Quote of the day–Tim Naumetz

The number of firearm owners who fail to renew their gun licences has steadily increased since the Harper government tabled legislation to scrap the federal long-gun registry.

Opposition critics and the Coalition for Gun Control in Canada say the problem has increased risk for frontline police officers and undermines public safety.

Despite an amnesty the Conservatives introduced to coax gun owners into licence renewals, the latest RCMP figures show the opposite occurred.

The rate of non-renewals climbed to 25.3 per cent of expired licences in the first three months of this year, compared with 14.1 per cent in 2005.

A little-noticed RCMP report for 2007 on the Canada Firearms Centre contains positive information about the registry and its use by police that could surprise even diehard opponents.

The report includes a groundbreaking RCMP survey that found general duty police officers use the online version of the registry at a high rate to check for potential weapons while responding to trouble calls.

On average, 73 per cent of the officers said they log on to check for the presence of firearms en route.

The rate was even higher for officers trained to use the online registry – 81 per cent of that group use it on calls.

Tim Naumetz
June 27, 2009
Declining gun-licence renewals a risk to police: observers
[Would the same concern on the lack of renewals be expressed if instead of gun owners it were Jews, blacks, and gays being registered?–Joe]

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5 thoughts on “Quote of the day–Tim Naumetz

  1. I wonder if they have bothered to check with the people the police find own firearms.

    Do the police treat them different, are the police more likely to accuse them of crimes or treat them as criminals for simply owning firearms.

    Is there any actual difference in violence and risk to the officers based on who owns firearms or not?
    It’s a problem for that police officer, when he goes into that house,” said New Democrat MP Joe Comartin. “The risk level has gone up dramatically.”

    Of course they don’t provide any evidence to support that position, do they?

  2. Of course not. It’s just what they think of gun owners. Just as the German government in the 1930s didn’t like Jews, blacks, and gays.

  3. Substitute “cars” for “guns.” Other than a reduction in revenue, if 2 out of 3 car owners decided to continue driving, but didn’t renew tabs, in what way would the streets become more dangerous for drivers, pedestrians, or police? No answer? Didn’t think so.

  4. Certainly, if someone goes to the trouble of registering their guns, that’s very good evidence showing them to be law abiding, in much the same way that concealed carry permit holders in the U.S. are more law abiding than the population at large.

  5. Would the same concern on the lack of renewals be expressed if instead of gun owners it were Jews, blacks, and gays being registered?–Joe]

    YEAH, Joe, it would, not immediately, but eventually. History says it has always been so and must always be so if there are no impediments to the state’s power.

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