Packed house rallies against gun registry Lacombe urges public to pressure government to abolish firearms act March 31, 2004 St. Paul Journal By Jay Gutteridge Journal Staff It sometimes takes courage to stand up for what you believe, and it takes even more when the stand you take could land you in prison. That was the situation for Oscar Lacombe, the 75-year-old former sergeant-at-arms for the Alberta Legislature who staged a protest against the federal Firearms Act on Jan. 1, 2003. Lacombe was in St. Paul last week to rally people to take a stand against firearms registration. “On that day I took a disarmed .22 rifle to a vacant terrace near the legislature in Edmonton,” he told a packed house at the St. Paul Recreation Centre on March 23. “Out of respect for the legitimate safety concerns of the police, I warned the Edmonton police service in advance of what I was doing and how I was going to do it.” Lacombe held a small press conference that day and was arrested afterward. Lacombe, originally from St. Vincent, was hoping to be charged federally under the Firearms Act so he could challenge the law in court. Instead, he was prosecuted under Section 91 of the Criminal Code, which was added to the code by the Firearms Act. It is up to provinces to prosecute the Criminal Code, and the Alberta government is doing just that. “The (Premier Ralph) Klein government had promised for four years to leave prosecution of the gun registry to the federal government under the Firearms Act,” Lacombe told the crowd. “I think they should keep their promise.” The rally was organized by the Citizens Centre for Freedom and Democracy, and the organization’s chairman Link Byfield also addressed the crowd. “I want you to answer a question,” he said. “If the Prime Minister and his whole front bench crew of cabinet Honest Johns stood here and solemnly promised to repeal the gun registry after the next election, would you believe them?” Byfield said it isn’t just the registry that is wrong with the Firearms Act. “Licensing is over half the cost of this thing.” The law had support in urban Canada when it was originally introduced, he said. “They thought those of us who own guns were a bunch of crazy western bigots, and we need a license to be that way.” However, the act is now unpopular everywhere, he said. “The Firearms Act has become the most despised piece of legislation in Canada.” The law does little to prevent crime, the speakers said. “The gun registry only makes sense if the ultimate aim is gradual confiscation of all firearms,” said Lacombe. “The government in Ottawa thinks this country belongs to them and not us, and that is B.S.” One member of the audience, Al Bevan, addressed the crowd. He said he registered his guns and had his license, but when the police came into his home after he had an accident in his vehicle, they came back and charged him with unsafe storage. Bevan was convicted and the police ordered him to sell 35 guns and they destroyed four. He also received a $1,000 fine and two years probation. “Don’t invite the cops into your home and don’t register your guns,” he told the audience. The Citizens Centre handed around a list for people to write the names of others who might be interested in the campaign against the gun registry. They encouraged the crowd to write their MLAs and provincial cabinet ministers asking that they not prosecute the gun registry. If the provinces don’t prosecute, the law becomes unconstitutional, said Byfield. People came from around northeastern Alberta to attend the rally. “We hope people get the word out, get on the Web site, start sending out letters and filling out forms and get in touch with other people,” said Byfield after the rally. The Citizens Centre may organize more rallies around the province after seeing the response to this one, he said. More info on Oscar Lacombe

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