta) Advocate 2006.06.19
BYLINE: LAURA TESTER
Firearm plans embraced by gun group
Failure to license a firearm should not be a criminal offence, says the head of a firearms group. Jerrold Lundgard, president of the 4,000 member Responsible Firearms Owners of Alberta, said changes need to be made to the Criminal Code so that responsible gun owners don't get penalized.
"Legislation should deal with criminals and not law-abiding citizens," said Lundgard at the group's annual general meeting in Red Deer on Sunday.
A person can be charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm if they don't have a licence.
"If your licence expires, all of a sudden you are in criminal possession of firearms," Lundgard said.
Lundgard would like to see the requirement for licensing removed from the Criminal Code, which he said is more critical than the recent changes made to the national firearms registry.
Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day recently announced a package of fee waivers and amnesties that would free long-gun owners from complying with registration rules over the next year.
But gun groups say only long-gun owners who hold, or who have held, a federal firearms licence are affected. Those who have never held a licence are not covered under the amnesty.
Day could bring in legislation as early as today to formally abolish the federal long-gun registry introduced by the Liberals 10 years ago.
The Conservatives have promised to keep the handgun registry to maintain prohibitions on automatic and assault weapons. They also say they will keep some less onerous form of licensing for owners, including police background checks.
"We would like to see people who use handguns to commit crimes to receive serious consequences for that," Lundgard said.
Simon Fraser University professor Gary Mauser told the 12 members at the Red Deer meeting that proper research done beforehand would have stopped the introduction of the registry.
Over the last 20 years, he has investigated gun controls in a number of countries including Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Jamaica, and Australia.
"In no place have tighter gun laws reduced violent crime or homicide," Mauser said.
He found serious crime rates in the U.S. have fallen twice as fast as in Canada - even though law abiding Americans are legally entitled to carry concealed handguns.
Mauser said several reasons are touted for the decrease, including higher arrest rates and longer prison sentences that may act as a deterrent to further crime.
"Putting money into police and prisons would be a better use of money," he said. "The key thing is to increase the probability of getting caught, convicted and punished."
Mauser also said a worldwide movement to reduce firearms is not the answer to fighting crime.
"The primary cause for genocide and homicide turns out to be rogue governments and social conditions," Mauser said.
BYLINE: LAURA TESTER
Firearm plans embraced by gun group
Failure to license a firearm should not be a criminal offence, says the head of a firearms group. Jerrold Lundgard, president of the 4,000 member Responsible Firearms Owners of Alberta, said changes need to be made to the Criminal Code so that responsible gun owners don't get penalized.
"Legislation should deal with criminals and not law-abiding citizens," said Lundgard at the group's annual general meeting in Red Deer on Sunday.
A person can be charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm if they don't have a licence.
"If your licence expires, all of a sudden you are in criminal possession of firearms," Lundgard said.
Lundgard would like to see the requirement for licensing removed from the Criminal Code, which he said is more critical than the recent changes made to the national firearms registry.
Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day recently announced a package of fee waivers and amnesties that would free long-gun owners from complying with registration rules over the next year.
But gun groups say only long-gun owners who hold, or who have held, a federal firearms licence are affected. Those who have never held a licence are not covered under the amnesty.
Day could bring in legislation as early as today to formally abolish the federal long-gun registry introduced by the Liberals 10 years ago.
The Conservatives have promised to keep the handgun registry to maintain prohibitions on automatic and assault weapons. They also say they will keep some less onerous form of licensing for owners, including police background checks.
"We would like to see people who use handguns to commit crimes to receive serious consequences for that," Lundgard said.
Simon Fraser University professor Gary Mauser told the 12 members at the Red Deer meeting that proper research done beforehand would have stopped the introduction of the registry.
Over the last 20 years, he has investigated gun controls in a number of countries including Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Jamaica, and Australia.
"In no place have tighter gun laws reduced violent crime or homicide," Mauser said.
He found serious crime rates in the U.S. have fallen twice as fast as in Canada - even though law abiding Americans are legally entitled to carry concealed handguns.
Mauser said several reasons are touted for the decrease, including higher arrest rates and longer prison sentences that may act as a deterrent to further crime.
"Putting money into police and prisons would be a better use of money," he said. "The key thing is to increase the probability of getting caught, convicted and punished."
Mauser also said a worldwide movement to reduce firearms is not the answer to fighting crime.
"The primary cause for genocide and homicide turns out to be rogue governments and social conditions," Mauser said.
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