P.E.I. chiefs support long-gun registry

Police chiefs on Prince Edward Island are joining most of their colleagues across the country in support of mandatory federal registration of long guns.

Members of Parliament are set to vote on the issue in less than a month, and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has been lobbying to keep it.

Kensington Chief Lewis Sutherland, head of the P.E.I. Association of Chiefs, told CBC News Wednesday it's important for police to know what they are getting into when they are called to a home, and that long guns are often used in domestic violence cases.

"If we're called to a residence or apartment or whatever we're able to check that residence and find out if there's any firearms at the residence, and that's been the plus for the registry," said Sutherland.

The long-gun registry has been criticized as expensive and being an unfair intrusion on the privacy of law-abiding Canadians.

Charlottetown resident Al Legerwood has a dozen shotguns in his gun safe. He's a collector, and he uses them to shoot clay pigeons and for partridge hunting. His guns are registered, but he's not sure how that makes anyone any safer.

"The very definition of a criminal says he's not going to register his gun," said Legerwood.

"He may not use long guns like I do. He's probably going to use handguns or illegal automatic weapons."

He said it's time the registry was scrapped.

"I don't know any one who has guns in Canada who says this is a good thing," he said.

"We comply but honest people do that."

Owners pay up to $80 for a licence to own guns, and have to take training.

It's up to Parliament to decide the fate of the registry. It will vote on the issue at the end of September.