“The only ones who have anything to fear, are those who are cheating the system.“

Right.  Nice, pat argument, unless, of course, you own a gun.

We’ll concede that the idea of government employees knocking on EI recipients’ doors may seem a little intrusive, but if it helps ensure the efficient payment of unemployment benefits, then it’s an initiative worth supporting.

OK, let’s apply this editorial’s arguments for invading privacy rights to the long gun registry.  Sections in red are my substitutions.  Emphasis is mine, on original piece.

We’ll concede that the idea of government forcing gun owners to register their weapons may seem a little intrusive, but if it helps ensure the safety of Canadians, then it’s an initiative worth supporting.

Opposition politicians and advocates for gun owners have condemned the registry, but Prime Minister Stephen Harper defends it, insisting it helps protect the safety of Canadians.
“Every year, unfortunately, in our country, hundreds of deaths and injuries occur due to gun violence and accidents,” Harper said last week. “One of the jobs of our government is to ensure that gun laws are there for the safety of all people.” 

The gun registry involves lawful gun owners. And while some critics have tried to paint the program as an attack on responsible, law abiding hunters and farmers, who have a lot of legal uses for guns, the registry is being conducted across the country. Those who must register guns are simply asked, at no cost, to register their long guns, so the initiative cannot be characterized as an unreasonable burden on those receiving benefits. What the register accomplishes, however, is verification that the guns are actually in the hands of the lawful owner living at the address they’ve provided to the government and that they’re not lost, stolen, or transferred illegally.

“It’s abusive,” said Elmer Fudd.

 It's abusive! Elmer Fudd told the Calgary Herald.

“They’re abusing us like crazy. We all feel targeted by this law ... You know it’s gone too far when you’re being checked upon at home. We have telephones, you know. And post offices.”

In many respects, what the registry is doing is akin to the Canada Revenue Agency checking a sample of tax filings: it is ensuring the system is working as it should and encouraging respect for the rules. The only ones who have anything to fear, are those who are cheating the system.

The Harper government deserves credit for taking on the necessary job of improving the gun registry. In the past, it was an safety program in name only, allowing irresponsible gun owners to continue irresponsible gun handling and transfers year after year with little inducement to secure their weapons.

As we have previously observed, we have a nation today where gun ownership in rural Canada is very high, while people in the West lament there are not enough gun laws. The luxury of owning a gun and then not even registering it is so ingrained that some Canadians must bring in foreign safety measures while so-called responsible, law abiding gun owners who are Canadian keep loaded weapons at home.

Stipulating that those who have made frequently claims that guns don’t kill people must be a little less choosy about the positions they seek is common sense — and so is ensuring they actually have their guns in their possession and have a legal right to own them.

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So seriously, how is assuming all EI clients (who have paid their premiums for insurance) are potential fraudsters to the point where invading their privacy, intimidating them, attempting to shame them good for Canada and just fine, but asking people who own something that is made specifically to kill to register that weapon an insult, an invasion not to be tolerated?

What if a person who is a "responsible, law-abiding gun owner" is also on EI?  Are they still responsible?  Should inspectors really be showing up at their doors to test that question?