Proposed bill targets illegal weapons in gangsters' vehicles

An Alberta Liberal MLA is introducing a private member's bill that would allow police to levy a maximum $25,000 fine and suspend the driver's licence of anyonecarrying anillegal weapon in a vehicle.

Kent Hehr, Liberal justice critic and MLA for Calgary-Buffalo,is proposing Bill 201to crack down on gang violence in Alberta.

Suspendinga suspected gang member's licencemay not seem effective, Hehr said, butcould be useful when combined with a big fine, which would go intoa fund to help victims of crime.

"It is an immediate up-to-$25,000 fine.There's no monkeying around. This is full stop, we're not going to take illegal guns driving around in vehicles in our cities," he said.

But Alberta Solicitor General Fred Lindsaysays he is notconvinced Bill 201 is a good idea, and defence lawyers say the bill could cause problems.

The law could penalize gun owners who don't register their firearms for political reasons, said Brian Hurley, president of Edmonton's Criminal Trial Lawyers' Association.

The penalties wouldalso have little effect on Alberta's gang problem, hesaid.

"To suggest, 'Oh, I'm going to take this 17-year-old's licence away from him and that will sort him out,' that's just knee jerk reactionary, pandering to public fear, not really addressing what government should be doing,"Hurley said.

"And I certainly would hope the Liberals would do better than this."

Hehr'sBill 201 websitesays: "The intent of this bill is not to go after hunters, farmers and other responsible Albertans who might happen to have an unregistered long gun. Its become clear that violent, gun-toting criminals are hiding behind the privileges given to legitimate gun owners in this province."

Hehr hopes the public will back his idea and encourage MLAs to pass the bill once it is introduced in thelegislature on March 2.

That date is the earliest opportunity for Hehr because Monday is the only day set aside for private members' business and February has been dedicated to ministers' responses to the throne speech delivered last week, said Alberta Liberal spokesman Michael Spears.