Here’s a quick update on the Conservative fight to eliminate the long-gun registry.

As many of you know, Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville, introduced a bill this spring (C-301) to abolish the long-gun registry. Bill C-301 also introduced a few other technical changes to firearms legislation.

At first, C-301 looked like it was going to pass the House of Commons. With 143 Conservative votes, Garry’s bill needed less than a dozen votes from independent and Opposition MPs to become law.  Supporters of C-301 received assurances from rural Opposition MPs that we had the necessary votes to pass the legislation.

However, two things started to happen: NDP members began to be pressured by their leadership (Jack Layton) not to vote the way they had promised; and the Bloc Quebecois brought forward a motion on the long-gun registry in the House of Commons.

While the Bloc motion supporting the long-gun registry passed the House, it only passed by five votes because of abstentions from Opposition MPs (who had previously said they sided with the Conservatives.)

After listening to the excuses of Opposition MPs, a different bill to scrap the long-gun registry was introduced (C-391). C-391 is essentially the same as C-301 in that it scraps the long gun registry. However, some technical clauses in C-301 (that Opposition MPs objected to) were dropped. Hopefully, any MP who has spoken against the long-gun registry will now not have an excuse to vote against scrapping it.

The vote on the gun registry will be close, both in the Senate and in the House. I and my colleagues are doing all we can to deliver on what we have long campaigned for—the complete abolishment of the long gun registry.

I’m Brad Trost your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt.  You can call my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133 or drop by our two offices to visit: Saskatoon Monday-Friday or Humboldt Tuesday and Wednesday. I always appreciate your feedback.