Why does Stockwell Day hate the police?

It seems our man at the Ministry of Public Safety has decided that tracking lethal firearms into this country just isn't all that important.

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day is facing criticism for failing to endorse regulations to track illegal guns imported from other countries.

Several of Canada's major law enforcement agencies, including the Canadian Police Association, allege that Day has quietly shelved plans that require gun importers to put identifying marks on all firearms coming into the country.

Hang on! That little event was decided on several years ago. While I was not aware that it was a 1 Dec 2007 effective date, I do remember this was something that became legislation quite a while ago.

"It's unfortunate that Canada in a quiet and almost hidden fashion has decided to abandon those commitments," [Dave] Griffin [Canadian Police Association executive officer] told CBC News on Friday.

The regulations were created three years ago and are part of several international agreements Canada has signed, Griffin said.

There we are. So, did Stockwell, the minister of Public Safety sit down with the police to discuss this?

He said he found the decision buried in an obscure part of the Privy Council Office website.

Makes no sense, does it? This is the Public Safety minister tossing off a method of tracking firearms that the police could only find a useful tool. And then to just shelve the idea without consulting or advising police forces? Maybe it's not so mind boggling.

It. Was. A. Liberal. Program. And the gun lobby despised everything to do with controlling their weapons, especially if it came from a Liberal government.

"The fact is this government has been captured by the gun lobby interests and aren't interested in gun control," [Ujjal] Dosanjh told CBC on Friday.

Yup. Day took his advice from his "Firearms advisory council" and totally ignored the police, as Dave Griffin has only too clearly discovered.

Strange, wot? Not really.

Tony Bernardo, a member of Day's firearms advisory council, said there's no evidence to suggest that import marks on firearms will help trace illegal guns.

Tony Bernardo. That would be the executive director of the Canadian Institute for Legislative Action. The name may be a little misleading but the purpose of the group is described as: a Canada wide coalition of pro-firearms and shooting organizations devoted to preserving, promoting and protecting firearms and related activities. CILA has a full time representative in Ottawa and maintains offices in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.

Now, if you drop the "Canadian" from the name and just go hunting for institute for legislative action you wind up on, voila! the National Rifle Association site. The most powerful gun lobby in. the. world.

Coincidence? Let's just say that no cop would believe in that coincidence.

Let me explain to Dave Griffin. Stockwell Day has done a little arithmetic. Campaign support comes in dollars. From which of two sources do the Conservatives get more political donations: the gopher gun crowd or police associations?

H/T CC