Save our Long Gun Registry. Fight Bill C-391. Email Your Peter Stoffer today.

It’s not too late to stop a bad idea from becoming law. The House of Commons Committee on Public Safety and National Security when Parliament has recommended that Bill C-391 not proceed to third reading. To tip the scales, we need to convince NDP Member of Parliament Peter Stoffer, in the riding of Sackville–Eastern Shore, that voting in support of this recommendation when it comes back to the House of Commons in September is the right thing to do.

Bill C-391 is facing overwhelming opposition from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, from law enforcement officials, from women’s organizations, from community and business groups, from the general public both rural and urban, from labour, and now from a multi-party House of Commons committee.

Please send the letter below to NDP Member of Parliament Peter Stoffer.

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It’s not too late to stop a bad idea from becoming law. The House of Commons Committee on Public Safety and National Security has recommended that Bill C-391 not proceed to third reading.  I am asking you to vote in support of this recommendation when it comes to the House of Commons in September.  I believe this is the right thing to do.
Bill C-391, the Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act (repeal of long-gun registry) would eliminate the registration of shotguns and rifles and destroy the nearly eight million records in the federal gun registry.  I believe that passing this Bill is irresponsible.   

I am not the only one with these concerns.  The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has identified the licensing of firearms owners and the registration of firearms to be a safety issue for front-line officers.  Of the more than seven million firearms registered as of the end of 2008, the overwhelming majority are long guns.  Police across the country consult the registry online roughly 10,000 times a day, including to check for the presence of guns in high-risk situations.   

Women’s groups, violence prevention groups and victims of violence are also raising their voices in opposition to the elimination of the long gun registry.  Women are the majority of victims of domestic violence and having a firearm in the home is one of the most significant risk factors for spousal homicide.  However, data from Statistics Canada’s Report on Homicides in Canada 2007 show that long-gun homicides have declined by 50% since the registry was instituted.   

No reasonable person would suggest that we eliminate the registration of motor vehicles and the licensing of drivers.  Surely the same logic must apply to lethal weapons.  The licensing procedure ensures all firearms users are qualified to acquire and own a firearm.  

The 20th anniversary of the December 6th Montreal massacre of 14 young women at the École Polytechnique is a timely reminder of why the long gun registry is necessary.   

I am concerned about another fall out of the passage of Bill C-391 into law and that is job loss. The deregulation of quality public services almost inevitably removes good jobs from Canadian families and communities.  Should this bill pass, it will be particularly damaging to the economy of rural New Brunswick which relies heavily on RCMP Canadian Firearms Centre in Miramichi. 

I am asking you to take leadership in the House of Commons on this issue and to commit to opposing Bill C-391. 

Thank you for considering my comments and my request.  I look forward to your reply. 

Sincerely,

I give permission for this campaign to contact me on this issue.

The contact information from this form will be private and confidential and will not be passed on to any individual or organization other than representatives of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Member of Parliament selected above. If you wish to give further support, please check the box above.

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Save our Long Gun Registry. Fight Bill C-391. Email Your Peter Stoffer today.