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When members of a Pointe-Claire family fled their home last month during a domestic dispute, police consulted Quebec’s gun registry to see whether the father, who was still holed up inside the house, owned any firearms.

A quick check showed the man owned half-a-dozen rifles – allowing police to take appropriate precautions before successfully negotiating with him to give himself up peacefully.

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But the ability of police to make such checks is hanging by a thread. In the next few months, the Supreme Court of Canada is expected to rule on Quebec’s bid to save records on an estimated 1.6 million firearms in the province.

Outrage over the killing of 14 young women in the 1989 Polytechnique massacre spurred Canadian politicians to tighten access to firearms and start keeping track of legally acquired weapons.

In 1995, Jean Chrétien’s Liberal government passed Bill C-68, requiring gun-owners to register all firearms by 2003. It also introduced a new gun-licensing system and stiffer penalties for serious crimes involving firearms.