The RCMP Long-Gun Registry Scandal is why Gun Owners Cannot Trust “Gun Control”

Recently, allegations have been surfacing that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has retained access to a list of Canadians whose firearms were registered under the since disbanded Long-Gun Registry; a list which was ordered to be destroyed along with the change in legal requirements to register.

The long-gun registry, which was implemented by the Liberal government in 1995 under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, was just another step in a long line of useless and majorly expensive attempts by the Liberals at some form of effective gun control.

The legislation was so ineffective that even current Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called the legislation a failure; and as the man who passed Bill C-21, and the latest gun ban, Trudeau is essentially an expert on ineffective firearm legislation.

Stephen Harper’s Conservative government abolished the program, at the rejoice of the majority of Canadians, through the enactment of Bill C-19, which came into force on April 5, 2012; Ending the Long-gun Registry Act.

The Commissioner of the RCMP was ordered under section 29 of the act to permanently delete any and all records of non-restricted firearms from the RCMP registry database, stating:

The destruction as soon as feasible of all records in the Canadian Firearms Registry related to the registration of firearms that are neither prohibited firearms nor restricted firearms and all copies of those records under the Commissioner’s control.

The Chief Firearms officers in each province received a similar directive, yet Ed Burlew, a criminal defense lawyer, believes he has evidence that these lists have in fact remained in possession of the authorities the entire time.

Documents, from 2019, provided to Burlew by a crown prosecutor with regard to a case he is currently working on behalf of a client, appear to contain information that could only have been obtained through the registry. 

It appears that, contained within this document, was not simply a list of firearms along with serial numbers, but also firearm identification numbers; a number which isn’t attached to firearms unless there is an available registry. In this regard Burlew stated:

I was shocked and disgusted… They kept it, it’s a secret file…This shows that there is someone within the RCMP who has deliberately lied to Parliament and the courts.

The document in question appears to have originated with the Registrar of Firearms, a faction of the RCMP, which was shared with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to assist with the case against Burlew’s client.

This is not the first time that concerns have surfaced regarding what information was kept in possession of the authorities, despite legal requirements to the contrary. In 2013, officers went around in High River, AB, seizing firearms from homes that had been evacuated and locked up during the floods; a service which was charged to the taxpayer at a tune of $2.3M.

In the process RCMP officers broke down doors, without providing any evidence, in what could only be seen as a coordinated effort targeting homes of known firearm owners with the intent to seize their property.

Back in 2015, Deputy Commissioner of the RCMP’s Canadian Firearms Program Peter Henschel, testified in front of the House of Commons Committee regarding compliance with the order to destroy documents relating to the long-gun registry. Henschel informed the committee that:

Consistent with the government-approved implementation plan… the RCMP destroyed the records between October 26, 2012, and October 31, 2012, with the exception of the Quebec records, which were maintained pending the outcome of a Supreme Court decision.

Going on to say that once a decision was made by the Supreme Court of Canada to end the registry, “the RCMP deleted the remaining Quebec records from the Canadian firearms information system between April 10 to April 12, 2015.” Reports to this effect have been provided in 2013, as well as 2015, annual reports for the Commissioner of Firearms, along with a 2015 RCMP audit.

Yet, concerns still persist regarding the illegal maintenance of these records by the RCMP. Another flag for Canadians came in 2017 when the Liberals introduced Bill C-52. This bill allowed the Commissioner of Firearms to share all records of non-restricted firearms contained within the Canadian Firearms Registry since 2015; prompting the question many Canadians asked, “Weren’t these records ordered destroyed?”.

In a statement to The National Telegraph, Tracey Wilson Vice President of Public Relations for the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights (CCFR), said:

Canadians knew after the gross abuse of gun owners by the RCMP in High River that the registry data still existed. This further proves what we already knew. At some point, Canadians need to ask themselves if they’re going to accept that our national police force seems to be above the law?

It is apparent that even those in the highest levels of the RCMP believe that they are above the law; which can only embolden those lower on the chain. Reinforcing this belief that they are above the law; there is a major lack when it comes to disciplinary action, even for more serious matters, RCMP officers are often simply given a slap on the wrist.

All of this leads to questions of the integrity of those who chose to serve on such a police force. If officers cannot be trusted to behave, as we all do, bound by the laws that are passed whether we like it or not; then how can we trust them with some of Canadians most sensitive information.

The ease with which a list of registered firearm owners could be stolen by a rogue officer, and simply copied onto a thumb drive and sold to the highest bidder on the black market, should worry law-abiding Canadian citizens who are simply trying to keep their homes safe; firearm owner or not.

It is long overdue that Canadians start holding those in positions of authority to the same standard as they hold their fellow citizens; no one should be above the law, especially those tasked with protecting it and, in turn, us.