The VOICE of Anglers and Hunters since 1928

Has the registry become a shopping list for criminals?

OFAH FILE: 842/401-11
February 6, 2006

For Immediate Release

Has the registry become a shopping list for criminals?
O.F.A.H. lashes out at Attorney General for blaming legal gun owners

The latest home invasion seems to have targeted another licensed gun collector and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters is seriously questioning the security of the computer-based gun registry.

“This and other recent break-ins has us wondering whether computer hackers and violent criminals are using the gun registry more than the police” said O.F.A.H. Executive Director, Mike Reader, adding that the registry’s reputation for computer errors, privacy infringements, and security leaks has been widely acknowledged by police and politicians.

“The O.F.A.H. has always warned that, in the wrong hands, a database detailing the whereabouts of every legally-owned firearm in Canada is a potential shopping list for criminals,” added Reader.

Despite this apparent trend in recent break-ins, Ontario’s Attorney General Michael Bryant appears to be more intent on punishing law-abiding gun collectors who have gone above and beyond the legislated call of duty for safely storing their firearms.

“Instead of focusing on how thieves are discovering the whereabouts of gun collections, the Ontario Attorney General is demonizing law-abiding historic collectors and target shooters who should expect security protection, not confiscation,” said Reader.

This concern was echoed by Oshawa Mayor, John Gray, who told the Toronto Star that private gun collectors are not the criminals. He said criminals are the thugs who break into homes and steal safely- stored firearms.

Ottawa’s Police Board Chair, Eli El-Chantiry also believes the province’s Attorney General is off target, saying that he believes “the focus should be on the illegal handgun, not about the handgun in the hand of a collector.”

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Contact

Greg Farrant
Government Relations Manager
(705) 748-6324

Robert J. Pye
Communications Coordinator
(705) 748-6324 ext. 267 cell (705) 872-6964


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