Harper on gun registry: then and now

Found this 14-year-old story in the dusty archives this morning. Note the last paragraph. I seem to remember this Reform MP saying that it was his townhall meeting, and the vitriol from the gun lobby, that swayed him to vote the way he did. Of course, that was a long time ago.

** Update.. Aaron Wherry over at Macleans has posted yet another helpful reminder, by way of a story (by Joan Bryden, then at Southam), recounting how a young(er) Stephen Harper received threats after his support of the gun registry.

Memo: Toronto Star
  Date: 4/6/1995
 Page: A2 
 Dateline: OTTAWA

3 Liberals from rural Ontario buck party on gun bill

By Tim Harper

Toronto Star

OTTAWA - Three Liberal MPs bucked their party by voting against government gun control legislation last night, while many more sent a message by refusing to vote or staying away from the House of Commons.

A trio of rural Ontario MPs - Rex Crawford (Kent), Benoit Serre (Timiskaming-French River) and Paul Steckle (Huron-Bruce) - broke with the party, even after Prime Minister Jean Chretien warned his caucus to think of the gravity of voting against a government bill.

All three have been staunch opponents of the bill since its introduction, but 49 other Liberals either sat in their seats for the vote or stayed away from the Commons. Some were making a statement by their absence, as counselled by the chair of their rural caucus. But others were simply away and some cabinet ministers were on government business.

The bill would create a central gun registry, provide harsher sentences for those using guns in crimes, crack down on smuggling of weapons and prohibit others, such as military and paramilitary weapons, including AK-47s.

Many rural MPs are upset about the gun registration requirement because they say anyone who fails to register their legally obtained guns will be treated as a criminal.

The bill easily moved a step closer to law when the Commons voted 173-53 to approve it in principle and refer it to a parliamentary committee.

The Liberals hope to have the bill stamped with final approval by early June, before the summer Commons break.

Last night, Chretien said from Dallas, where he is to address the American Society of Newspaper Editors today, that he was "disappointed" three Liberal MPs voted against the bill.

But he told reporters he is happy the bill carried with overwhelming support, including some from the Reform party and the NDP, The Star's Derek Ferguson reports.

At a caucus meeting earlier yesterday, Chretien told the MPs it was "serious business" to vote against a government bill, sources said.

He also told would-be dissidents that taking the heat in their riding from constituents over how they voted came with the territory for MPs.

So many rural MPs decided to abstain - even though there is no formal parliamentary procedure for abstention.

Two Liberals - David Iftody (Provencher) and Rose-Marie Ur (Lambton-Middlesex) - tried to be recognized as abstainers.

Reform MP Stephen Harper (Calgary West), touted by some as a future Reform party leader, bucked his caucus and voted with the government, as did the Bloc Quebecois.

Comments

[Darryl MacDonald]

Good digging! I wonder how many other in his Cabinet have flip-flopped like this?

[John Evers]

This has been covered as you can imagine on Canadian gun forums.

If you do some more digging you will soon learn that Harper voted for the bill as he was under the mistaken impression that his voters wanted it that way. Once he voted and suffered the resulting backlash from his voters he did what any elected representative should do when faced by and electorates views....he voted as they wished and voted against that bill and every other one like it since.

[Frank Docherty]

Guns don't kill people. People kill people.

[Mathieu]

Guns don't kill people, people with mustache kill people

[Gabby in QC]

First, I have to ask both Mr. Wherry and Ms. Delacourt if they hold precisely the exact same views they held 14 years ago. "Idée fixe" anyone?

Secondly, the vote by Mr. Harper may have indicated his trust in the government's stated objective: to run an EFFECTIVE registry at reasonable cost to the taxpayers.

Given the results, i.e. the fact the expected cost mushroomed from $2 MILLION to $2 BILLION, and the fact that even registered guns, be they long or not, have been used in crimes, and most importantly, the fact criminals do NOT register their guns, perhaps Mr. Harper was justified in changing his mind, eh?

[Gunner]

Susan Delancourt forgets that we were also told it would cost two million dollars to complete and very low annual cost. Susan is another Liberal apologist does not mention that this registry has been a duplicate of whats already in existence when one buys a long gun and has nothing to do with the sub machine gun type that is covered under a different law.It seems to me that the Liberal press take great pleasure in digging up these little tidbits.They do not have to look far just try some of the Liberal shenanigans 14 years ago.I hope Harper will get fed up with all this and make it a confidence vote.We need another election

[Frank Docherty]

Susan, are you a Liberal apologist like commentor "Gunner" suggests on November 06, 2009, at 03:37 PM? Or are you simply bringing attention to the issue of violent crime reguardless of the criminals' choice of weapon?

[Ted Gorsline]

Guns cause murders the same way that pencils cause spelling mistakes.

[Robert Page]

Good research,Ms Delacourt.It's too bad Mr.Chretien and Mr.Ignatieff didn't follow Mr.Harper's lead and quash this badly flawed legislation back when everyone realized how bad it was.If they had,we wouldn't be $2 bil. poorer with ZERO to show for it like we are today.Every time the Liberals run their mouths,their credibility sinks lower and lower.

[Ozy3]

Funny, when Chretien changed his position on axing the GST, he was called a liar and accused of failing to live up to his promises. When Martin showed capriciousness, he was called "Mr. Dithers". When Harper flips on a central issue, he's "learning" to read the "will of the people" or his contradiction is dismissed due to the age of a decision made 14 years ago! Well, Chretien's Red Book promise on the GST was made 17 years ago but never gets old with some posters. Hello, Pot? Hi, it's kettle! Please, Susan, stop asking for consistency from HRH's loyal followers, and I'm not talking about Prince Charles here.