The Harper government's long-awaited move to do away with the long-gun registry is the latest battle in a long and hard fought political war stretching back many years.
With legislation now before the House to scrap the registry, and with the Conservatives having a clear majority, the days of the controversial registry are certainly numbered – something the Harper Tories and their supporters have been working for ever since the Jean Chretien Liberals put it in place in the early 1990s.
While the end of the registry will no doubt be welcomed and applauded by the Tories, anyone who believes the end of the registry will mark the end of the gun-control debate in Canada may be in for a big disappointment.
And of course whether Albertans and other Canadian families will be safer when the registry is finally laid to rest remains to be seen.
The recently introduced legislation will, if passed, repeal the requirement to register non-restricted firearms, and provide for the destruction of all records pertaining to the registration of long guns currently contained in the Canadian Firearms Registry.
Firearms owners will still be required to have a valid firearm licence to purchase or possess guns and to buy ammunition. They will also need to undergo police background checks, pass firearm safety training courses, and comply with firearms safe storage and transportation requirements.
“The Harper government has always been clear that by eliminating the wasteful and ineffective long-gun registry, we can instead focus our efforts on measures that actually tackle crime and make our streets and communities safe,” said Public Safety Minister Vic Toews.
Other opponents of the registry, including many rural Alberta gun owners, have been equally vocal in calling it a waste of money and unreasonable government interference in private property rights.
Supporters of the registry, including opposition parties in Parliament and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, say it has helped reduce gun violence and has been a useful tool in letting police know which households have guns when they respond to domestic violence calls.
In the end, neither side of the firearms debate was ever able to convince the other side to give up the fight, meaning only a change in control of the House of Commons could finally bring about the end to the registry.
The Harper government has been quick to say it plans to protect Canadians from gun violence once the registry is dead. For everyone's sake, let's hope they can live up to that solemn public safety promise.
