Evidence of meeting #19 for Public Safety and National Security in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was firearms.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Dave MacKenzie Conservative Oxford, ON
Good. Thank you.
Professor Mauser, there is lots of argument out there about the percentage of long guns that are currently registered. I wonder if you have a view--and I appreciate that it may very well be an opinion--as to what percentage of long guns are currently registered.
Professor Emeritus, As an Individual
In a few of my academic papers I have tried to assess that. That is a very difficult question to answer. Import and export records suggest there are somewhere between 20 million and 30 million firearms in Canada. If we've registered seven million, that leaves quite a few unregistered.
The import and export numbers undoubtedly overestimate the number of legal guns that came into Canada. If we do surveys we come up with something in the order of 15 million firearms. And survey estimates, by the way, are probably underestimates.
So my best estimate would be something between 15 million and 20 million, which would probably be a rough estimate. It may be smaller than that, say 15 million to be conservative.
Conservative
Dave MacKenzie Conservative Oxford, ON
Okay.
Mr. Gaudet, if we spent $2 billion--we don't know exactly how much we spent to register, say, the first half--what would you think about spending another $2 billion to try to find the other half of the weapons?
Federal Director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation
I believe Professor Mauser's arguments regarding the efficacy of this program. I recognize that you, as elected officials, have a substantial budget deficit to struggle with--some $48 billion this year alone, give or take. We'd like to see you working more actively on getting that number down. And any dollars that go toward a program for which the efficacy doesn't exist seems to be money that's ill spent.
Conservative
Dave MacKenzie Conservative Oxford, ON
Is there anybody who thinks it's a good idea that if only half of the guns are registered, it's got to be safe for police officers? This panel is made up of many former and active police officers. You don't trust something that's, at best, 50% accurate.
Attorney General of Ontario, Government of Ontario
If you're asking me whether people want to know the information that's on the registry, I would say absolutely yes, and I would say people absolutely want to know that it's been compiled.
Attorney General of Ontario, Government of Ontario
Those in law enforcement will tell you, those who have been crowns will tell you, and those who are in justice will tell you that it's rare you ever find that piece of information that can prove with certainty, 100%, of any one particular case. We're always dealing with information that's part of, always dealing with witnesses who are part of, and always dealing with part of the picture.
This is part of the picture. The question is do we turn a blind eye?
Conservative
Dave MacKenzie Conservative Oxford, ON
But you wouldn't trust your life on it. That's my point. And I suggest to you, sir, that when you talk about that from that side....
Sergeant Rutledge, would you trust your life on it?
Sergeant, As an Individual
That has been our problem since the start of this. It was promised; it was set out as something that was going to save lives and protect people. It has not done that. I'm still going there with the same feeling--do I or do I not know?--and that's the issue for me.
Conservative
Bloc
Maria Mourani Bloc Ahuntsic, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will share my time with my colleague.
Mr. Mauser, I would like short answers please. Is this in fact you in this photograph, with a handgun?
Bloc
Maria Mourani Bloc Ahuntsic, QC
You do not remember how many guns you own? How many long guns do you own?
Bloc
Maria Mourani Bloc Ahuntsic, QC
All right, you own firearms, but you do not remember how many you have?
Professor Emeritus, As an Individual
That would be a few more years from now.
