Tories once again extend fee waivers, amnesty for gun owners

In addition, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day says that an amnesty program - essentially protecting owners of shotguns and hunting rifles from criminal liability for failing to register their firearms - will also be extended for a third year.

Day first introduced the waivers and amnesty in May 2006, as an ostensible prelude to abolition of the long-gun registry often criticized by farmers, hunters and sport shooters.

The Tories have never managed to pass legislation formally dismantling the registry, because all other parties in the minority Parliament favour retention of the system.

The government has nevertheless renewed the fee waivers and amnesty on a yearly basis - a strategy denounced by critics as a backdoor way of crippling the registry even though the Conservatives can't muster the votes to abolish it.

In announcing the latest extensions, Day repeats past assertions that his only purpose is to give gun owners who haven't obeyed the law an incentive to do so.

"Effective gun control requires high levels of compliance," he said. "These measures are designed to facilitate that compliance."

The RCMP, in a notice filed in a government newspaper earlier this spring, acknowledged there was "confusion" among gun owners about the current state of the law. The force said it was planning a "communication and outreach" program to educate firearms enthusiasts about their legal obligations.

The Conservatives, when they were in opposition, railed against Liberal overspending on the gun registry. But figures released last month showed that, since taking office, they've been refunding or simply forgiving more money in licensing fees than it costs to run the registry.

Statistics supplied by the RCMP listed actual and projected operating costs for federal gun registration programs at $35.9 million over the three fiscal years starting in 2006.

During the same period, under the new policies instituted by Day, the government has refunded or waived an estimated $56.5 million in fees.