Liberal Spin on Gun Control (en francais)

From Liberal website:

Harper Opposes Gun Control
December 08, 2005
"Just last month, when he united with the Bloc Quebecois and NDP to bring down the minority government, Mr. Harper voted to effectively kill Bill C-82 – Liberal legislation that would have enhanced mandatory minimum penalties for firearms smuggling and trafficking, and the illegal possession of loaded handguns in public places. The legislation Mr. Harper turfed would also have created new offences of break and enter to steal a firearm and robbery where a firearm has been stolen."

I guess they must be referring to this BILL C-82, the one that was such a "number one priority" for Paul Martin that the bill was introduced on November 25th, 2005. Even had the government not fallen, this bill would never pass all the various stages and Senate approval before Martin was forced to actually keep a promise for once and call an election 30 days after Gomery.

Expect to see plenty more of this hyperbole in the campaign. The Liberals introduced 13 bills in the dying days of Parliament. All of a sudden they got ambitious for some reason.

Here's a few points to consider on Gun Control:

1. How much have firearm offences decreased in the UK since handguns were banned?
* They didn’t. They almost doubled. (National Post, October 28, 2005)

2. What percentage of gun crimes are committed by lawful registered handguns in Canada?
* Where police have detailed firearm information, 84% of homicides were committed with unregistered firearms and four of every five (79%) accused persons did not possess a valid firearms license. (Juristat: Canadian Centre for Justice Statisics)

3. How much has Canada’s homicide rate risen in the past year?
* 12% (Statistics Canada)

4. What are the sentences for the trafficking in illegal firearms, including assault rifles?
*Minimum sentence of only one year

5. How many unfilled RCMP positions are there currently in Canada?
* 1,059 (Tabled in Parliament on November 14, 2005 by Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan)

6. What happened to Canada’s Ports Police, which once patrolled and protected against gun smuggling?
*Dismantled in 1997 by the Liberal government

7. What powers do Customs officials have to fight gun smuggling at our borders?
*No powers of arrest

8. Did Mr. Martin’s Bill C-82, introduced on November 25, 2005, propose to toughen violent gun crime penalties?
* No

9. Did Mr. Martin’s Bill C-82, introduced on November 25, 2005, propose to toughen penalties for serious drug offences?
* No

10. How many illegal firearms are there in Canada, according to federal government agencies?
*They have no idea