Legislation tabled to dismantle Canadian Firearm Registry
http://www.psepc-sppcc.gc.ca/media/nr/2006/nr20060619-en.asp

Canada's Minister of Public Safety, Stockwell Day, yesterday tabled heavy legislative changes to the Canadian longarm registry, according to a report by Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (PSEPC) Canada.

According to the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics there were 549 murders committed in Canada in 2003, and of these, only two were carried out with longarms known to have been registered. There have been a total of almost seven million long guns registered there. Such a low involvement of lawfully-held arms confirms the long-held view of many independent scholars on the ineffectiveness of registration as a crime control measure.

As more and more information became available about the burgeoning costs of the failed Canadian system, in May, 2006 a set of proposals was announced with a view to winding it down preparatory to doing away with it completely.

Introducing the new legislation, the Minister said: "Counting and tracking every long-gun in Canada has been ineffective and costly, and has distressed law-abiding taxpayers who must complete endless amounts of paperwork."

Under the new measures, a gun owner will continue to be required to have a current firearms licence. Background checks will be required, so that guns cannot be legally transferred to people without licences. Businesses will be required to keep records of all gun-related transactions. Handguns will still be generally restricted, requiring registration.