Liberals fire shots at NDP over long-gun registry

The Liberals, or rather, the Young Liberals of Canada, are launching another salvo in what is turning into a pitched battle to save the long-gun registry.

Starting Saturday, the youth wing of the party will be putting up posters in New Democrat ridings targeting leader Jack Layton as well as the local MP.

The slickly designed posters accuse Layton and Prime Minister Stephen Harper of working together to dismantle Canadian gun laws. The posters to go up in Thomas Mulcair's highly-coveted riding of Outremont, state he and the NDP oppose the gun registry and support the Conservative private member's bill C-391, which would scrap the registry.

Earlier this month the Liberal party launched a far more staid online, radio and print campaign to inform the public about its plan to improve and save the long-gun registry, should it win the next election. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has also declared he will whip the final vote on the registry.

While many political observers have accused the Liberals of being unfocused and having taken a scattershot approach to a wide range of issues from off-shore oil drilling to the choice of a new governor general, this may be the single recent example of a sustained cohesive campaign that could gain momentum.

Liberals were deeply embarrassed last fall when eight of their MPs voted in favour of C-391, helping the bill pass second reading. But, after months of internal negotiations, the party now feels confident all but one of their MPs (Yukon MP Larry Bagnell) will be united on the bill when it comes back to the House of Commons for a final vote.
 
That leaves this political hot potato in possession of the NDP, which had 12 MPs support C-391 at second reading. Officially, the NDP wants to keep the long-gun registry but many of its MPs live in rural ridings and made commitments to their constituents to support the private member's bill. Layton is reportedly now dealing with the issue personally within his caucus, holding one-on-one meetings with MPs, trying to convince them to get on board with the party's official position.

In the meantime, the Liberals clearly want Canadians who support gun control to know exactly where to direct their anger - at the NDP.