Yk man frustrated with gun law bureaucracy
Terry Halifax
Northern News Services
NNSL (Dec 13/99) - A Yellowknife man has found that the bureaucracy of gun registration can be a very trying experience.
Dave Helfrick is an employee with Environment Canada and his job requires a lot of travel out in the wilds of the territories. His department has asked that field operators get firearms acquisition certificates (FACs).
"We're supposed to get them for work," Helfrick said.
"When we go in the field, we usually have a gun with us in case a bear comes along or something."
His problems with the Department of Justice began last year, when he sent off his application for an FAC.
"I sent it away in November of '98 and I got it back about two months later, but somebody else's picture was on it," he said.
The photo on his card was that of one of his co-workers who had also applied at the same time.
"At first I thought it was kind of funny, you know," he recalled.
Helfrick said it became less and less funny as time went by.
"I phoned them and they told me to get another picture taken and mail it back with a letter explaining what happened," he said.
"I did, and a couple months went by and I never heard back."
"I finally got a hold of them through their Web site and a couple weeks later, somebody phoned me," he said.
"They said that they misplaced the photo I sent them."
In the summer of '99 Helfrick had another photo taken, wrote another letter and waited. He took the photo and the letter down to the chief firearms officer as instructed.
"They said it would be straightened out and there would be no problems," he recalled.
Then, on November 17, Helfrick finally got a new card in the mail.
"I got the new card, but once again it had somebody else's picture on it," he said.
Four applications later, Helfrick has still yet to receive his valid FAC and he says the process has cost him a lot of money.
"It's 13 bucks a pop to get these pictures taken and so far I've had to get four done," he said.
Meanwhile, Helfrick is checking his mailbox hoping that the fourth time is the charm.
