Black Prince
07-10-2003, 16:50
UNITED NATIONS - Canadian government officials watched straight-faced at a United Nations conference on gun control yesterday as a leading opponent of Ottawa's gun registry recounted its cost overruns and questioned its effectiveness.
"I know you have heard many reports of its technological brilliance and its unmitigated success," Tony Bernardo told delegates representing the UN's 192 member countries.
"I might suggest to you that the government of Canada has been less than transparent in its reporting of the accomplishments of its domestic firearms control system."
Canada has been using the week-long conference to campaign for accelerated global efforts to trace guns internationally and destroy illicit supplies of small arms.
International gun control lobbyists have hailed Ottawa's efforts to devise ways to keep track of light weapons, and held up the country as setting an example to follow.
But Mr. Bernardo, speaking as executive director for the Canadian Institute for Legislative Action, challenged Ottawa's claims about the efficiency of its domestic gun registration system. He also pointed out the system has been much more expensive than expected, and warned poorly thought-out programs can deny money for other projects, such as fighting poverty, without solving the problem of illicit arms trafficking.
"I am not saying this to antagonize anyone. This is the truth," he said in an interview at the conference hall.
Canada says it is not advocating international gun registration, but rather a tracing system that would see all guns marked in some way so their point of origin can be identified if they end up being recovered after their illegal use.
A large part of the aim is to try to determine who is supplying rebel groups around the world with weapons, so the illegal arms trade can be stopped.
But the UN's Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice passed a resolution in 1997 saying the eventual goal of gun control should involve tracking the distribution of firearms. Gun control advocates cite the resolution as evidence that countries around the world want registration.
"Amongst many governments, there's hope that eventually norms will emerge around the regulation of the civilian possession of firearms," said Wendy Cukier, president of the Canadian-based Coalition for Gun Control, who is attending the conference.
According to the UN, small arms and light weapons are used to kill 500,000 people a year. However, most of the victims are not in the areas with the most guns, a survey released at the UN on Tuesday shows.
The survey showed the United States has by far the largest number of publicly owned firearms -- approaching one for every person. It also revealed Europeans are more heavily armed than is commonly believed, while there are far fewer arms in Afghanistan and sub-Saharan Africa than previously estimated.
Nevertheless, wars in the developing world claim most victims.
Many groups opposed to blanket controls say the international focus should be on limiting just military weapons.
"We and the industry would be willing to work aggressively with governments to rid the world of these types of guns," said Mr. Bernardo. "But not when they include our sporting guns."
The UN says the focus for control is "primarily on pistols, revolvers, and military style assault rifles," but does not exclude sporting guns.
Mr. Bernardo told delegates yesterday that Canada's auditor-general had reported in December, 2002, that the net cost of Canada's registration system would be $1-billion -- some 500 times more than the original $2-million estimate. He argued the actual cost is now an additional $252-million over the figure mentioned by the auditor general.
"Canada's international work in firearms control has never been added to these totals," he added.
Mr. Bernardo said "best estimates" suggest Ottawa's registration of 6.4 million firearms accounts for just 50% of all weapons, and not 80% as Ottawa claims.
The money could have been better spent, he said.
"Our country has seen a continuous erosion of its much vaunted health care system, a dramatic lowering of school standards ... and our once-proud military has been reduced to an international joke," he told delegates. "Canadians do not applaud the spending of $1.25-billion of our taxes on feel-good legislation designed to vindicate the international aspirations of our current government."
Nuff Sa :rolleyes: id!!
"I know you have heard many reports of its technological brilliance and its unmitigated success," Tony Bernardo told delegates representing the UN's 192 member countries.
"I might suggest to you that the government of Canada has been less than transparent in its reporting of the accomplishments of its domestic firearms control system."
Canada has been using the week-long conference to campaign for accelerated global efforts to trace guns internationally and destroy illicit supplies of small arms.
International gun control lobbyists have hailed Ottawa's efforts to devise ways to keep track of light weapons, and held up the country as setting an example to follow.
But Mr. Bernardo, speaking as executive director for the Canadian Institute for Legislative Action, challenged Ottawa's claims about the efficiency of its domestic gun registration system. He also pointed out the system has been much more expensive than expected, and warned poorly thought-out programs can deny money for other projects, such as fighting poverty, without solving the problem of illicit arms trafficking.
"I am not saying this to antagonize anyone. This is the truth," he said in an interview at the conference hall.
Canada says it is not advocating international gun registration, but rather a tracing system that would see all guns marked in some way so their point of origin can be identified if they end up being recovered after their illegal use.
A large part of the aim is to try to determine who is supplying rebel groups around the world with weapons, so the illegal arms trade can be stopped.
But the UN's Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice passed a resolution in 1997 saying the eventual goal of gun control should involve tracking the distribution of firearms. Gun control advocates cite the resolution as evidence that countries around the world want registration.
"Amongst many governments, there's hope that eventually norms will emerge around the regulation of the civilian possession of firearms," said Wendy Cukier, president of the Canadian-based Coalition for Gun Control, who is attending the conference.
According to the UN, small arms and light weapons are used to kill 500,000 people a year. However, most of the victims are not in the areas with the most guns, a survey released at the UN on Tuesday shows.
The survey showed the United States has by far the largest number of publicly owned firearms -- approaching one for every person. It also revealed Europeans are more heavily armed than is commonly believed, while there are far fewer arms in Afghanistan and sub-Saharan Africa than previously estimated.
Nevertheless, wars in the developing world claim most victims.
Many groups opposed to blanket controls say the international focus should be on limiting just military weapons.
"We and the industry would be willing to work aggressively with governments to rid the world of these types of guns," said Mr. Bernardo. "But not when they include our sporting guns."
The UN says the focus for control is "primarily on pistols, revolvers, and military style assault rifles," but does not exclude sporting guns.
Mr. Bernardo told delegates yesterday that Canada's auditor-general had reported in December, 2002, that the net cost of Canada's registration system would be $1-billion -- some 500 times more than the original $2-million estimate. He argued the actual cost is now an additional $252-million over the figure mentioned by the auditor general.
"Canada's international work in firearms control has never been added to these totals," he added.
Mr. Bernardo said "best estimates" suggest Ottawa's registration of 6.4 million firearms accounts for just 50% of all weapons, and not 80% as Ottawa claims.
The money could have been better spent, he said.
"Our country has seen a continuous erosion of its much vaunted health care system, a dramatic lowering of school standards ... and our once-proud military has been reduced to an international joke," he told delegates. "Canadians do not applaud the spending of $1.25-billion of our taxes on feel-good legislation designed to vindicate the international aspirations of our current government."
Nuff Sa :rolleyes: id!!