Long gun registry shot down

Labrador MP Todd Russell voted last week in favour of Bill C-391, a private members bill intended to repeal the long-gun registry, despite Tory ads shaming Liberal and New Democrat MPs into voting for the bill.

The bill, which was sponsored by Tory MP Candice Hoeppner from Manitoba, passed in the House of Commons on Nov. 4 by a 164-137 vote. Twelve New Democrats, eight Liberals and one Independent voted with the minority Conservative government to kill the long-gun registry, which would eliminate more than seven million firearms and less than $1 billion taxpayer investment, the Canadian Press reported.

Bill C-391 will now go before a House of Commons committee for study and possible amendment.

In the days leading up to the vote, Tory radio ads hit the airways to prompt constituents to urge their local MPs to abolish the gun registry. The ads also included the MPs' phone numbers.

Mr. Russell said his vote reflected the interest of his constituents rather than the interests of the Conservative government.

"A large portion of (my constituents) are hunters, people who live on the land, trappers, and I have a high percentage of aboriginal people who have always felt, like many people in Labrador, that guns themselves are not weapons but they're tools to carry out a traditional way of life, to provide sustenance for their families," he said.

The Tory ads released proved the government's insincerity in dealing with the issue, Mr. Russell said, adding that the approach to Bill C-391 further inflamed a nationwide rural-urban divide.

"I believe we all have a responsibility to try to bridge that divide. Certainly I don't believe they were totally genuine in their approach; I believe that they've used this particular issue not to debate it on its merits but to divide the country, to divide communities, to divide individuals based on politics only."

The Conservative government's sudden attention to Labrador in particular seemed "specious," Mr. Russell added.

"When was the last time that a conservative cared what people in Labrador thought enough to call local papers to take out ads? I've never seen a conservative care about the lack of infrastructure in our communities, the lack of health care facilities and services, that we need more money for roads."

The Liberal government brought in the long-gun registry in the wake of the December 1989 massacre at Ecole Polytechnique, where Marc Lepine killed 14 women using a semi-automatic rifle.

Mr. Russell said he respects the point of view of people on the other side of the argument.

"When you meet with people who have lost family members through gun violence, and who are very passionate and have a very emotional connection to this issue, as people on the opposite side do, there needs to be respect for all view-points."