By JILL MAHONEY
Globe and Mail Update
Edmonton - As many as half Canada's gun owners could be in violation of
federal law on Jan. 1, the deadline for obtaining firearms licences.
So far, 1.7 million people have enrolled with the federal government's
gun registry. The exact number of Canadians possessing firearms is
unknown but estimates range from fewer than 3.3 million to as many as
nine million.
In any case, it appears that far more people own guns than are
participating in the registry under the controversial legislation, still
often referred to by its legislative name, Bill C-68.
"They've got a heck of a mess on their hands," Jim Hinter, president of
the National Firearms Association, said. "I think it proves that there's
literally millions of Canadians who are just refusing to participate in
what they see as a bogus law."
As of Jan. 1, gun owners without licences cannot buy ammunition.
Penalties for someone found possessing a firearm without the proper
paperwork range from temporary seizure of the weapon to five years in
prison.
The application of the law promises to be uneven. Police forces across
the country are responsible for enforcing it, but are deeply divided in
their support. Provincial Crown attorneys are charged with prosecuting
alleged offenders, but Alberta and some other provinces that disagree
with the legislation want federal Crowns to handle prosecutions.
From its inception, the Firearms Act has been a target of heavy
opposition. A group of provincial and territorial governments, led by
Alberta and supported by gun organizations, challenged the law all the
way to the Supreme Court, but failed in June when that court ruled the
legislation constitutional.
The licensing and registration program has cost $327-million, since the
law's passage in 1995, to April 1, 2000. The law requires that all
owners of long guns (rifles and shotguns that had been previously
exempt) obtain possession licences by Dec. 31, 2000, or after their
existing firearms acquisition certificates expire. Then, by Dec. 31,
2002, people must register each of their guns, a provision that is even
more controversial than licensing.
The government has run an extensive advertising campaign. It plans
large ads in newspapers in major cities this weekend reminding people
they must get their licences, which are selling for a reduced rate of
$10 to encourage compliance. In recent months, it has set up booths in
malls to help people with their applications.
The issue of how many Canadians own guns is itself controversial. The
National Firearms Association contends the number is between seven
million and nine million, or nearly one person in three. The federal
government commissioned public-opinion surveys three years ago that
concluded there were 3.3 million gun-owning Canadians. Now, however,
Ottawa is backing away from that number, saying that many people have
either sold their firearms or given them away because of the approaching
deadline.
Pressed to estimate the number of gun owners, David Austin, a spokesman
for the government's Canadian Firearms Centre, could not provide a
ballpark figure, saying 3.3 million is "probably high, but I can't tell
you really now how high."
Mr. Hinter of the firearms association said it is in the government's
interest to low-ball gun ownership figures so that the rate of
compliance with the law looks higher than it really is. "The government
is going to keep lowering the estimate of the number of gun owners until
they can declare success with Step 1 of the law, run around and claim
victory," he said.
Mr. Austin rejects that argument and says the vast majority of
Canadians are enrolling. "I think you're going to find that Canadians
generally are compliant; they know it's the law of the land," he said.
He also said a great many applications are likely in the mail and more
are to come as owners scramble to meet the Dec. 31 deadline. Because of
the deluge, staff working 24 hours a day are issuing temporary licences
that are valid for up to six months and will be replaced by proper
documentation in the new year.
Owners of gun stores say some clients are intending to flout the law.
"Lots of customers say, 'To hell with it'," said Wolf Gronau, who
operates a gun shop in Edmonton.
Mr. Gronau, who has a firearms acquisition certificate that is valid
for another three years, saving him from having to apply for a licence
under the new law until his current one expires, said the legislation
will result in the spread of the black market for firearms.
Along with buying guns illegally, Mr. Gronau said, people will purchase
their ammunition under the table because the law requires a licence to
buy bullets. He added that he has seen at least a 50-per-cent jump in
sales of ammunition this fall by his customers and the extra materials
may end up on the black market in the new year.
Although opinion polls have shown that most Canadians support gun
control, Bill C-68 has been intensely criticized by gun groups and by
provincial and territorial governments. Some argue that those
responsible for violent crime will not obtain licences and that the law
violates people's fundamental personal and property rights.
One gun group urged its members to thumb their noses at the law by
refusing to obtain licences. Other organizations recommended that people
overwhelm the phone lines, fax machines and mailbags at the government's
processing centres.
This fall, the Canadian Police Association, which represents the
country's rank-and-file officers and is deeply divided over the
legislation, postponed the question of supporting the law until next
year.
