This matters because people killed with non-guns are less dead? The total homicide rate hasn't significantly changed (it's been between 2.2 and 1.8 since 1993).

"Long gun killings, as a proportion of those deaths are down substantially."

Again, why does this matter. If you start registering long guns, criminals find it is just as easy to get an illegal handgun. The public safety benefits of gun control were realized with user licensing (safety training and backgrounds checks). These registry schemes are just bureaucratic make-work projects so politicians have something to point to and say: "See! We're dealing with gang violence!"

Unfortunately, dealing with actual criminals is harder than hassling hunters and target shooters.

Jim Ness, 58, from New Brigden, faced 25 days in jail. He drove 100 lbs. of barley across the border and donated it to the 4-H Club.

Mark Peterson, 42, from Cereal, faced 124 days in jail. He hauled a truckload of wheat across the border.

Rick Strankman, 49, from Altario, faces 180 days in jail. He took 756 bushels of wheat across the border and sold it for $1.50 per bushel higher than the Canadian price.

John Turcato, 42, from Taber, faced 131 days in jail. He drove 900 bushels of barley across the border.

Darren Winczura, 35, from Viking, faced 24 days in jail. He drove a bag of wheat across the border.

Thankyou Ralph Goodale.

Rod Hanger, 32, from Three Hills, faced 75 days in jail. He took a commercial load of wheat across the border and sold it.

Noel Hyslip, 42, from Vulcan, faced 131 days in jail. He took a semi-trailer full of wheat across the border and sold it.

Ike Lanier, 72, from Lethbridge, faced 60 days in jail. He trucked 300 bushels across the border.

…more jailed farmers:

Here is a list of the farmers and their penalties.

Gary Brandt, 33, of Viking, faced 62 days in jail. He took a bag of wheat across the border, forgot about it and ended up carrying it back into Canada.

Ron Duffy, 50, from Lacombe, faced 68 days in jail. He took one bag across the border, then a commercial quantity of wheat across the line.

Jim Chatenay, 59, from Penhold, faced 62 days in jail. He took a bushel of wheat to the U.S. and donated it to a 4-H club.

continued

In other words, guns other than handguns accounted for 2/3 of gun killings before the 1990s, guns other than handguns accounted for 1/2 of gun killings during the 1990s and guns other than handguns accounted for 1/3 killings thereafter.

Guns other than handguns = "long guns"

Since the total number of gun killings decreased over that period, the number of gun killings caused by "long guns" decreased quite significantly from the time the registry was implemented.

But hey, there's no empirical evidence to suggest the long gun registry was of any use. It has "shown no effectiveness".

In light of the above, what possible statistic could gun control advocates possibly use to make the case for registering long guns?