Letter: Dubious registry figure

Letter: Dubious registry figure
Date: Jun 23, 2006 8:56 AM
PUBLICATION: GLOBE AND MAIL
DATE: 2006.06.23
PAGE: A20
BYLINE: WILLIAM E. HENRY
SECTION: Letter to the Edit
EDITION: Metro
DATELINE: Port Hope, Ont.
WORDS: 160

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Dubious registry figure

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Frank J. O'Hara (Specious Gun Arguments -- letter, June 21) perpetuates the myth
that police officers check the gun registry 5,000 times a day. In doing so, he is
ensnared by a specious argument of his own making.

While it may be correct to say that the registry receives 5,000 hits a day, much
of that activity has nothing to do with direct police access and is, instead, generated
by an automated link between the Canadian Police Information Centre's system and
the gun registry.

Every time CPIC is accessed by the police, one or more hits are recorded against
the registry. Thus, a simple check for an outstanding warrant that has nothing to
do with firearms will result in firearm-registry activity.

Proponents of the long-gun registry continue to quote the specious 5,000 figure
as evidence of system utility. In doing so, they spread misinformation that clouds
thinking and distorts discussion on this contentious topic.

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AUDITOR GENERAL - 5,000 HITS A DAY: AN INDICATOR OF ACTIVITY - NOT EFFECTIVENESS

39th PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION
Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security
Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - EVIDENCE

Ms. Sheila Fraser: I believe that the indicator of the 5,000 hits a day is more
of what we call an activity indicator than an indicator of effectiveness. So those
law enforcement people who use the registry would have to give an assessment as
to whether or not it was useful to them. There could be 5,000 hits, and they could
say yes, it was very helpful and helped me in this way; or they could say no, it
wasn't helpful because the information wasn't correct. It takes an additional degree
of interpretation or information to assess effectiveness. (Page 14)
http://cmte.parl.gc.ca/cmte/CommitteePublication.aspx?SourceId=146767

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Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security
EVIDENCE number 07, UNEDITED COPY - COPIE NON ÉDITÉE
Wednesday, June 7, 2006

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MP Dave MacKenzie: All I'm trying to indicate to Canadians, though, is that there
are not 5,000 checks a day just for firearms registry. Those are automatic checks
done by police officers on the street for names and for a variety of things.

RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli: They're automatic CPIC checks that they
automatically go over. I don't have the number of how many are direct checks.