OTTAWA – After consulting with caucus members at their recent Strategy Session in Regina, Jack Layton proposed today specific changes to Canada’s gun laws to address rural, northern and aboriginal concerns while strengthening gun control.

“My message to Stephen Harper is clear: you don’t have the votes to pass the bill, so work with us to fix the registry,” said Layton. “It’s time to make our gun laws work again in this country and put an end to the damaging and divisive political games. What we are proposing are concrete, practical measures that will finally address these longstanding concerns.”

Flanked by MPs Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay) and Glenn Thibeault (Sudbury), Layton released additional details on the New Democrat plan to fix the gun registry.

The New Democrat proposals include measures to merge possession and acquisition licenses, address inherited firearms, address mental health issues and introduce mandatory regular audits by the Auditor General of Canada to ensure the system is efficient and provides good value for money.

“These proposals go far past just dealing with the registry itself,” said Angus. “These proposals will solve some longstanding irritants that C-391 didn’t even address. Its time Stephen Harper listen to the real concerns of rural Canada and stop trying to use us as political pawns.”

Angus and Thibeault have both said they will be voting for the NDP plan to fix the gun registry, adding that they are still hopeful Stephen Harper will stop his political games and work with New Democrats on finally solving this ongoing issue.

“I have been really happy with the feedback I’ve gotten on the idea of a bridge-building compromise,” explained Thibeault. “It’s long past time we started using some common sense here and do what needs doing to fix this, instead of just using it as an excuse to beat each other up.”