Unless public sentiment has been misread, police forces across Canada have a tough slog ahead if they hope to restore both their collective image and the confidence of those they serve and protect.

Obeying legislation would be a start.

The police, regardless of what they may think, are not a law unto themselves, and so when the public sees them defying not only the law but the lawmakers, there is no upside for them.

We are referring, of course, to provincial chief firearms officers (CFOs) who are giving the finger to the Harper government following the democratic death of the long-gun registry.

As Sun Media first reported, CFOs in at least five provinces -- B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick -- have taken it upon themselves to demand gun shop owners create an unofficial registry to mirror the polarizing registry recently dismantled by Bill C-19.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews was quick to respond to Sun Media's expose of provincial CFOs setting up back-door registries and fired off a letter to RCMP Commissioner Robert Paulson, asking him to advise him personally of any provincial police force whose CFO is discovered thumbing a nose at this legislation.

No need. Ontario's CFO just did.

"Our response would be business as usual," said Ontario Provincial Police Acting Insp. Steve Rideout, a spokesman for Ontario's CFO. "We'll wait and see what position the RCMP takes on Mr. Toews' direction and then we'll consider our options." Toews, of course, is spitting bullets.

"It's a quite a disturbing response," he told Sun News Network.

Let's be blunt. Such CFOs are "breaking the law" -- which were Toews' exact words.

"The CFOs are not to engage in the collection of information of that nature," Toews said. "That runs contrary to (the bill).

"I am prepared to consider all legislative and regulatory measures necessary to give effect to the will of Canadians." In other words, here's the riot act.

Now cease and desist, or else.

Let's hope Insp. Rideout starts listening.

When the Liberals brought in the long-gun registry, they painted every law-abiding hunter and farmer with a varmint rifle as criminals.

That insanity should have stopped with Bill C-19.

But it didn't.