Globe and Mail Update
Edmonton - As many as half Canada's gun owners could be in violation of
federal law on Jan. 1, the deadline for obtaining firearms licences.
So far, 1.7 million people have enrolled with the federal government's
gun registry. The exact number of Canadians possessing firearms is
unknown but estimates range from fewer than 3.3 million to as many as
nine million.
In any case, it appears that far more people own guns than are
participating in the registry under the controversial legislation, still
often referred to by its legislative name, Bill C-68.
"They've got a heck of a mess on their hands," Jim Hinter, president of
the National Firearms Association, said. "I think it proves that there's
literally millions of Canadians who are just refusing to participate in
what they see as a bogus law."
As of Jan. 1, gun owners without licences cannot buy ammunition.
Penalties for someone found possessing a firearm without the proper
paperwork range from temporary seizure of the weapon to five years in
prison.
The application of the law promises to be uneven. Police forces across
the country are responsible for enforcing it, but are deeply divided in
their support. Provincial Crown attorneys are charged with prosecuting
alleged offenders, but Alberta and some other provinces that disagree
with the legislation want federal Crowns to handle prosecutions.
From its inception, the Firearms Act has been a target of heavy
opposition. A group of provincial and territorial governments, led by
Alberta and supported by gun organizations, challenged the law all the
way to the Supreme Court, but failed in June when that court ruled the
legislation constitutional.
The licensing and registration program has cost $327-million, since the
law's passage in 1995, to April 1, 2000. The law requires that all
owners of long guns (rifles and shotguns that had been previously
exempt) obtain possession licences by Dec. 31, 2000, or after their
existing firearms acquisition certificates expire. Then, by Dec. 31,
2002, people must register each of their guns, a provision that is even
more controversial than licensing.
The government has run an extensive advertising campaign. It plans
large ads in newspapers in major cities this weekend reminding people
they must get their licences, which are selling for a reduced rate of
$10 to encourage compliance. In recent months, it has set up booths in
malls to help people with their applications.
The issue of how many Canadians own guns is itself controversial. The
National Firearms Association contends the number is between seven
million and nine million, or nearly one person in three. The federal
government commissioned public-opinion surveys three years ago that
concluded there were 3.3 million gun-owning Canadians. Now, however,
Ottawa is backing away from that number, saying that many people have
either sold their firearms or given them away because of the approaching
deadline.
Pressed to estimate the number of gun owners, David Austin, a spokesman
for the government's Canadian Firearms Centre, could not provide a
ballpark figure, saying 3.3 million is "probably high, but I can't tell
you really now how high."
Mr. Hinter of the firearms association said it is in the government's
interest to low-ball gun ownership figures so that the rate of
compliance with the law looks higher than it really is. "The government
is going to keep lowering the estimate of the number of gun owners until
they can declare success with Step 1 of the law, run around and claim
victory," he said.
Mr. Austin rejects that argument and says the vast majority of
Canadians are enrolling. "I think you're going to find that Canadians
generally are compliant; they know it's the law of the land," he said.
He also said a great many applications are likely in the mail and more
are to come as owners scramble to meet the Dec. 31 deadline. Because of
the deluge, staff working 24 hours a day are issuing temporary licences
that are valid for up to six months and will be replaced by proper
documentation in the new year.
Owners of gun stores say some clients are intending to flout the law.
"Lots of customers say, 'To hell with it'," said Wolf Gronau, who
operates a gun shop in Edmonton.
Mr. Gronau, who has a firearms acquisition certificate that is valid
for another three years, saving him from having to apply for a licence
under the new law until his current one expires, said the legislation
will result in the spread of the black market for firearms.
Along with buying guns illegally, Mr. Gronau said, people will purchase
their ammunition under the table because the law requires a licence to
buy bullets. He added that he has seen at least a 50-per-cent jump in
sales of ammunition this fall by his customers and the extra materials
may end up on the black market in the new year.
Although opinion polls have shown that most Canadians support gun
control, Bill C-68 has been intensely criticized by gun groups and by
provincial and territorial governments. Some argue that those
responsible for violent crime will not obtain licences and that the law
violates people's fundamental personal and property rights.
One gun group urged its members to thumb their noses at the law by
refusing to obtain licences. Other organizations recommended that people
overwhelm the phone lines, fax machines and mailbags at the government's
processing centres.
This fall, the Canadian Police Association, which represents the
country's rank-and-file officers and is deeply divided over the
legislation, postponed the question of supporting the law until next
year.