Mayor sorry for linking death to gun registry

EDMONTON— Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson apologized for his “premature” suggestion Tuesday the loss of the federal gun registry could have contributed to the on-duty shooting death of Const. Daniel Woodall.

Woodall, an eight-year member of the Edmonton Police Service, was shot dead Monday evening while attempting to serve an arrest warrant for criminal harassment at a home in southwest Edmonton. A second officer, Sgt. Jason Harley, was injured but is expected to make a full recovery.

During a morning news conference at police headquarters, Chief Rod Knecht said gunman Norman Raddatz fired more than 50 bullets at police through the door with a high-powered rifle. A question about an increase in shootings involving police prompted Iveson to speculate about the impact the loss of the federal gun registry has had on events in Edmonton.

“I do have a concern with gun violence and I will say that the loss of the gun registry may be related to this. I think every opportunity our police have to have knowledge of where firearms are in the city would be to their advantage and the chiefs of police have been consistent about that,” said Iveson, who at times choked back tears as he spoke about the slain officer.

Iveson apologized for the comments in a Twitter message posted less than an hour after the news conference. The mayor said his “speculation about (the) gun registry this morning was premature.”

Scrapping the long-gun registry was a longtime pledge of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government. The Conservatives dismantled the program to register non-restricted firearms in 2012.