Coalition for Gun Control - Media Advisory

WHO :						POLICING and HEALTH & SAFETY EXPERTS/REPRESENTATIVES FROM SMALL COMMUNITIES/COALITION FOR GUN CONTROL
WHAT :						ADDRESSING MYTHS OF THE CONSERVATIVES' ATTEMPT TO DISMANTLE THE LONG-GUN REGISTRY  (Bill C-391)
WHEN:						Wednesday, September 22, 4 pm
WHERE:						Room 130-S, Centre Block, Parliament Hill

BACKGROUND : « The gun registry has never killed anyone. Eliminating it may. »

TORONTO, Sept. 21 /CNW/ - Before Opposition Members of Parliament try to kill Private Member's Bill C-391 which would end the registration of 7 million rifles and shotguns, a diverse group of speakers addresses the myths promoted during the recent aggressive well-funded campaign to dismantle the registry.

While the many suggest this is an "Urban vs. Rural" issue, the facts show otherwise:

• Rates of gun violence in rural communities are substantially higher than in large cities; rifles and shotguns are the weapons of choice;
• Recent polls indicate that the vocal gun lobby does not speak for most rural residents, in part because of misinformation and in part because women's voices have not been heard.

PARTICIPANTS:

Rural B.C. Psychiatrist Dr. Barbara Kane has used the registry to remove guns from suicidal and dangerous people;

Denis Côté, président de la Fédération des policiers et policières municipaux du Québec (FPMQ),  representing smaller municipal police services where officers are more at risk from rifles and shotguns in the home;

Representative from Canadian Labour Congress, representing workers from across the country, including many firearm owners. Many high profile shootings have been in the workplace.

Priscilla de Villiers, mother of Nina who was abducted and killed with a legally-owned unrestricted rifle in Burlington, ON in 1991 (in spite of the fact the killer was out on bail on violence offenses). The inquest into the killing recommended licensing all gun owners and registering all guns.

Karen Vanscoy, a psychiatric nurse and mother of Jasmine who was shot and killed by an acquaintance using a stolen gun in St. Catharines, ON in 1996;

Yves Francoeur, président de la Fraternité des policiers et policières de Montréal (FPPM) and Board Member, Canadian Police Association;

Wendy Cukier, President and co-founder, Coalition for Gun Control.

All major safety groups in the country support saving the firearms registry. Founded after the 1989 Montreal massacre, the Coalition for Gun Control includes more than 300 organizations including the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, Canadian Public Health Association, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, Canadian Paediatric Society, YWCA of Canada, Canadian Federation of University Women, Canadian Auto Workers, and Canadian Labour Congress.

For further information:

[email protected]
416.803.5597
For more information, visit www.guncontrol.ca