A Shot In The

Dark"> Canadian Firearm Registry: A Shot in the Dark

High price for safety: When the Canadian government proposed building a computerized database to track the estimated 7 million firearms in the country, it said the project would cost about $119 million Canadian ($88 million U.S.) to implement. Those costs were to be offset by $117 million in gun-owner registration fees, leaving taxpayers with a bill for $2 million. Instead, costs have soared to more than $1 billion.

1998

New Firearms Act requires all gun owners to be licensed and all guns registered.

Of estimated 7.9 million guns, 20,000 are registered.

1999

Errors in processing raise cost of each registration to $16.28 from original $4.60 estimate.

Annual owner fees total $300,000, up from $100,000.

2000

Every gun owner required to have valid license by Dec. 31.

Fee for firearm license reduced to $10 from $45.

2001

Government extends amnesty program to Dec. 31, 2002, to turn in newly restricted weapons such as .25 and .32 caliber handguns.

1.5 million guns registered.

2002

Canadian auditor general says registry costs will exceed $1 billion.

Fees received from owners reach $4.3 million, up from $1.5 million.

2003

Despite controversy, majority of Canadians meet registration deadline.

7 million guns registered, representing 88% of total firearms believed to exist in Canada.

Sources: Office of the Auditor General of Canada, HLB Decision Economics Review, Hession Report, Baseline Research