Extension of Firearms Amnesty Good News for Hunters and Farmers, says MP Allen

March 22, 2010

TOBIQUE-MACTAQUAC – Public Safety Minister Vic Toews announced on Friday the Conservative Government’s intention to re-extend the current firearms amnesty, and Tobique-Mactaquac MP Mike Allen is happy for long-gun owners in the riding.

“Our record as a government shows that we’re serious about tackling crime, especially gun crime,” Mr. Allen said. “It also shows our commitment to a system of firearms control that is efficient and effective.”

The further extension would allow time for the Private Member’s Bill, which is now at the committee stage, to go through the steps necessary to eliminate the current registry. “There are no guarantees that opposition members won’t put a stop to our efforts to eliminate the long-gun registry, but we are keeping our promise to do everything we can to stop making criminals out of hunters and farmers,” said Mr. Allen.

The extension would involve the three existing complementary measures to help bring law-abiding Canadians into compliance with the firearms licensing system. These are:

• a one-year amnesty to give owners of non-restricted firearms an opportunity to register those firearms and renew expired licences without fear of prosecution;
• a one-year waiver of the fee for firearms license renewals or upgrades; and
• allowing eligible holders of expired Possession-Only Licenses to apply for a new one within a year.

 
“There are so many people in my riding who have long guns as keepsakes and don’t even hunt anymore,” explained Mr. Allen. “That’s why eliminating the wasteful long-gun registry is so important, particularly in rural areas of Canada.

“The Bill currently on the table would basically take things back to how they were before the registry was introduced.”

With the Private Member’s Bill now being discussed in committee, Mr. Allen is hopeful that common sense will prevail and the bill will come back to the House unaltered so all MPs will have chance to vote on it. “For now, the re-extension of the amnesty would be another positive step to protect law-abiding people.”