OTTAWA—The Supreme Court of Canada has declined to hear arguments from a pro-gun lobby group aimed at scrapping Quebec’s firearms registry.

After Quebec passed legislation in 2016 to establish the provincial registry, the National Firearms Association argued in court that the initiative strayed into federal constitutional jurisdiction.

In 2017, the Quebec Superior Court ruled the registry was constitutional, given the legitimate provincial role in ensuring public safety.

The court said the registry was intended to make police work safer and the implementation of court orders more effective.

The Quebec Court of Appeal upheld the decision earlier this year, prompting the association to head to the Supreme Court.

The province began setting up its own registry after Stephen Harper’s Conservatives abolished the federal database of hunting rifles and shotguns in 2012.

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