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Wednesday, December 13, 2000

No time for gun roundup

Cops say they don't have manpower for searches

By NICOLE BERGOT, EDMONTON SUN
  Ottawa says at least 75% of gun owners in Canada have complied with a law requiring them to be licensed by Jan. 1.

But city police and RCMP say they lack the manpower to target even the conservative estimate of 400,000 gun owners who may fail to meet the deadline.

"We warned over many years the enforcement of the legislation would be very difficult," said Staff Sgt. Al Bohachyk, Edmonton Police Association president. "There's nothing that would justify us chasing these people down. We do not have the resources."

The Canadian Firearms Centre, which administers the government's Firearms Act, estimates 2.2 million Canadians own guns and about 1.8 million people are already registered. Critics of the licensing and registry peg the number of gun-owning Canadians at about nine million.

Gun owners without licences will not be allowed to buy ammunition come Jan. 1 but they need not fear a "roundup" of those failing to comply, said police spokesman Wes Bellmore.

RCMP K-Division Supt. Dennis Massey said police encourage gun owners to play by the rules.

"There's not gonna be wholesale arrests and searches and seizures. Unless a criminal offence is occurring, we're not gonna be out there," said Massey.

But penalties for possessing a firearm without the proper paperwork, ranging from temporary seizure of the weapon to five years in prison, even have cops scratching their heads.

"Should there be weapons that shouldn't be there, then we would be obliged to take certain action like temporary seizure ... but we're waiting on Ottawa for a national policy approach," said Massey.

However, police across the country are divided on the issue, said Bohachyk. "We're not on the same page and it's a real dilemma in Alberta because the province says it, as a government, is not interested. It's a no-win situation."

Alberta and some other provinces want federal Crown attorneys to handle prosecution even though provincial Crown attorneys are charged with prosecuting alleged offenders.

"This is such convoluted legislation that nobody will be able to understand all the rules, including police officers. There is nothing simple about it," said Bohachyk.

Cops could also inadvertently be targets of irate gun owners if officers are forced under the new legislation to seize prohibited weapons, including guns with barrels under four inches, from an estimated 200,000 Canadians.

Jim Hinter, National Firearms Association president, said the "bogus law" unfairly takes aim at law-abiding owners.

"Millions have been spent on this legislation and that's money that could have been spent on putting more police on the street, on education and on stiff mandatory penalties," he said.

The law requires owners of long guns like rifles and shotguns to obtain possession licences by Dec. 31, 2000, or after their existing firearms acquisition certificates expire. By Dec. 31, 2002, owners must register each of their guns.

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