But if a crime is committed, it can be traced back can't it? Seems like an obvious reason to ensure that guns are registered.
Most gun crimes aren't committed with legally registered guns to begin with.
True, many guns used in crimes aren't registered. And even if they are registered, it may not help in solving crimes, since the criminal doesn't necessarily leave their gun behind.
But, that doesn't necessarily mean that registration (of at least handguns, and perhaps semi-automatics) isn't a bad thing...
- It would still help in a dealing with a
small number of crimes
- In the case where a gun is stolen (and later retrieved) it may help track down the owner in order to return it
- Insuring that the gun is registered may cause some people to pay more attention to other aspects of gun ownership... proper training, storage, etc.
Now, the question isn't "will gun registration help", the question is "is the cost worth it for the help it will provide", and could the resources used in running a registration program be put to better use.
Canada has a handgun registration system. It has worked well. A few years ago, we attempted to put in a long-gun registration system. Initial estimates were that it would cost the federal government $2 million. By the time they decided to scrap the program, costs were over $1 billion. And there was no consensus that it was actually effective (with even some police organizations saying it was useless.)
