Mr. Speaker, the first argument out of the mouths of the Conservatives when they talk about the long gun registry has to do with its cost.
Do they not realize that the money needed to set up the long gun registry has already been spent? To abolish the long gun registry would be a terrible waste of the initial investment, which we thought was quite high and for which we have often criticized the previous government.
Does the hon. member have the same numbers I do? I believe the annual cost of registering long guns is $15 million. Since they want to continue with registering handguns, and they are right to want to do so, the savings will be roughly half that amount.
Every police force in the country, except for Saskatchewan's, believes that this would save lives every year.
Does the hon. member not think that $7.5 million a year is worth it?