Letter: Gun facts were confused

Letter: Gun facts were confused
Date: May 30, 2006 8:09 AM
PUBLICATION: The Record (Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo)
DATE: 2006.05.30
EDITION: Final
PAGE: A8
BYLINE: Mark Rutledge
WORD COUNT: 222

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Gun facts were confused

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Neil Arya's May 24 Second Opinion, To Keep Canada Safe, We Must Keep
Track Of Firearms, confuses several important points. First, the total
number of gun-related deaths in Canada, which he lists at 800, comes
mostly from hand guns, not long barrel firearms. And hand guns have been
licensed and registered since the 1930s.

The real question under discussion is whether it makes sense to license
and register long barrel firearms? Why would we spend hundreds of
millions licensing firearms of law-abiding farmers, hunters and
collectors when these firearms are not in any significant way involved
in criminal activity?

Secondly, he mentions several sad stories about accidental deaths caused
by firearms. With all respect, this has nothing to with licensing long
barrel firearms. No one is suggesting that gun owners not be properly
licensed. This licensing process would include background checks,
instruction in the proper use and storage of firearms, etc. This regime
was in place before the introduction of the current gun registry and
worked very well.

Arya's column evidences a disappointing feature that conflates improper
or illegal use of firearms with the need for a gun registry. This
confusion is the reason why the current gun registry regime cannot work.


Mark Rutledge
Guelph