OTTAWA — Manitoba Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner took political hits from all three opposition parties Monday morning during opening debate on her bill to get rid of the national gun registry.

Hoeppner said her bill is necessary because the registry doesn't prevent gun crime and the funds spent on it would be better spent going after illegal weapons, including handguns smuggled in from the United States.

"It's primarily focusing on the wrong people," said Hoeppner. "We need to refocus on the criminals."

In her speech on the bill, Hoeppner said 93 per cent of gun crimes in the last eight years have been committed with illegal guns and unregistered guns.

"That is a staggering statistic and one that flies in the face of any argument supporting the long gun registry."

Hoeppner said that's also why so many front-line police officers support scrapping the gun registry.

She has the public support of the Saskatoon Police Association and the Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers.

She also said the fact the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and Canadian Police Association want to continue the gun registry is proof the leaders of those organizations are out of touch with the beliefs of the members.

But MPs from the Liberal party, the NDP and Bloc Quebecois all attacked her logic and said getting rid of the registry will not save much money.

Liberal public safety critic Mark Holland said Hoeppner's arguments in favour of scrapping the registry ignores the viewpoints of the many who support the registry.

He cited a letter from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police which listed a number of reasons the registry is useful, including helping reduce the sale of legal weapons to illegal owners and letting police know if there might be guns in a home when they are answering a call.

It also helps police prove the illegal possession of a firearm, something that was difficult before all legal weapons had to be registered, Holland said.

Holland said having to register a long gun doesn't prevent someone from owning a legal weapon any more than having to register a car prevents someone from owning a car.

He also accused Hoeppner and the Conservatives of using the issue of the long-gun registry as a tool to create political noise.

Bloc MP Serge Menard, NDP MP Joe Comartin and Liberal MP Paul Szabo also spoke out against Hoeppner's bill.

The gun registry is more than a decade old. Costs to establish it soared well over $2 billion. Holland and Comartin both pointed out the costs are now under control and it will save the government less than $3 million a year to scrap it.

The bill is now awaiting its second hour of debate at second reading before it will come to a vote. As a private members' bill, it is expected individual MPs will not be required to vote with their party.

Hoeppner has said previously that is why she introduced the bill as a backbench government MP, rather than the bill coming from cabinet. Cabinet bills usually see caucuses vote en masse and Hoeppner hopes a free vote will show there are many MPs who don't agree with their party leaders on the issue of the gun registry.

This is Hoeppner's first bill as an MP. She was first elected in October 2008.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca