Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to support our colleagues in Ottawa and make a statement about Bill C-68. I want to add a little different perspective than the eloquent statements that we've heard here in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I have the deepest sympathy for victims of suicide, accidents and criminal attacks where guns are misused. Any thinking person with an ounce of compassion would agree that steps must be taken to lessen the awful cost to society of violence and of despair. This bill, in my opinion, will not achieve the noble objectives it sets out to accomplish. It seems to me to be a sincere effort by government to try to alleviate the real fears of many people, especially in big cities close to the United States deluged daily by media saturation of murders and violence.

Unfortunately, there is no magic in life or in politics. Violence is glorified in television and in the movies. The social fabric of the country is undergoing tremendous stress with all the casualties that go with it. Politicians are under tremendous pressure to do something about it. Guns are an easy and sometimes legitimate target on which to focus the anxiety of Canadians increasingly fearful for their safety and for the security of themselves and of their family.

I don't feel that Canada will be a safer place after this bill is passed. The millions of dollars that it will cost could be better spent on victims' programs which, ironically, the federal government is cutting back on as well as on firearms education and safety programs.

There are certainly positive aspects of the bill: criminal activity involving the use of weapons must be punished harshly. Making criminals of law-abiding people who aren't able to comply with the bill works against the philosophy of the bill which is to safeguard the public, not to punish it.

Education is the key to the safe use of firearms and legislation should support the transfer of knowledge and experience from one generation to the next without creating bureaucratic barriers which make that transfer more difficult. Responsible hunters, collectors, competition shooters and outfitters have respect and understand the safe handling of firearms much better than any well-meaning civil servant in Ottawa and should be recognized and utilized fully in the design and implementation of any firearms legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to continue my statement.