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Gun registry is millions over budget
Government admits massive cost overruns;
'This turkey cannot be made to fly'
Tim Naumetz
The Ottawa Citizen
The new federal firearms registry has cost taxpayers $327 million so far and is running up a yearly bill nearly 10 times higher than what the government forecast in 1995.
Despite the cost -- and with more than 1,000 police officers and bureaucrats working for the registry -- critics say it is unlikely the government will meet its Jan. 1, 2001, deadline for licensing all gun owners.
Even the Canadian Firearms Centre admits that as of February, only 142,324 new licences had been issued to gun owners across Canada since the registry started in December 1998. A further 270,000 valid licences remained from the previous gun-control regime.
The centre estimates there are 1.6 million gun owners to be licensed by the end of the year, with the backlog of applications already up to 45,000.
"What will it take for them to realize that this turkey cannot be made to fly?" asked Dave Tomlinson, Edmonton-based president of the National Firearms Association. "It's a complete waste of money because there is no way on earth to keep a registration system accurate."
The Canadian Firearms Centre this week released to the Citizen the cumulative cost of the system up to March 31. The figure confirmed the fears of Canadian Alliance MP Garry Breitkreuz, a staunch foe of the Firearms Act, that the cost of the national registry will exceed the forecast that former justice minister Allan Rock made in 1995.
Mr. Rock then estimated a five-year price tag of $185 million, including a one-time startup cost of $85 million.
The government spent $45 million before the registry began, Jean Valin, head of public affairs for the Firearms Centre, said yesterday.
"There was some relatively small amounts that were spent in the early years in preparations, consultations, design sessions, consultations with groups," he said.
By the end of March 1999, only four months into the registry, the federal government had spent another $82 million, according to figures released by Mr. Valin. The government spent a further $200 million on the registry in the past 12 months.
Mr. Rock's 1995 estimate, based on the cost of the previous gun-control system, put the average yearly cost of the new registry at about $20 million.
Mr. Valin said the cost of the system will decrease once all gun owners and their weapons are licensed and registered. "As you load up three million people and seven million guns, you're going to incur extra operating costs that won't be there after," he said.
Gun owners have until Jan. 1, 2003, to register all their firearms.
The number of gun owners and the total number of firearms in Canada is under dispute.
Based on international averages and past Canadian records, the National Firearms Association estimates 6.5 million gun owners and 20 million firearms. The government estimates three million gun owners and up to seven million firearms.
Mr. Tomlinson said the Justice Department continues to underestimate the number of firearms owners to make the federal registry appear successful once the registration deadlines pass.
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The New World Order has a Third Reich odor.
Gun registry is millions over budget
Government admits massive cost overruns;
'This turkey cannot be made to fly'
Tim Naumetz
The Ottawa Citizen
The new federal firearms registry has cost taxpayers $327 million so far and is running up a yearly bill nearly 10 times higher than what the government forecast in 1995.
Despite the cost -- and with more than 1,000 police officers and bureaucrats working for the registry -- critics say it is unlikely the government will meet its Jan. 1, 2001, deadline for licensing all gun owners.
Even the Canadian Firearms Centre admits that as of February, only 142,324 new licences had been issued to gun owners across Canada since the registry started in December 1998. A further 270,000 valid licences remained from the previous gun-control regime.
The centre estimates there are 1.6 million gun owners to be licensed by the end of the year, with the backlog of applications already up to 45,000.
"What will it take for them to realize that this turkey cannot be made to fly?" asked Dave Tomlinson, Edmonton-based president of the National Firearms Association. "It's a complete waste of money because there is no way on earth to keep a registration system accurate."
The Canadian Firearms Centre this week released to the Citizen the cumulative cost of the system up to March 31. The figure confirmed the fears of Canadian Alliance MP Garry Breitkreuz, a staunch foe of the Firearms Act, that the cost of the national registry will exceed the forecast that former justice minister Allan Rock made in 1995.
Mr. Rock then estimated a five-year price tag of $185 million, including a one-time startup cost of $85 million.
The government spent $45 million before the registry began, Jean Valin, head of public affairs for the Firearms Centre, said yesterday.
"There was some relatively small amounts that were spent in the early years in preparations, consultations, design sessions, consultations with groups," he said.
By the end of March 1999, only four months into the registry, the federal government had spent another $82 million, according to figures released by Mr. Valin. The government spent a further $200 million on the registry in the past 12 months.
Mr. Rock's 1995 estimate, based on the cost of the previous gun-control system, put the average yearly cost of the new registry at about $20 million.
Mr. Valin said the cost of the system will decrease once all gun owners and their weapons are licensed and registered. "As you load up three million people and seven million guns, you're going to incur extra operating costs that won't be there after," he said.
Gun owners have until Jan. 1, 2003, to register all their firearms.
The number of gun owners and the total number of firearms in Canada is under dispute.
Based on international averages and past Canadian records, the National Firearms Association estimates 6.5 million gun owners and 20 million firearms. The government estimates three million gun owners and up to seven million firearms.
Mr. Tomlinson said the Justice Department continues to underestimate the number of firearms owners to make the federal registry appear successful once the registration deadlines pass.
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The New World Order has a Third Reich odor.
