Gary Mauser: Debunking Myths About the Canadian Firearm Registry

June 23, 2006

Gun Registry Myths

Registry Myths
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Debunking Myths About the Canadian Firearm Registry
by Professor Gary Mauser, Simon Fraser University


Claim #1: The registry allows the police to know where the guns are:

Facts: The registry provides false security. There are too many errors and omissions in the registry for any police officer to trust the registry,

- Approximately half of all firearms are in registry,

- Criminals do not register their firearms,

- The RCMP does not trust the registry and cannot use it in court,

- The RCMP found 42% - 91% of registrations or licences have errors,

- 4,438 stolen firearms were accidentally re-registered to new owners,

Sources: Auditor General of Canada, http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/domino/reports.nsf/html /20060504ce.html
Garry Breitkreuz, MP, www.garrybreitkreuz.com/ firearmsquickfacts.htm

Claim #2: Police investigations are aided by the registry:

Facts: The government has not been able to show that the registry has ever been critical to solving a single violent crime,

Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino: "(The) law registering firearms has neither deterred these crimes nor helped us solve any of them. None of the guns we know to have been used were registered .... (T)he money could be more effectively used for security against terrorism as well as a host of other public safety initiatives." (Source: News Release, Ontario Minister of Public Safety and Security, Jan 3, 2003),

We need a registry of high-risk persons: "After the gun registry," Fraser Forum, http://www.fraserinstitute.ca/admin/books/chapterfiles/
May06ffMauser.pdf

Claim #3: The registry is used frequently by "public safety officers":

Facts: Activity is not a measure of effectiveness,

- The bulk of queries are generated by automatic checks of driving licences,

- Multiple entries are made for each firearm transfer,

- Maintaining any data base requires a lot of activity,

Source: Will Gun Control Make Us Safe? Ontario Police College Presentation, www.garymauser.net, Auditor General of Canada, http://cmte.parl.gc.ca/cmte/CommitteePublication.aspx? SourceId=146767

Claim #4: Deaths involving firearms have declined:

Facts: No lives have been saved,

- Total homicide rate has increased since 1998,

- Total suicides have increased despite drop in gun-related homicides,

Source: Hubris in the North, www.garymauser.net