Registering firearms

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In April, 2016, the Aylmer Bulletin published three articles on the registration of rifles and shotguns. Handguns have been registered in this country since 1939.  

In April, 2016, the Aylmer Bulletin published three articles on the registration of rifles and shotguns. Handguns have been registered in this country since 1939.  
The first was by someone claiming that the registration of firearms actually prevents suicide! The second was by two women who viewed the registration of firearms as the only way for women to be safe in this province. The third, from an MD, made the outrageous claim that the registration of firearms is essential to the health of the Quebec population.
I responded to the first, but the other two did not contain facts supporting their claims, so I did not address them. I suggested that instead of trying to get the provincial government to revive this useless and costly legislation, these people should request that related funds be transferred to organizations where it could actually help people. 
On June 9, 2016, the government passed Bill 64, the QuebecProvincial Firearm Registry, proving that they will go to any length and spare no taxpayers’ money to buy a few votes.
On July 6 and July 20, the Bulletin published two articles on Le Centre d’aide 24/7. After 30 years of helping people, they are in trouble. Their existence is threatened by the lack of funding and a deficit of $200,000.
This organization operates on a shoestring budget with many positions staffed by volunteers. They have taken 9,300 calls each year from people in crisis. They are facing an uncertain future – from reduction of services to closure of the program. 
It’s not too late for the government to reverse its decision on the Registry. This waste of money is not scheduled before 2018. There is still time. 
After 20 years of debate, everything that could be said on this
subject has been said. It’s futile to try to get people to see the irrefutable truth about the failure of the Canadian Firearms Registry, long guns registration program. This program was a failure from the beginning to the cost of over a billion
dollars. Why Quebec believes it could do better is hard to understand.
I hope people will demand a yearly accountability report from their government regarding the cost invested in the program and that this will not end up like the same debacle produced by the Federal government. Fourteen years of firearms registration have failed to produce a single fact that could justify its existence. This is why it was shut down.
 
Armand Martin
(63 years old)
AYLMER/GATINEAU