Firearms Owners' Privacy Breached

A recent poll of firearms owners is further proof the Canadian Firearms Centre (CFC) can't be trusted to protect confidential user information, says the Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA).

The 27-question "customer satisfaction survey," conducted in September by Ekos Research Associates, used private contact information obtained from the CFC, claims Tony Bernardo of the Canadian Institute for Legislative Action (CILA).

"The problem with this, aside from it being a breach of privacy, is that it endangers the lives of legal gun owners and citizens because the CFC has given out information regarding who owns firearms," said Bernardo. "This is information that the government of the day promised not to divulge to outside sources."

Bernardo says his organization is considering pressing criminal charges. When the CSSA and CILA alerted the federal government, who were unaware of the survey, they initiated an investigation as to whether privacy rights had been violated, he says.

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) also wrote the Minister of Public Safety, protesting the survey.

"We're extremely concerned regarding the nature of the questions, the apparent lack of relevance to the firearms registry, as well as the potential invasion of personal privacy evidenced by the fact that Ekos pollsters seem to have the contact information of firearms owners," said OFAH Government Relations Manager Greg Farrant.

The OFAH, CILA, and CSSA advise firearms owners to decline participation in the survey.

"This is not a customer service survey," said Farrant. "It's an obvious attempt to justify the continuation of the wasteful and badly flawed longgun registry."

He also noted the timing is suspect, since the survey was conducted just prior to the proposed second reading of Bill C-391 (at press time near the end of September), which calls for the demise of the firearms registry.