Flawed registration and bad data

Submitted by the "Duke"
A few years back, I had an opportunity to help a friend out by lending him a non restricted rifle. This lending was 100% legitimate. He had a valid PAL, I provided him with a copy of the registration certificate, I wrote a note explaining that I was lending it to him, and I wrote my 24hr contact and PAL information on the back.

One day, he was pulled over while driving and, somehow, the police officer got into looking into his trunk (SUV). Even though my friend was in the vehicle, the rifle was unloaded, locked, in a locked case and completely out of sight.

Anyhow, not thinking he had anything to hide (officer asked the "do you have any alcohol in the vehicle" line), he allowed the officer to check in the back of his SUV.

Rifle was found, inspected, and confiscated as "stolen property" on the spot, despite the paperwork and contact info. No call, no explanation, just a confiscated rifle. Also curious is that they let my friend drive off, even though he had been in possession of an apparently stolen firearm.

Anyhow, I head to the local RCMP office come Monday. It turned out that it wasn't the lending equation that sparked the stolen firearm confiscation, but the registry had a name other than my own in its database. Funny thing was the registration certificate, that I also had a copy of, was the whole page that included my full name. As was the certificate that my friend had provided during the incident.

The officer did politely return the firearm to me, explaining that he was following the direction of his superiors and that I would be thankful if the situation were different.

Inconvenience aside, the firearm was returned in good order. Frustrating that the almighty database can make your own property "stolen" and no longer yours due to a data entry error.

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159 failures is a success in police eyes

Re: "Man arrested after 159 guns stolen from outdoor store," Feb. 7.

The article contains some puzzling contradictions. Most glaring is the quote attributed to Saanich Police Sgt. Dean Jantzen: "Access to the long-gun registry has been critical to advancing the speed of this investigation."
This comment follows the police observation that, "a remarkable thing is that all the guns were registered through the long-gun registry . a valuable tool in tracking and accounting for all the weapons."
Why didn't the registry track and identify the 159 guns when they were being registered to the wrong person? Aren't we fortunate that this individual had no violent intent.
One can only pale at the prospect of how many similar registry errors may have placed hundreds or thousands of weapons into the hands of hardened criminals.
Moreover, the article states that police were tipped off by an owner of Island Outfitters after a year-end audit. It looks to me like the long-gun registry had nothing to do with the tip-off. In addition, it is reported that the suspect is co-operating with police, which indicates he has turned over all of the registry's erroneously issued paperwork with the firearms in question.
No other information is available or required for an investigation like this.
The only contribution the long-gun registry made was to waste taxpayer money by repeating the same error 159 times.

Myrna Francis

Brentwood Bay


http://www.timescolonist.com/Long+registry+only+wasted+money/6125527/story.html
Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/Long+registry+only+wasted+money/6125527/story.html#ixzz1m72olhPr

Ghost firearms for Halloween!

A friend of mine did a request for the info in his file:

-4 guns he never owned were registered to him, 2 prohibited.

-1 he sold was still registered to him 3 years after selling it.

-1 gun he did own had no record of registration, despite the fact he had the registration certificate in his hand.

A few years back I received a notice of transfer for an SKS rifle which I have never owned. The following week I received a certificate for an SKS that I never bought. I mailed all the paperwork back stating I personaly boycott communist POS firearms and would appreciate they update my file accordingly!

I've also received certificates for Colt Single Action Armys I wished I did have LOL and to this day get pestered about a Model 69 Winchester 22 rifle I supposedly purchased at an auction.

Colt 41 says: Same here. Found at least two guns registered to me I never bought.

Wrong name and guns still in their name but owned by someone else

o, I had a couple of guns to register and I decided to use the online registration and telephone verification process. I end up waiting about 15 minutes for a verifier. The verifier turns out to be some French lady who speaks passable English. I tell her what I have: a Gevarm .22 semi automatic and a Winchester Model 94 in .32 SPL I'd like registered. She asks me for the model number for the Gevarm and I tell her it is a E-1, its not stamped on the barrel but I discovered this through other sources. The nice French lady than tells me this isn't possible and I have to have the guns on hand if I want them verified I insist that I have the rifles right in front of me. She then asks me if they are loaded.. WTF, of course not. I then read her precisely what is stamped on the barrel carbine automatiqe Gevarm et.. So, she gives me the reference table number and her info which I madly type into the online registration form as I can hardly understand her and want to make sure it will accept the info. She ends up transferring me to an English speaking gentleman who helps me overcome the errors I had made on recording her info with the language barrier. Fine, hang up, continue with the form. Winchester is registered fine. but my Gevarm is now a single shot Huntington & Richardson .22. At least the serial number will be correct.

Cool how your Gevarm didn't compute, but a Huntington and Richardson did.......considering there is no such thing.
Harrington.

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I'll bet if all the mistakes and mis-registered firearms were ever known, the Registry would be laughed out of existence in a week. If you want a real amusing day, try registering a customized military Mauser that's been re-barreled to a different caliber!

When I tried it, they said "But they never made that rifle in that caliber ..."

Apparently the ability to re-barrel and change a firearm's caliber is lost on the CFC.

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I just received an official printout of my registered guns as of Sept 19 2009
There are 7 guns still registered to me, including a handgun, that I have sold and transferred and have the "seller" letter to prove it.
Nice system.
That handgun was sold around Christmas time and the guy has been shooting it weekly at Phoenix Range.....and apparently it still belongs to me.
-- huntinstuff, Location: Alberta, on September 23, 2009

Gun registered to wrong person

From Shootemup at CGN

Not epic. but they registered a gun to me that I never owned and it took considerable effort on my part to have it removed.

(Colin's note: it would have been epic if the gun had been used in a crime)