Yellowknife (July 04/03) - Three years ago Ian McCrea decided to get a jump on registering his firearms, so he diligently filled out the application form and mailed it to the federal gun registry in Ottawa.

Now, two days after it became illegal to own a firearm without proper registration, he's still waiting for an official response.

"I've done everything humanly possible to register my guns," said McCrea.

"I've tried mailing them, calling them and e-mailing them...but I still haven't received written notification or certification."

McCrea's experience is hardly unique.

All over the North, people are scrambling to comply with the Firearms Act, which created the much maligned federal gun registry.

"Today, the NWT has 10,000 more criminals than it did (Wednesday)," said Barry Taylor, director of the Yellowknife Shooting Club.

"The program was never advertised properly and as a result, people don't know exactly what to do."

Taylor says only 3,400 of the roughly 14,000 gun owners in the NWT have their guns registered.

Anybody who is caught with an unregistered firearm as of July 1, could face up to five years in prison.

According Taylor, the closing of Yellowknife's lone firearms office several months ago is a big reason for the low registration numbers.

The Canadian Firearms Centre told Yellowknifer last month that a new office will open soon but no further word has been given yet.

"There's nowhere in the city to go," he said.

"If you want to get in touch with somebody at the registry (in Edmonton) you'll have to wait forever. It's such a hassle, people have either decided not to register or ... just given up shooting."

The problem is compounded by the fact that many Northerners don't have a Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL), a prerequisite for registration.

The only way to get one is by taking a course from a certified instructor.

"Right now, there are three instructors in Yellowknife and they only offer courses in their spare time," said Taylor.

"There is no way they can keep up with demand."

Despite its problems, the registry has been a useful tool for police.

According a Justice Canada report, the RCMP accessed the firearms data base 3,200 times in the NWT.

But the firearms centre has also been heavily criticized for a spiralling budget now estimated at over $1 billion since the law came into effect in 1995.

"I don't agree with the law, but it is the law, so I'm doing everything possible to comply with it," said McCrea. "I just wish they would let me."

Phone calls to CFC offices in Ottawa and Calgary were not returned.