Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Massacre vigil focuses on long gun registry
Monika Duggal holds a candle the during vigil to honour the 14 women killed in 1989 Montreal massacre. (BORIS.MINKEVICH@FREEPRESS.MB.CA )
PEOPLE remembering the massacre of 14 young women in Montreal 20 years ago fear that no political party will ever attempt to license rifles again if the Harper government succeeds in eliminating the long gun registry.
They rallied Sunday outside the St. Boniface office of Conservative MP Shelly Glover.
"I believe it would be virtually impossible to bring back" because it is a divisive issue within parties, said Kevin Rebeck, president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour.
That would be a shame, he said, since gun-related domestic violence has dropped 50 per cent since the Canadian Firearms Act was passed in 1995.
Sunday's rally was to remember the 14 women who were shot dead at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal two decades ago by a deranged man. The rally was held in front of Glover's constituency office to protest the Conservative government's actions to end the registry. The Conservative bill cleared second reading in the House of Commons recently.
About 25 people turned out Sunday, mostly women. They questioned why rifle owners feel burdened at having to register weapons when everything from pets to cars require licences. Among those who feel that way is Alisha Bigelow, a hunter and rifle owner.
"There is no harm in having a registry," Bigelow said. "I'm ultimately responsible for my gun. If it goes into someone else's hands, I'm responsible."
The protestors say gun-related domestic violence is especially an issue for women in rural Canada. Canadian police access the gun registry an average of 92 times a day, and say they find it helpful on domestic violence cases.
People at the rally lit white candles and placed roses at the entrance to Glover's office. Glover is a former Winnipeg police officer.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 7, 2009 A5
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“I recall a trip to Boston where we visited "the north end" (sort of an old part of town similar to the exchange district but better developed). There were beat cops everywhere and I have to say I really felt safe there. I don't know if we need 24 hour beat cops but it would be nice if they scheduled beat cops when there are events downtown that run later than their normal beat shifts.”
Posted by: Everybody Up
Article: Police officers walking the beat
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