Toronto Sun: Long-gun registry almost long gone

A recent article in the Toronto Sun about the impending end of the long-gun registry critically addressed some of the numbers commonly bandied about by gun control supporters.

“In 1995, there were 1,125 firearms deaths in Canada, in 2008 it was 754, so that’s almost 400 fewer deaths per year,” said Wendy Cukier, president of the Coalition for Gun Control.
Cukier includes suicides and accidents in her stats.

Notably, the article pointed out a critical flaw in that statistical reasoning:

When it comes to homicides, it depends on the year — not the registry. For example, in 1994, prior to the long-gun registry, there were 66 homicides committed with a rifle or shotgun. In 1997, after the registry, there were 77.

The article also quoted my testimony at the Senate Committee:

Advocates for firearm law reform say the long-gun registry is flawed, treats law-abiding people like criminals and should have been scrapped years ago.
“Instead of legislating meaningful crime-control measures, Parliament engaged in crime-control theatre and in so doing, they sacrificed true public safety for the appearance of public safety,” said Solomon Friedman, a criminal lawyer who specializes in firearms law.
He calls current gun control legislation a public policy pacifier.
“This drives a wedge between Canada’s law-abiding firearms owners, who otherwise would be the staunchest supporters of police and the country’s law enforcement.”
Solomon said there are countless examples of SWAT teams kicking in the doors of firearms owners, simply because someone complained about them, and they had properly registered their rifles with the government.