DATE: March 17, 1995
CONTACT: Prof. Gary Mauser
Simon Fraser University
Institute of Canadian Urban Studies
PHONE:wk604-291-3652, hm936-9141
FAX:wk604-291-4920. hm936-9140
RELEASE: Immediately
MEDIA RELEASE
VANCOUVER, B.C.>>> A new study for the Fraser Institute by Prof. Gary Mauser of Simon Fraser University's Faculty of Business Administration & Institute of Canadian Urban Studies shows that new gun control legislation, recently proposed by Justice Minister Alan Rock, would cost taxpayers between $500 million to $1 billion. "If passed, Bill C-68 would be far too expensive to enforce. Given the current fiscal problems, taxes would need to be increased or funding for other programs reduced," says Mauser.
The study shows that the proposal to register all firearms is unworkable, expensive, and counter productive. Registration would divert scarce police resources away from dealing with criminal violence. If police budgets are not dramatically increased overworked RCMP constables in rural areas and municipal police departments would be required to process paperwork to register an estimated six to twenty million additional firearms. If firearms owners are to pay for the registration of all previously purchased firearms it is unlikely that compliance would come close to being complete. Not only will this fail to reduce violent crime it would turn previously law abiding citizens into criminals.
Advocates of tougher gun control laws say the new law will reduce accidental firearms deaths. Mauser, however, points out that better education and the requirement of safety courses at the provincial level for hunters is responsible for the significant drop in gun related accidental deaths since the 1960s. In 1992 firearms accidents accounted for 66 deaths, or less than 1% of the 8,801 accidental deaths in Canada. Since 1994 federal law has required safety courses when applying for a Firearms Acquisition Certificate (FAC). "Why do we need registration when the government has just introduced firearms safety courses? It will result in more wasted taxpayers dollars," Mauser argues.
The study also shows that gun control cannot control criminal violence. Mauser points out that of the violent crimes committed in Canada between 1988-1991, 2.3% were handgun related and 2.8% were rifle/shotgun related, leaving 94.9% of violent crime non-firearm related. "If the registration of all guns will help reduce crime, then why hasn't the registration of hand guns since 1934 reduced or eliminated handgun crimes?" Prof. Mauser questions. He also points to Great Britain which enacted the Firearms Amendment Act in 1988. This extremely restrictive law significantly dropped the legal ownership of firearms but has had no visible impact on the rise of violent crime.
Click here to view Legal Gun Ownership and Violent Crime in Great Britain, 1979-1992
The study makes the point that we do not have a gun problem in Canada but a crime problem. New gun control laws allow politicians to appear to be taking action on crime while they do not attack the root causes of crime, from family violence to drug abuse. Moreover, draconian laws only help to create more cynicism about government as well as concern for civil rights and liberties in a democracy. "Bill C-68 has nothing to do with fighting crime or violence. Charging gun owners or the public for this ill conceived experiment just adds insult to injury," says Mauser.