Email that I sent to Hon. Paul Szabo - Mississauga South

Good day, Thank you for taking the time to read my email, I have been a resident of Mississauga South for most of my life. Over the years, I have lived in various parts of Mississauga, Lorne Park, Erin Mills, and have settled in Clarkson, I believe it to be a wonderful area.

I am also a firearms enthusiast and have been so for most of my life, It started with my Grandfather first teaching me how to hold a rifle as a young boy. My enjoyment of sport shooting has continued into my adult life, I recently applied for and was granted my firearms license and have purchased several rifles and pistols over the last few years. I have taken many friends, co-workers, family members who are also residents of Mississauga South to a range I frequent in Burlington.All of the people that I have taken, believe that firearms are no more dangerous (when in the proper hands) then any other tool or piece of equipment.

As such, I am writing to ask for your support of the private members bill C-301. The bill brought forth by Garry Breitkreuz MP Yorkton—Melville, which calls for the dismantling of the ineffective long gun registry, that has cost tax payers over 2 billion dollars to set up and nearly 75 million to administer annually. The long gun registry has done little to nothing to reduce violent crime in Canada, as criminals still refuse to register their firearms. Bill C-301 in it's original form calls for the following: - With the repeal of the long gun registry, people would no longer have to register their non-restricted shotguns and rifles. Restricted (such as handguns) and prohibited firearms would still have to be registered.

Since the inception of the long gun registry, not one life as been saved. The long gun registry is a tool used after a crime is committed to track down the owner of a firearm. Even before the days of the long gun registry, the police were capable of doing this using import records from manufactures and sales records from stores. - Binding of Authorization to Transport to the firearms license. In order for those people who own a restricted firearm to legally transport it to a range or shooting club, they require an Authorization to Transport (ATT). This document is provided by the Chief Firearms Office of each province and in some instances can takes months to send out. By binding the ATT to a license, those individuals who are LEGALLY able to own / possess those firearms, will be able to transport them to range without having to apply for a separate document. Individuals transporting their firearms, will still have to follow all the transportation and storage laws to and from the range. By binding the ATT to the firearms license, will help to reduce bureaucracy and help to save tax payers money.

- Allowing the transportation of prohibited firearms to a certified range. There are Canadians, whom were grandfathered rights to own fully automatic rifles or converted from full auto to semi-automatic only. As the media has been playing up since bill C-301 was proposed, the idea that people will be able to drive around with machine guns in the car, etc, etc. Bill C-301 would allow those who still have to right to own these firearms to take them ranges that allow their discharge, prior to the inception of Bill C-68 many Canadians drove to ranges will their now prohibited firearms and there was never one incident of an attack or assault. Bill C-301 would give those people who Legally own their property, the chance to take it to an approved government range, where they can legally use them, again all the laws for storage and transportation must be followed.

- Changing renewal periods for firearms license from 5 years to 10 years and merging the Possession Only and Possession and Acquisition License into one document. By doubling the licensing period for firearms licenses would reduce the amount of bureaucracy in re-applying for one every five years, as well as having just one firearms license, this will help to save the tax payer money. The same laws would still be on the book for any individuals whose license is revoked or any prohibition orders are put against them.

- Finally Bill C-301 calls on an audit of the firearms laws every 5 years to ensure they are properly being applied and that tax payers money is being best served. I understand this letter has a lot of information that needs to be digested, but rest assured, that Bill C-301 is good legislation, it helps to balance the rights firearms enthusiasts as well as that of public safety. With Bill C-301 applied, all laws would still have to be followed when it comes to transportation and storage, the private or commercial sale of firearms, such as license verification. There would still be a registry intact for restricted and prohibited firearms, as well as mandatory licensing in order to possess or acquire firearms. Please read Bill C-301 for yourself, as I have stated it is a good piece of legislation that will help to preserve the rights of nearly 2 million Canadians that are firearms enthusiasts.

Thank you for your time and support. Matthew Robert Capranos Resident Missisauga South. Mississauga, Ontario

The reply that I received

Dear Mr. Capranos, Thank you for the input. Bill C-301 was supposed to be debated last week but they changed their mind on some aspects and have dropped the Bill down the list about a month. Changes are expected so I cannot tell you what the Bill does or if they will ever bring it back. The Prime Minister is not happy with the Bill. Sincerely, Paul Szabo MP

And my Reply

Thank you for the prompt reply. From what I have read, the second reading of Bill C-301 maybe as early as tomorrow or early next week and while there has been discussions to edit portions of Bill C-301, from what I have read, it will read in it's original form. From what I have gathered from both the media, and from within the firearms community it is not so much that Prime Minister is un-happy with the bill, the un-happiness is coming from the opposition parties, and the anti-gun groups within Canada that are trying to have the bill as watered down as possible. As they do not fully understand the hoops that fire arms owners must jump through in order to participate in their past time. Thus far the Conservative Party of Canada has worked to preserve the rights of firearm owners, and not erode them. The private member bill put forth by Garry Breitkreuz MP Yorkton—Melville, has support from several members of both your party as well as the NDP, and has the possibility of passing if the contents are properly debated in the House and Senate, instead of the rhetoric used by groups that oppose civilian firearm ownership within Canada. Please when possible review the contents of the Bill, whether in the original form or the newly revised when it is presented and if offered a free vote, please vote with all the facts known. Thank you again for your time, Matthew Capranos