Long gun amnesty extended yet again

The federal government is once again extending its amnesty to long gun owners who have yet to register their firearms with the federal gun registry.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews made the announcement Friday at the offices of the Manitoba Wildlife Federation in Winnipeg.

The amnesty lets long-gun owners renew expired licenses without being charged for possessing an unauthorized firearm.

Toews has dismissed the gun registry established by the Liberals as a waste of money and his party has pledged to kill it, saying the money can be better spent putting more police officers on the street.

The amnesty, first introduced by the Conservatives in 2006 and extended in 2008 and again in 2009, is intended to encourage compliance and reduce the administrative burden on lawful gun owners as they work to comply with the registry, Toews has said.

A private member's bill to dismantle the registry sponsored by Conservative Candice Hoeppner, the MP for Portage la Prairie, Man. has passed second reading.