November 20, 2009
Law harasses law-abiding gun owners
Dear Editor,
I will not, as Shane Dyson suggests, roll my eyes and snort [Gun registry's end is a disgrace, Nov. 13 Letters, Langley Advance]. I will be applauding Langley MP Mark Warawa for being tough on crime, just as it was part of the Conservative platform in the last election.
Just look at having ended the "two for one" time in custody against time for convicted criminals.
The gun registry was introduced as a brainchild of Liberal MP Ann McLellan (before she was given the boot) and Alan Rock.
The Dec. 6 Montreal Massacre was not a result of not having long guns registered, but strictly a non-law-abiding, deranged individual on the rampage.
The massive amounts of taxpayers' money would be better spent on law enforcement to prevent smuggling or stolen fire arms, whether they are long guns or always-registered restricted guns.
We don't need a law that is very efficient at harassing the more than two million law-abiding farmers and outdoors-enthusiast gun owners.
Shane does mention correctly that we "register our cars." Look at the carnage on the highways with these registered belongings. The number of cars owned is many times the ownership of guns, but on a per-capita basis highway deaths are still off the screen when compared to the number of deaths by law-abiding gun owners.
I believe that, on Dec. 6, Shane Dyson should be applauding that the money once spent on the long gun registry now will, as the Conservatives have said, be used for prevention of criminals stealing and smuggling guns.
Good riddance to such an attack on law-abiding citizens!
Chester Glendenning,
