OTTAWA – The federal government announced Monday it will appeal a Quebec court ruling that blocked gun-registry records from being destroyed.

Minister of State Maxime Bernier announced the government's plan to appeal the Quebec Superior Court decision during the first question period in the House of Commons following a summer hiatus.

Last week, Superior Court Judge Marc-Andre Blanchard ordered Ottawa to transfer data on Quebec gun owners to the province while protecting relevant equipment or personnel.

Blanchard said "uncontested evidence" shows gun-related suicides and crimes, including homicides, dropped in the years following the registry's creation.

The judge also agreed with Quebec's claim that the federal government could not claim exclusive ownership of the records.

The feds, however, have been hammering the importance of scrapping the long-gun registry and killing existing records.

NDP MP Francoise Boivin said she wasn't at all surprised by the government's decision to appeal the ruling and accused the feds of bowing down to the "gun lobby."

"It's a government — the Conservatives — that hate all forms of gun control," she said. "So, I call this an affront to all those who believe in prudence, who believe in public security."

Kristy.Kirkup@sunmedia.ca
On Twitter: @kkirkup