No long-gun registry: Trudeau
The Liberal government has no plans to resurrect the controversial long-gun registry, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted Monday as Canadians struggled to come to terms with a deadly shooting last week that killed four people, including two police officers.
Trudeau, who spent the day visiting Prince Edward Island as part of an ongoing tour of Atlantic Canada, found himself fielding the same questions that often follow such tragedies – including whether Ottawa is prepared to consider additional restrictions on firearms. The federal Liberals have already moved forward with “common-sense gun legislation” that will deepen background checks and impose “reasonable limits” on the transport of weapons, Trudeau said.
The legislation, known as Bill C-71, will also require retailers to keep inventory and sales records for longer periods of time.
What it won’t do, he said, is bring back the widely hated gun registry, long a sore spot with farmers and gun enthusiasts after it was introduced in 1993 by Jean Chretien’s government — and even after it was dissolved in 2012 by the Harper Conservatives. “We will not be bringing back a long-gun registry — it’s not part of our plan and has never been,” Trudeau said after a town hall meeting with seniors in the community of North Milton.
“There are lots of conversations going on about what next steps might be taken. We’re listening to people and talking to experts about what we can do to keep our communities safe.”
Over the weekend, Trudeau was in Fredericton where he offered condolences to the families of the victims of the shooting, which claimed the lives of police officers Robb Costello and Sara Burns, as well as civilians Bobbie Lee Wright and Donnie Robichaud.