Is Bill C-71 a gun registry by any other name?  The Saskatchewan Recreational Firearms Community says it is.

Greg Illerbrun is the chairman of the group and sees very little difference between the old gun registry and that is now being proposed.

Under the proposed new system anyone selling or giving a non-restricted firearm, including private sellers, will be required to verify the validity of the firearms license of the person buying the firearm with the Canadian Firearms Program.  

"All private and retail firearms purchases will now be traceable through the reference number" says Illerbrun.  "It's a registry through the back door with more bureaucracy than ever as businesses are forced to assist the government in making it work".

That according to Illbrun will slow things to a crawl.

"Now you'll have to phone in to the Canadian Firearms Center and get their blessing".  "I don't know how many firearms change hands in a day, but I'm thinking it's got to be in the thousands, and everybody is going to have to phone in.”

Illerbrun says that volume of phone calls will choke the system.  "You won’t be able to get through". 

If the goal of Bill C-71 is to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, Illerbrun contends it's bound to fail.

"The brunt of C-71, the same as C-68 (former long gun registry) is all about the legal firearms owner", Illerbrun says.  "The issue with guns right now on the streets is gangs and they are not going to follow any of this, so it will have no affect".

He also maintains there is better use for government money than Bill C-71.

"Rural crime has been escalating and has been for years, and there is not enough police to service it.  The result is farmers phoning in need of police officers, and they are one or two hours away.  We spent $2 billion plus on the last firearms registry and now were going to start spending money again.  What is we had taken that money and hired police and put them into rural Canada?  We would have had some real service and some real results".

Bill C-71, which also includes new transportation regulations for firearms, received first reading in the House of Commons March 30th.