Canada and Guns

In the Dec 7th edition of the New York Times Ian Austen did a nice summary on a topic of long-standing controversy: Canada’s gun registry.

The long gun registry was largely prompted by a shocking massacre in Montreal 20 years ago.

Recent votes in Parliament mean the measure may be scrapped where rifles are concerned. (Handguns will continue to be regulated by older legislation.)

At least two interest groups are howling: those concerned with preventing violence against women and gun-control advocates.

“Canada is suddenly changing into a place that loves guns and armies and war,” said Gerald L. Caplan, a prominent academic and former campaign director of the liberal New Democratic Party. “I don’t know how we got there but I don’t like it.”

For what it’s worth, I disagree with Caplan’s characterization. Canadians have rallied behind their military and shown warm support for the troops. But that does not translate into loving guns and war. Canada said “no thanks” to going into Iraq. And polls indicate a majority of Canadians want out of Afghanistan.

The gun registry’s got a number of problems. It’s a prime example of how laws shaped by urban majorities rankle rural residents. It also aggravates preexisting regional differences. But the real reason it may soon be dead is it somehow evolved into a poster child for government ineptitude and waste.

The registry was designed to pay most of its own way, through the collection of fees. Glitches somehow ballooned the current tab to nearly one billion dollars. Yes, a mind-boggling one billion to register approximately 6.7 million rifles.

Did the measure accomplish the goal of improving public safety? Police chiefs like it but other opinions vary. This Canwest article cites Nov ’09 polling numbers that reflect some of the divisions.

Although 80 per cent of Canadians consider gun violence a serious problem, only 11 per cent think the $1-billion gun registry has been effective at preventing crime, according to a new poll.

The Angus Reid survey also found that just over half of Canadians are in favour of scrapping the registry, with the most support from Albertans (77 per cent) and the least from Quebecers (31 per cent).

Canadians remain very concerned about gun violence. But, if you’ll excuse the cliché, it appears a majority has concluded this particular registry flunks the ‘bang for the buck’ test.