Government Takes Another Step Towards Abolishing Long-Gun Registry Bill C-391 passes second reading in the House of Commons

November 05, 2009

Ottawa, ON - David Anderson, MP for Cypress Hills-Grasslands is pleased to announce that on November 4, MPs voted 164 to 137 in favour of Bill C-391, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act (repeal of long-gun registry).

“This is a great day for hard working farmers and hunters who have been most affected by this 2 billion dollar Liberal boondoggle. The long-gun registry has been criticized for many years for being error-ridden, wasteful and grossly cost-ineffective without actually contributing to public safety. The registry did not save a single life and scrapping it will save taxpayers from pouring good money after bad.
 
“I have been working on this issue since I was elected in 2000. On June 10, 2009 I was proud to be a co-seconder of this bill, brought forward by Portage- Lisgar MP Candice Hoeppner. I would like to congratulate Ms. Hoeppner and MP Gary Breitkreuz for their tireless work in championing this issue. It is our duty to represent our law-abiding citizens, and rural Canadians have made their voice very clear on this issue,” Anderson concluded.

Winning this vote at second reading means Parliament has approved dismantling the gun registry in principle. However there is still work to be done. Bill C-391 will undergo close scrutiny when it is sent to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security. It will then be returned to the House of Commons for final reading in the months ahead, so the battle is not over.

Liberal MP Ralph Goodale (Wascana) was the only Saskatchewan MP who voted against scrapping the registry. The Government expects that the Liberals, lead by House Leader Ralph Goodale, will use every means at their disposal to try and delay this bill from getting through committee and from being passed at third reading

“It’s clear that Mr. Goodale does not care about the issues facing hunters and farmers in Saskatchewan. It is very important for people to continue to voice their support and to pressure MPs,” concluded Anderson.