Chris Lowrey
QUEBEC Jan. 29, 2018
Opponents of Canada’s federal long gun registry breathed a sigh of relief when it was abolished by the Conservative government in 2012.
However, those who live in Quebec will have to register their long guns with the newly-created provincial long gun registry.
Gun owners in the province will have one year to register their firearms with what Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux labelled a “simple, quick, free” process.

Firearms in the province must now have a serial number that will go into a database.
Those who don’t register their firearms by the deadline will face a fine of $500 to $5,000.
Gun owners must provide a detailed description of the firearm and provide proof of identity.
The road to implementing the registry was paved in October of last year when a Quebec judge dismissed a court challenge that attempted to block the registry because it infringed on federal jurisdiction.
Coiteux said the information provided by the long gun registry will be invaluable to police forces.
“It will help for suicide prevention, domestic violence prevention, the kind of operation by police forces when they know who is owning what (firearm), where, and how many,” Coiteux said to assembled media in Quebec City.
The registry is pegged at a cost of $20 million, and Coiteux said it’s on budget.