2006/12/01

N.B. to crack down on firearms
Justice minister accuses former Tory gov't of not prosecuting unsafe gun owners

December 01, 2006

FREDERICTON - The province is signalling that it wants to start prosecuting those who failed to register or renew the registrations of their firearms after the previous government said it wanted nothing to do with enforcing the federal gun registry.

Justice Minister T.J. Burke invokes the image of drunk drivers cruising around with loaded pistols at their side in saying he's in favour of a crackdown on the gun-registration law, which mostly affects hunters and recreational shooters who form the vast majority of gun owners in New Brunswick.

"I think it's irresponsible of the previous government to allow people with loaded handguns to be left on car seats and not be charged," Burke said yesterday, accusing the Tories of refusing to prosecute drunks who are out driving their vehicles around with loaded firearms at their sides.

Riverview MLA and former minister of justice Bruce Fitch laughed out loud at Burke's comments, noting the previous Tory regime took a softer line on hunters and recreational shooters when it came to unregistered firearms but always said they wanted the full force of the law to come down on anyone caught with illegal restricted firearms, which is where handguns fall in Canada's gun laws, or who committed crimes involving a gun.

"Restricted guns are a totally different story," Fitch said yesterday.

"We've always said that."

Fitch says the Conservatives' line while in power was always that if the federal government wanted to register all the firearms owned by hunters and farmers, then the federal government could prosecute those who failed to register.

Crown prosecutors, the Tory government said at the time and which Fitch repeated yesterday, were already busy with "real crimes."

"Our resources are strapped right to the limit, so we said don't go out searching the woods for the friendly hunter who didn't re-register his gun."

That attitude seems to have changed with the new government, which perhaps shouldn't be a surprise as Burke, while in opposition in 2003, urged the province to prosecute such cases.

Whether Burke's words signal a new wave of enforcement against firearms owners in New Brunswick remains to be seen. An aide told the minister he had to leave immediately while Burke was in the middle of a scrum with reporters yesterday.

However, before he was interrupted, Burke went to some lengths to paint the previous government as soft on guns - even drunk drivers with loaded guns at their sides.

"The provisions of the Criminal Code allow for prosecution of people who have unregistered loaded firearms in public view and for the previous provincial government to say that we're going to prosecute people for substantive offences, for example, drinking and driving, but not prosecute the individual who's been caught drinking and driving with a loaded firearm on the car seat, I think is completely irresponsible."

Fitch was taken aback that anyone, let alone a justice minister, would think someone could at any time drive around drunk with a loaded gun at their side and not be charged with an offence.

Fitch said the Liberals' attitude on the subject of gun registration is akin to their move to fire long-time sheriffs who cannot pass rigid new fitness tests.

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