The Conservative government in Canada is about to abolish a long-gun registry that many, including police chiefs and myself, believe to be effective in controlling gun violence. In response to an appeal from the Coalition for Gun Control (full disclosure: I am a member), I sent an email to the Minister of Health. It is reproduced below.

Sadly, the Minister of Health’s response was predictable:

Bottom line: There is still a long way to go to convince politicians that injuries are, in the end, health matters. To paraphrase what I wrote a long while ago, when many parties share responsibility for a problem, no one is ultimately responsible.  I am convinced that Health must take the lead and have the power to force other branches of government to do whatever is needed to reduce the health consequences of injuries.