Dear Sir:
I was amused as well as disturbed by the most recent excuse given by our MP, Nathan Cullen, for his second betrayal of hunters, farmers and other law-abiding gun owners.
He claimed he voted against the repeal of the long-gun registry to keep guns from falling into the hands of criminals. The first time he broke his electoral promise on this topic, he blamed the bundling of the long-gun repeal with other legislative items he could not endorse.
In both cases, he voted against repealing the long-gun registry in spite of assuring Skeena-Bulkley Valley voters (during every election) that he would support such a move.
These excuses are without merit. Criminals are not looking for long-guns. Those who intend to acquire weapons for criminal use want readily-concealable handguns and nothing in this legislation would change the restrictions on handguns.
No, there is a much more obvious reason why Mr. Cullen voted against the long-gun repeal: he is running for the leadership of the NDP and that party has always supported strict gun control and registration.
In fact, interim NDP Leader, Nycole Turmel, promised to punish members who vote for repeal of the registry. More significantly, Mr. Cullen’s leadership hopes depend on the support of members of a party which promotes state control of everything – not only firearms.
His flimsy excuses reveal how quickly and easily party discipline can affect the decisions of a local MP. It’s easier to make excuses than to keep promises.
Rod Taylor,
Telkwa, BC
Rod Taylor is a deputy leader of the Christian Heritage Party. He has run against Cullen in four federal elections in the Skeena - Bulkley Valley riding.