The Conservative Government’s Bill to scrap the long-gun registry, a system that was brought in by the Liberals 15 years ago, was passed in the Senate on April 4, and received Royal Assent the following day.
Bill C-19 was passed in the Senate by a vote of 50-27, completing a promise made by the Conservative Party during the 2011 election.
“I am proud to report that yesterday the Senate passed the Ending the Long Gun Registry Act,” said Kootenay-Columbia MP David Wilks during a statement in the House of Commons on April 5.
“For years now, the Opposition has been fear-mongering and misrepresenting the long-gun registry in order to maintain their vanity project intact.
“Right until the bitter end of this wasteful and ineffective seventeen-year debacle, the Liberals have ignored the will of Canadians to push their misguided agenda to treat law-abiding hunters, farmers and sport shooters like criminals.”
Not everyone is happy with the Senate’s decision. Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Liberal Senator James S. Cowan released a statement saying, “This will not make Canadians and their families safer.”
Bill C-19 ends the legal requirement for owners of long guns to register their weapons. The rules around selling and transferring firearms will have been altered as well.
The Bill does not change the requirement for individuals to have gun licences, nor does affect the mandatory registry of restricted and prohibited firearms such as handguns.
