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Cypress Hills-Grasslands MP David Anderson

The long gun registry is no more, after Bill C-19, the federal legislation to end the registry, received Royal Assent and officially became law Thursday.

"I'm excited, I know that people that are legitimate gun owners are excited," said Cypress Hills-Grasslands MP David Anderson. "This registry has cost enough money over the years. It's been wasteful, it's been ineffective and we're finally rid of it."

The registry is said to have cost taxpayers over two billion dollars to maintain.

Anderson has long been opposed to the registry, and said many people in his riding shared his feelings: "We've had a number of the southwest rural folks who have really been involved in this issue. People like Greg Illerbrun, he's worked on it for over 15 years, and these guys are now able to see the results of their work."

Anderson adds this law, and an earlier law ending the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly on grain sales, is the result of a strong western representation in parliament.

With the law going into effect at midnight last night, the enforcement of the registry has ended and data on registered gun owners in Canada will start to be destroyed.