The debate rages two sides collide and a battle of words in the media. Among them we see the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police(CAPC)we are seeing public servants stepping across a boundary that arguably they are not supposed to cross. Be that as it may it still does not change the fact that this said same organization tried to stop Canadian politicians from enacting The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms citing that it would emasculate policing in Canada. Twenty eight years later they don't appear to be emasculated.
This is not the theme of this article just a little preface, to the main topic. We have two registries in Canada(there are more but for this we will stick with these two)The one registry is the Sex Offender Registry (I'll refer to it as SR for short) and the Gun Registry. One keeps track of convicted sex offenders the other keeps track of inanimate objects.
The SR is related to the gun registry simply because that is what the CAPC wanted in order to get it they had to give their approval and support to the long gun registry which when the gun registry was proposed the CAPC did not support it. As we can see the game of politics is in play the old you wash my hands I'll wash yours. So they traded their opposition to support in order to get what they really wanted, The Sex Offender Registry.
The SR was developed very inexpensively largely because the criminal records system meshed neatly with it. It did not require a ground up construction like the Gun Registry.
Now for the bones of contention, Firstly in order to be placed on the sex offender registry all you need do is commit a sex offence be convicted and a judge order you placed in the registry in the sentence he/she imposes sounds simple but plea bargains and such or a little absent mind-ism on the part of the court and no such order issued. Result no entry of a sex offender in the registry. However we must also recognize that the sex offender is given the benefit of what is called "due process of law", firearms owners were given no such benefit and never ever committed a crime guilt simply by possession.
The sex offender registry did not apply to people that were convicted before the enactment of the law indeed no. However the gun registry applies to all gun owners past and present, that is to mean not just new gun owners. I've owned firearms for 30 years and I was required to register even though I have never aimed a firearm at another living soul ever nor used them to commit a crime ever. It appears a sex offender has more rights than I.
It gets even better, a sex offender who registered is only required to update information once a year, and if they move they have to let the authorities know. If they bother to at all it is only a 6 month max. stint in the pokey if they don't. Me on the other hand have to tell the CFC in advance of a move for restricted firearms and immediately after the move for non restricted firearms. If I fail to it's 2 years in prison again with out ever committing a crime against society strictly just for a regulatory offence.
I am tired of being treated worse than people who have harmed society. Being a firearms owner has become no different than being on parole from prison, though I have not ever done anything to warrant such treatment. You might say that maybe I ought to just give up and turn in or sell my guns. I can't do that, not and live with myself. It is a right to keep arms in Canada, I am not one to give up a right on anything and I will challenge people that do try to take away a right that I hold.
I have proof beyond reasonable doubt that we in Canada have the Constitutional Right to keep arms in our defence. It wasn't easy to find but it does exist. The English Bill of Rights 1689 forms part of our Constitution there for Parliament has not have the right to legislate against it, it is ultra vires of Parliament or beyond their power, though it has not ever slowed a politician down in the past plenty of laws are enacted which are unconstitutional, it takes the Court to strike them down though.
I have also heard/read time and time again the same tripe about we register this that and the other, however no one goes to prison if they don't register this that or the other, a firearms owner will if he fails to register, this is a marked difference.
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