Bill C-19 · 41th Parliament · Stephen Harper
Ending the Long-gun Registry Act
An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act
Government bill. Became law.
- IntroducedOct. 25, 2011
- Debated in principleNov. 1, 2011
- Studied by a committeeDone
- Passed its first chamberFeb. 15, 2012
- Passed the second chamberApril 3, 2012
- Became lawApril 4, 2012
Leading supporters
Ranked by the part each played: who is responsible for the bill, who carried it, and who spoke for it most.
- Stephen HarperPrime Minister
- Daniel LangSenate · Sponsor in the Senate
- Ms. Candice Hoeppnerexplicitly speaks in support of ending the registry as proposed
- Garry BreitkreuzHe leads the debate to end the registry as fulfilling a commitment to law-abiding gun owners.
- Cheryl Gallantspeaks in support of scrapping the long gun registry as a victory for constituents.
- Scott ArmstrongWants to scrap the wasteful and ineffective registry.
- Robert SopuckSpeaker rises in favour of the bill and praises colleagues' work to eliminate the registry as wasteful.
- James Bezanpraises the bill for getting rid of the registry and thanks those advancing it
Who carries this bill
Arrows run from the person responsible to those who answer to them on this bill. The critic leads the Senate’s scrutiny and answers to no one on it.
What it set out to do
On 25 October 2011, the Minister of Public Safety introduced Bill C-19, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and Firearms Act (Ending the Long-gun Registry Act), in the House of Commons and it was given first reading. Bill C-19 amends the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act to remove the requirement to register firearms that are neither prohibited nor restricted. It also provides for the destruction of existing records, held in the Canadian Firearms Registry and under the control of chief firearms officers, that relate to the registration of such firearms.
Summary by the Library of Parliament.
Where members stand
That · 2011-10-27 · Passed
What the Senate tried to change
- adds provisionsopposition senatorsWould require licence checks before destroying registry data.Voted down · April 3, 2012 · Senate record
How it changed on the way
75% of the text as introduced was changed or removed by the time it became law (6,165 words introduced, 3,420 passed).
substantial changeintent mostly kept
The bill kept its core aim of ending registration for non-prohibited long guns and destroying related records, but 75 percent of the introduced text was altered by passage. Additions focused on transfer rules for remaining restricted firearms and minor procedural updates.
- Inserted chapter number, assent date, and final statutory formatting.
After: “60-61 ELIZABETH II —————— CHAPTER 6 An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act [Assented to 5th April, 2012]”
How precisely it is written
mostly preciseChallenging the law: ModerateDisputing a charge: Moderate
The bill uses defined categories and specific document requirements to limit registration duties to prohibited and restricted firearms only. Some phrases still leave room for argument over what counts as authorized possession or acceptable reasons.
Open to argument
“the transferor has no reason to believe that the transferee is not authorized”
Subjective belief test invites disputes over what knowledge or suspicion is enough.“may revoke a registration certificate for a prohibited firearm or a restricted firearm for any good and sufficient reason”
Broad standard gives officials wide latitude without objective criteria.“must specify a reasonable period during which”
Vague timing standard depends on individual judgment rather than fixed numbers.
Clear-cut
“A registration certificate may only be issued for a prohibited firearm or a restricted firearm.”
Clear binary rule tied to defined firearm classes.“If a person from whom any thing is seized under subsection (1) claims the thing within 14 days after the seizure”
Fixed 14-day deadline removes discretion on timing.
Discretion. Chief firearms officers, the Registrar and regulations retain power to set prescribed conditions, decide what counts as good and sufficient reason, and handle authorizations and revocations.
Challenging the law itself. Provisions using 'good and sufficient reason' or 'no reason to believe' could be attacked under Charter s. 7 for vagueness or overbreadth.
Disputing a charge under it. Most offences turn on production of specific licences or certificates, but subjective belief tests and 'reasonable period' language allow factual disputes.
Read by a language model from the royal assent text; every quoted phrase appears in the bill. A reading of the drafting, not legal advice.
Did it work?
effective
Official RCMP and Privacy Commissioner reports confirm that the Act successfully ended mandatory registration of non-restricted long guns and led to the destruction of related records in the Canadian Firearms Registry (except initially for Quebec, later resolved). No contrary official evaluations, audits, or court findings indicate failure to meet these statutory objectives.
- RCMP Audit of the Destruction of Electronic Records Pertaining to the Transitional Provisions in the Ending the Long-gun Registry ActauditThe audit confirmed that all electronic records related to non-restricted firearms (except Quebec) were destroyed in October 2012 in compliance with the Act.
- Privacy Commissioner of Canada Investigation Report (2015)reviewNearly all sampled information related to non-restricted firearm registration was appropriately redacted or destroyed, with minor issues corrected; CFOs achieved 100% compliance on record destruction (except Quebec).
- Information Commissioner of Canada Special Report on Long-gun Registry Access Request (2015)reviewDocuments detail the RCMP's destruction of long-gun registry records in phases (2012 and 2015), consistent with the Act's requirements, despite access-to-information disputes.
Who lobbied on it
No lobbying registration naming this bill is loaded.
Stages and dates from LEGISinfo.