New gun law 'not the long-gun registry,' Liberal MP says

A northern Ontario member of parliament says a newly introduced gun law is getting mixed reaction in his riding.

Last month, the Liberal government put forward Bill C-71.

The bill would require retailers to keep records of firearms inventory and sales for at least 20 years, a measure intended to assist police in investigating gun trafficking and other crimes.

It would also require a gun seller to ensure a buyer's licence is valid prior to the transaction.

Nickel Belt Liberal MP Marc Serre says some hunters in his riding are concerned this could be a return to the long gun registry.

"I've been working really closely with Minister Goodale and a lot of the ministers to ensure that there's a minimal impact on hunters here in northern Ontario," he said.

"We're not bringing back the gun registry. So a lot of the inquiries have been on that and that's not coming back, let's be clear on that."

Serre says he encourages anyone with concerns about the bill to contact their member of parliament.

Since the bill's introduction last month, Conservative MP's have called the move to tighten controls on the sale and tracking of firearms the creation of a new national long-gun registry.

Conservative Erin O'Toole says by "going to the store level as opposed to the home, the Liberals are trying to bring in the registry by a back door."

Liberal MP Bob Nault, who represents Kenora, says he sees nothing in the bill that could stir up the sort of controversy that erupted over the long-gun registry in the 1990s. He predicts the latest legislation will have no major impact on legitimate firearms owners.