scooter
04-09-2009, 10:33 AM
Calgary Herald - April 2, 2009
Another blank fired at the firearms registry By Don Martin - 04-02-2009 COMMENTS(5) Ottawa Deconstructed http://communities.canada.com/calgaryherald/blogs/donmartin/archive/2009/04/
02/another-blank-fired-at-the-firearms-registry.aspx
Hunters of Canada, prepare to be disappointed by another missed target. The government's latest long gun registry kill shot is just another blank shot fired into hot political air.
In a transparent bid to play politics with policy, the Conservatives have decided to re-introduce a dead-on-arrival bill to repeal the firearms registry for rifles and shotguns for the third time, the only difference being this bill will surface first in the Liberal-dominated Senate.
It has no prospect of passing there and, if they could somehow keep 20 Grit sober-second-thought-thinkers asleep for all the votes and it miraculously passed, it would die on the House of Commons floor under a combined assault from Liberals, New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois.
There's no shortage of cynicism around, suggesting the Conservatives merely want ammunition to target unelected Liberal senators for obstructing their agenda, but is it really necessary to waste so much time and effort introducing and debating legislation when the result is a foregone conclusion? Sigh.
The only way this registry will die is if the Conservatives have their majority, the Senate finally shakes free from its Liberal domination or a free vote in the Commons gives MPs a chance to ballot with their brains instead of their party.
The real and increasing danger is having this $2-billion-plus registry rendered hopelessly out of date by registration amnesties. It's particularly dangerous for police accessing files that may suggest a residence they're about to enter to investigate, say, a domestic violence complaint, is gun-free when there could be distressed individuals with weapons inside.
Of course, the fatal flaw of the registry boondoggle has always been that gun owners with criminal intent would never voluntarily attach their name to a weapon. That's why having legitimate hunters in the crosshairs guarantees the registry will always miss the real target until somehow someone puts it out of its misery.
Another blank fired at the firearms registry By Don Martin - 04-02-2009 COMMENTS(5) Ottawa Deconstructed http://communities.canada.com/calgaryherald/blogs/donmartin/archive/2009/04/
02/another-blank-fired-at-the-firearms-registry.aspx
Hunters of Canada, prepare to be disappointed by another missed target. The government's latest long gun registry kill shot is just another blank shot fired into hot political air.
In a transparent bid to play politics with policy, the Conservatives have decided to re-introduce a dead-on-arrival bill to repeal the firearms registry for rifles and shotguns for the third time, the only difference being this bill will surface first in the Liberal-dominated Senate.
It has no prospect of passing there and, if they could somehow keep 20 Grit sober-second-thought-thinkers asleep for all the votes and it miraculously passed, it would die on the House of Commons floor under a combined assault from Liberals, New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois.
There's no shortage of cynicism around, suggesting the Conservatives merely want ammunition to target unelected Liberal senators for obstructing their agenda, but is it really necessary to waste so much time and effort introducing and debating legislation when the result is a foregone conclusion? Sigh.
The only way this registry will die is if the Conservatives have their majority, the Senate finally shakes free from its Liberal domination or a free vote in the Commons gives MPs a chance to ballot with their brains instead of their party.
The real and increasing danger is having this $2-billion-plus registry rendered hopelessly out of date by registration amnesties. It's particularly dangerous for police accessing files that may suggest a residence they're about to enter to investigate, say, a domestic violence complaint, is gun-free when there could be distressed individuals with weapons inside.
Of course, the fatal flaw of the registry boondoggle has always been that gun owners with criminal intent would never voluntarily attach their name to a weapon. That's why having legitimate hunters in the crosshairs guarantees the registry will always miss the real target until somehow someone puts it out of its misery.