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“What do we say to the gun registry?” a man yells through a bullhorn as he stands on a snow-encrusted bronze fountain created by artist Jean-Paul Riopelle.

“No!” answers the crowd of about 200 people gathered in the square outside the Palais des congrès in Old Montreal, most of them wearing bright orange safety vests, some snugly fitted over camouflage jackets.

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Next question: “What do we say to mental health?”

“Yes!” is the answer.

The event on Saturday morning, timed to coincide with the Montreal Outdoor, Hunting, Fishing and Camping Show at the convention centre, was organized by a group calling itself Contre le registre! Pour la santé mentale.

“The (long-gun) registry targets the wrong people and it’s not effective,” Michel Therrien, a hunting guide who co-founded the group, said in an interview. He said there’s no proof registering firearms prevents crime.

“We’re saying let’s instead put the money where it would help” — mental-health services and targeting the black market for guns, Therrien said.