May 17, 2006

Ottawa - Gord Brown, Member of Parliament for Leeds-Grenville, says the Conservative government is keeping another promise by announcing immediate changes to the firearms registry.

"This is a government that keeps it promises," says Brown. "The government is focusing on public safety, reducing crime and effective firearms control, not punishing responsible firearms owners."

Today, the Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, announced a series of changes to the Canadian Firearms Program.

The government is moving forward with the implementation of the following measures:

• transferring responsibility of the Firearms Act and regulations to the RCMP from the former Canadian Firearms Centre;
• reducing the annual operating budget of the program by $10 million;
• implementing license renewal fee waivers and refunds;
• eliminating the physical verification of non-restricted firearms; and
• introducing a one-year amnesty to protect previously licensed owners of non-restricted firearms from prosecution and to encourage them to comply with the law as it currently stands.
• As well, the government will table legislation to repeal the requirement to register non-restricted firearms.
  

"The government also plans to meet with the provinces and territories to discuss how to update the program to ensure that it is cost effective and an efficient crime-fighting tool," says Brown.

Detailed information on each of the changes can be found on the ministry web site at: www.psepc-sppcc.gc.ca.