Polls & Research
Archive Search
Canadians OK With Scrapping Gun Registry
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in Canada think the federal government should do away with a highly controversial program, according to a poll by Ipsos-Reid released by CanWest Global. 54 per cent of respondents say the gun registry is badly organized, is not working properly, and should be scrapped.
Canadians renewed the House of Commons on Jan. 23. The Conservative party—led by Stephen Harper—received 36.3 per cent of the vote, and secured 124 seats in the 308-member lower house. Harper, who was sworn in on Feb. 6, leads a minority administration after more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.
Canada's gun registry—initiated in the 1990s as an effort to limit access to firearms—ran into severe operational problems and questions regarding its cost. On May 16, auditor general Sheila Fraser calculated the decade-long expense of the program at $854 million U.S.
Yesterday, public safety minister Stockwell Day said the government plans "to eliminate the costly and ineffective long-guns registry (and) put in place a law-enforcement system that will lead to reduced crime with firearms." 67 per cent of respondents think the Tory administration should keep in place some sort of system that makes gun owners across the country register their weapons.
Polling Data
Some people say that the gun registry is badly organized, isn't working properly, and should be scrapped. Other people say that even though the registry has had management problems and has gone over budget, it has saved lives and should be continued. Which of these two opinions is closest to your own?
The gun registry is badly organized, isn't | 54% |
Even though the registry has had management | 41% |
Don't know / Refused | 5% |
Do you think that the new Conservative government under Stephen Harper should:
Keep in place some sort of system that makes gun | 67% |
Eliminate the idea of a gun registry entirely | 31% |
Don't know / Refused | 2% |
Source: Ipsos-Reid / CanWest Global
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,001 Canadian adults, conducted from May 9 to May 11, 2006. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.