As many have pointed the tragic murder of 4 RCMP officers may have had very little to do with the fact that he had a grow-op on his farm. The bigger issue is how a convicted criminal was able to have a semi-to-fully-automatic weapon in his possession. Andrew Chung at the Toronto Star expands on this point.
...The controversial gun control program — licensing owners and registering guns — was originally projected to have a net cost of $2 million, but after 10 years in the works, it surpassed the $1-billion mark last year. Critics have condemned it for years, saying it lacks both accountability and effectiveness.
Roszko — a convicted child molester whom family and neighbours described as aggressive and in a lot of emotional pain — was known by local residents and police to have guns hidden on his farm. In fact, he faced numerous firearms charges over the years, and in 1999 a bailiff who was to visit the Roszko farm was warned by RCMP to wear a bulletproof vest.
Critics say Roszko shouldn't have had weapons in the first place — and, if the gun registry actually worked, wouldn't have had them.
"Clearly this case is further evidence that the system doesn't work," said Guy Fontaine, an Edmonton lawyer who represented Roszko on many legal matters over 15 years.
...One former Mountie called the registry "totally useless" because criminals don't register their guns.
