Meanwhile on the other side of teh gun control debate......

The province of Quebec considers legal action to obtain the data of the Canadian Federal long gun registry.

Link here

Transcription below:

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Quebec ponders legal action over gun registry records

Quebec hasn't ruled out legal action if the federal government's long-gun registry records aren't handed over before they're destroyed.

"We will use every means at our disposal, which we deem useful, to let Quebec's point of view be known," Premier Jean Charest told reporters Thursday.

"We are analyzing the means at our disposal to ensure that Quebec's point of view be properly heard."

The federal government introduced legislation earlier this week that would scrap the federal registry and destroy the millions of records on gun owners already collected.

The province needs those records to set up its own registry because starting from scratch would be costly.

Unanimous resolution

Quebec’s National Assembly passed a resolution Thursday calling on Ottawa to hand over the records.

In a rare showing of unity, the governing Liberals and opposition parties unanimously agreed on the resolution, tabled by the Parti-Quebecois's Stephane Bergeron.

“Quebecers have paid nearly a half billion dollars,” Bergeron said of the tax dollars that went into the federal records.

He said that should be a high enough price to be able to keep it.

Quebec has long supported the long-gun registry. It was created in the wake of the mass shooting at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique, which claimed the lives of 14 women.
Privacy Act

The federal government has remained firm that it will not hand over records to the provinces.

Federal industry minister, Christian Paradis said it's out of the question to let a province continue indirectly in what the government has promised to eliminate.

The Privacy Act forbids collecting personal data for one purpose then transferring it to be used for another purpose, the government has argued.

The data has been gathering dust and is now out of date anyway, the government says, alluding to the lack of enforcement of the registry.

In Friday's question period, Quebec NDP MP Françoise Boivin accused the Conservative government of "destroying a key tool for keeping our communities safe" and of "playing politics with public safety."

"Why is the government insulting provinces that want to create their own registry?" Boivin asked.

Candice Hoeppner, the parliamentary secretary to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, who has been the face of Conservative efforts to scrap the registry in recent years, maintained that to end the registry, the data must be destroyed.

"The long gun registry is the data," she said. "The data is flawed, it is inaccurate, it does not target criminals and it does target law-abiding Canadians."

Hoeppner reminded the House that the gun licensing system will continue, and law enforcement agencies will still have that information to work with.

Some of Charest's political opponents are urging him to immediately file a request for a court injunction to prevent the records' destruction.

The encouragement to act quickly was fuelled by the Harper government's move to limit debate on the registry bill –which is being fast-tracked through the House of Commons.

For now, Quebec's premier is relying on public debate as his forum to fight for keeping the data.

Charest called the federal government's determination to destroy the data "unacceptable."
"Common sense says if the data exists, it's there, it could help save lives and we should preserve it," he said. " There’s no reason to destroy it."

A primer of what the reqistry is from wikipedia

Really this IS a quandary for me. On the one hand giving the data to Quebec runs a fowl of the privacy act. And the un-popularity of it, and the Conservatives being hard against it (giving amnesties for anyone in hot water for not registering in the required time frame) means any data there is out dated. On the other side the whole reason this registry even exists is because of a mass shootings in Montreal. Like the École Polytechnique massacre. So I can very much see why Quebec would want to keep such a registry. I also don't really buy the law enforcement claims that it's a big help. It could only really be helpful in robbery and domestic violence cases. Most shootings in Canada happen with illegal guns, smuggled in from the US (Vermont).

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On the other side the whole reason this registry even exists is because of a mass shootings in Montreal. Like the École Polytechnique massacre. So I can very much see why Quebec would want to keep such a registry.

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Has this registry actually prevented any mass shootings?

Gun registries in general are a pretty big intrusion of privacy for very little benefit.

Two points:

1 -- What will the registry prevent?

2 -- If most guns used in crimes are illegal, then why would they ever be registered in the first place? Or is this one of those situations where authorities typically just ignore long guns, and anyone found in possession of one can claim it is legal and the cops have no way to prove or disprove? How is this not unlike making a registry for illegal immigrants, or requiring illegal drugs to have a tax stamp? Could this possibly just be another attempt to collect fines/revenue by stacking another charge on someone for "unregistered" weapon?

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Originally Posted by lars573

Really this IS a quandary for me. On the one hand giving the data to Quebec runs a fowl of the privacy act.

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Ons would imagine that Quebec is playing a game of chicken, expecting the federal government to duck the issue and then they can grouse about it. Happens time and ptarmigan. :wink:

You guys register your cars, don't you?

Why not your guns.

Sheesh, if you want to by a tool of death and destruction why shouldn't you have it registered?

I am not opposed to registering guns, and was quite surprised that a country that had pretty strict gun ownership laws did not already have a registry. Even the Great Satan US tracks gun purchases.

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Originally Posted by Major Robert Dump

Two points:

1 -- What will the registry prevent?

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It was a product of the hysteria of the Bush 1 era mass shootings we had, most in the Quebec. Another was the ban on any rifle semi-auto rifle or with a mag capacity of more than 5 rounds. With 2 exceptions, the Lee Enfield and the M1 Garand. Enumerated in the law by name. But it's intended purpose was to have every legal to own firearm in the nation traceable by police.

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Originally Posted by Major Robert Dump

2 -- If most guns used in crimes are illegal, then why would they ever be registered in the first place? Or is this one of those situations where authorities typically just ignore long guns, and anyone found in possession of one can claim it is legal and the cops have no way to prove or disprove? How is this not unlike making a registry for illegal immigrants, or requiring illegal drugs to have a tax stamp? Could this possibly just be another attempt to collect fines/revenue by stacking another charge on someone for "unregistered" weapon?

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Unless a gun related crime involved a hunting rifle or a shotgun it was probably totally illegal. Pistols have been restricted since 1934, and have a registry that's not going anywhere. It's illegal for private individuals to own full-auto or semi-auto rifles. And really a simple back ground check on anyone can tell whether they should be in possession of a gun or not. To even own a gun you have to be licensed. And the licensing for pistols and rifles are separate issuances.

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Originally Posted by Philipvs Vallindervs Calicvla

You guys register your cars, don't you?

Why not your guns.

Sheesh, if you want to by a tool of death and destruction why shouldn't you have it registered?

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Cars are registered for tax and insurance purposes, not because of their lethality.

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Originally Posted by drone

Cars are registered for tax and insurance purposes, not because of their lethality.

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I used to believe that, too, until I rode with my Korean mother-in-law

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Originally Posted by Philipvs Vallindervs Calicvla

You guys register your cars, don't you?

Why not your guns.

Sheesh, if you want to by a tool of death and destruction why shouldn't you have it registered?

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Cars are more lethal than guns.

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Originally Posted by Vladimir

Cars are more lethal than guns.

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hence in the UK they have the MOT and in Ireland we have the NCT (national car test) to check there roadworthyness

Then how did you guys manage to approve this:

https://img404.imageshack.us/img404/1721/hamq.jpg

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

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Originally Posted by Vladimir

Then how did you guys manage to approve this:

https://img404.imageshack.us/img404/1721/hamq.jpg

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

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hey thats them caraaazzzzyyy Brits not us