The Dawson College gun control committee is hoping to make its voice heard all the way in Ottawa.
The committee held a press conference Thursday to express its dismay at the possibility that the House of Commons will abolish the national long-gun registry when the matter goes to a vote next week.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has repeatedly stated his desire to do away with the expensive registry, but it looks as though the vote next week could be an extremely close one.
The Dawson gun control committee was hoping to tip the scales in favour of maintaining the registry by speaking out Thursday.
"I think we have to come to the realization that we are on the verge of losing an incredibly valuable tool that has saved Canadian lives," committee member Brian Rahilly told CTV Montreal's Caroline van Vlaardingen.
Rahilly cited a study that showed the national long-gun registry saved upwards of 300 lives for year.
"This is a government that is putting the lives of Canadians at risk for (an) ideology," Rahilly said.
The gun committee's message came three days following the fourth anniversary of the Dawson College shooting where gunman Kimveer Gill opened fire on students and staff, taking the life of Anastasia DeSousa and injuring 16 others before taking his own life.
Polytechnique victims relatives rally in Toronto
Meanwhile in Toronto on Thursday, relatives of the victims of Canada's worst mass shooting are urging NDP Leader Jack Layton to secure more votes to save the gun registry.
Joined by students and graduates of the Universite de Montreal's Ecole polytechnique, the group gathered in Layton's Toronto riding.
They called on the NDP leader to do everything he can -- short of directing the votes of his caucus -- to ensure New Democrats don't help the Conservatives dismantle the registry.
Suzanne Laplante-Edward, mother of Anne-Marie Edward, one of the 14 women who died in the Dec. 6, 1989 shooting, pleaded with Layton to speak for those who couldn't. "The gun registry is the one good thing that came out of the Montreal tragedy. It is a monument to the memory of our daughters,'' Laplante-Edward said.
The call comes one week before federal MPs vote on a tightly contested private member's bill to kill it. The New Democrats allow MPs to vote as they wish on private bills, but Layton has said he's mustered enough votes to kill the bill and save the registry.
The controversial long-gun registry requires gun owners to declare their rifles and shotguns.
Advocates say it's valuable because it can be used to set conditions and restrictions on gun possession for people who have been charged with offences.
The Conservatives argue the registry is a billion-dollar waste that targets honest citizens while doing nothing to fight crime.
With files from Canadian Press
