In 2000, I was sitting at home with my family enjoying the evening when a knock at the door was heard. I answered the call and was greeted by a frantic young lady who told me her boyfriend had threatened to kill her.
Being a friend of mine, I told her he was probably joking, but when she handed me the pistol and bullets that she had managed to take away from him, I became worried and told her to come inside.
I then phoned my neighbour (the boyfriend) who lived across the street and asked what was going on.
He told me to bring back his pistol.
He was drinking and also suffered from PTSD (he was a military member, as was I at time). I said I would bring it back in the morning when he was feeling better and it was then that he told me that he had me in his scope. He lived across the street and our living room windows faced each other.
It was then that I told my wife, daughter and the girlfriend to go to the basement and I called the RCMP. After eight hours being held hostage in my basement, the RCMP finally convinced him to surrender.
When the police came to my door to tell me they had secured his rifle, I gave them the pistol and told them he had eight more in his house, long guns and shotguns. His girlfriend showed the police where they were.
He had not registered his weapons so the police were not aware of the firepower he had in his possession.
If those weapons had been registered, the police would have known what he possessed.
We need the registry.
Robin Brentnall
Gambo, Newfoundland