won't change. There are a couple of different kinds of licences because of various changes to laws and regulations over the years. Q: What are long guns? A: There are three types of guns under Canadian law : non-restricted, restricted and prohibited. Most common long guns -- rifles and shotguns -- are non-restricted but there are a few exceptions. A sawed-off shotgun, for example, is a prohibited firearm. A handgun is an example of a restricted firearm. Different regulations apply to different classifications of firearms. Q: How many guns are we talking about? A: As of September 2011, there were about 7.8 million registered guns. Of those, 7.1 million are non-restricted firearms. Q: Why does the government want to get rid of the long-gun registry? A: The government says it is wasteful and ineffective at reducing crime and targets law-abiding gun owners instead of criminals, who don't register their firearms. Q: Who wants to keep it? A: Police and victims' groups are big supporters of the registry. Police say the database helps them evaluate a potential safety threat when they pull a vehicle over or are called to a residence. They also say it helps support police investigations because the registry can help determine if a gun was stolen, illegally imported, acquired or manufactured. This year, the RCMP says police agencies accessed it on average more than 17,000 times a day. Q: When will the registry cease to exist? A: That depends how quickly the government, using its majority, can