About That Gun Registry...

Well, it's probably a Good Thing™ that the Liberals are no longer in power, considering the details released about missing millions involved in the gun registry program as revealed by Auditor General Sheila Fraser in her annual report today. If the Libs were still governing, this issue would continue to dog them until kingdom come. As it is, the ruling Conservatives will still find a way to bring it up every day from now on, even if it's in a speech about the banana trade.

"It is our opinion … that Parliament was misinformed about the centre's costs for that year," the report states.

The report said that in 2004, the centre realized it would exceed its spending limit on the registry, and officials were asked to look for "an accounting treatment that would, if possible, avoid having to record all the [new computerized registry system] costs."

In 2003-04, costs of $21.8 million were also not charged to the centre's budget, the audit found.

Fraser said the new computer registry system is three years overdue and so far has cost $90 million, three times more than expected.

Fraser also had concerns about the CFC's database. She said no one checks the information submitted from gun owners to see if it's accurate or complete.

Firearms' whereabouts unknown

The centre also doesn't know what happened to 62 per cent of the firearms owned by people whose licences were revoked between July and October 2005.

Fraser highlighted weaknesses in the Canada-wide network of volunteers who verify people's firearms. She said no one does background checks on the volunteers, nor are audits done on the quality of their work.

Try as you might, my fellow bloggers who are members of the Liberal Party (which I am not, by the way), but there just is no way to spin your way out of this huge mess. I do wonder why it took this long for those details from years gone by to be released though.

Regardless, I am in favour of Canada having a gun registry and the fact that the Conservatives refused to include long guns in what might be their new & improved version of a registry, has angered some members of the law enforcement community:

The move will upset registry supporters. Tony Cannavino of the Canadian Professional Police Association told CTV that gun crimes are not only committed with handguns.

"Our last six or seven police officers were killed with long guns," he said. "That's very sad."

CTV also reported the responsibility for the registry will be transferred to the RCMP from the Canada Firearms Centre.

How can the already overstretched RCMP manage such a huge program and, furthermore, do they want to?

Law enforcement officers have used the registry 5.7 million times since it was launched Dec. 1, 1998, according to the firearms centre.

New Democrat justice critic Joe Comartin said Fraser's report will not give the Conservatives the parliamentary weapon they are looking for because many of the problems have been dealt with.

Interim Liberal leader Bill Graham acknowledged that Fraser's report is likely to have harsh words for his party's management of the registry's set-up, but he urged the Conservatives not to "throw the baby out with the dirty bath water."

The Conservatives will definitely upset their gun-toting base (especially here in the wild west) if they don't completely scrap the registry, but they're in no politcal position to do so with their minority government status. So, just count on them to keep whining and moaning for years on end about Liberal Corruption™ while they try to make themselves look good by revamping the program. And, who knows how much that will cost?