ARCHIVED - Minister Toews highlights progress of Bill C-19
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Ottawa, February 15, 2012 — The Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, issued the following statement today after the success of the 3rd reading vote on the Ending the Long-Gun Registry Act.
"Ending the long-gun registry has been a priority for our Government. Today's vote marks an important achievement, as we fulfill the promise we made to Canadians to eliminate the long-gun registry once and for all. Our Government continues to focus on efforts that tackle crime and make our streets and communities safer.
Counting and tracking every long-gun in Canada has been costly and has placed undue burdens on law-abiding gun owners, such as farmers and duck hunters, rather than those who use firearms illegally. Our Government is taking the necessary steps to ensure that gun control in this country is focused on fighting crime, keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals and minimizing burdens on law-abiding gun owners. We have successfully introduced legislation that fights gang crime, drug crime, violent and repeat offenders. These are the reforms that Canadians need and deserve most, in order to tackle real crime and real criminals.
"Repealing the long-gun registry is about making sure that we continue to preserve and enhance those measures which do work to reduce crime and protect Canadians," said Candice Hoeppner, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety. "Our Government is committed to providing concrete and tangible initiatives to get tough with criminals and to help prevent crime before it happens."
While Ending the Long-Gun Registry Act removes the need to hold a registration certificate for non-restricted firearms, it does not change the requirement for all individuals to hold a licence in order to possess a firearm, a background check, and pass the Canadian Firearms Safety Course.
The introduction of this legislation is consistent with this Government's efforts to ensure our firearms laws target real criminals and protect the safety of the public."
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