Karine Fortin, THE CANADIAN PRESS

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OTTAWA - The Conservatives are hoping to enlist gun enthusiasts in the fight against the coalition that is threatening their government.

"Law-abiding owners of handguns and semi-autos will become criminals overnight if the opposition parties have their way," Tory MP Garry Breitkreuz wrote in a letter posted on his website.

"It is essential to mobilize everyone you know."

The Saskatchewan-based Conservative wrote that a coalition government comprised of the Liberals, NDP and Bloc Quebecois is the "worst possible news" for all those who wish to abolish the firearms registry.

Breitkreuz reminded gun owners that the Liberals created the firearms registry with the support of the NDP and the Bloc.

He said the future for gun owners would be "anything but bright" under the coalition, stressing they must act now or "face the consequences."

"This country is going through an unprecedented power struggle, and firearms owners stand to lose their firearms and freedom of choice if we do not act now," the letter said.

The dispute over the firearms registry dates back to a decision by Jean Chretien's Liberal government to include long guns in the registration system that had long applied to handguns and assault-like weapons.

The long-gun component of the registry was supposed to be largely self-financing beyond the $2 million in start-up fees.

But in 2006, the auditor general found the actual cost of the registry was nearly $1 billion for the first decade of operation.

The Conservative minority government has introduced legislation that would abolish the requirement to register long guns, but it was never brought to a vote because there was no support from opposition parties.

Hunters and farmers, who see their guns as tools more than weapons, have been the registry's most vocal opponents.

Breitkreuz, the MP for Yorkton-Melville, is asking gun owners to write to opposition party leaders and the Governor General to tell them the coalition does not have the confidence of the population.

"We must tell coalition leaders in no uncertain terms that this unholy alliance is not acceptable to us as Canadians," he wrote.

The Tories have unleashed a media campaign to denounce the coalition, which they have pegged as a marriage of separatists and socialists.

As they try to hang on to power, the Conservatives are expected to launch multiple campaigns to build outrage against the coalition in the coming days.

The Tories have also invited supporters to flood radio talk shows with phone calls in an attempt to turn public sentiment in their favour.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said Wednesday that nothing is off limits in the party's drive to fight off the coalition.

The Conservatives and groups that support the coalition plan to organize demonstrations in cities across the country over the next few days.