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TEAM CSSA E-NEWS – November 03, 2013

CANADIAN SHOOTING SPORTS ASSOCIATION / CANADIAN   INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION

TEAM CSSA E-NEWS – November 03, 2013

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COMMENTARY: A CSSA OPEN LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER   STEPHEN HARPER

 

Dear Prime Minister Harper:

 

We hope you enjoyed the Conservative Party of Canada   convention in Calgary, despite the many contentious issues that have surfaced   in recent weeks.

 

Any time a government’s integrity is called into   question by the opposition parties, the media tend to exploit it and focus on   the negative. We trust you can weather the storm and re-focus Canadians on   what is important to our collective future.

 

Given the constant barrage of negative media lately,   the Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA) has a few suggestions that   could help the Conservatives succeed in the looming October 2015 election.   While we appreciate there are many spinning plates that the party must   carefully monitor, we see an important opportunity here to increase the   party’s national popularity.

 

As you know, millions of gun owners in Canada continue   to live in the shadow of unfair firearms laws written by the former Liberal   government. Sport shooters are frequently subjected to criminal charges under   the Firearms Act for non-threatening “paper crimes.” A shrewd Liberal   administration created Chief Firearms Offices (CFOs) that are neither   political fish nor foul, since they don’t appear answerable to any level of   government. The CFOs make up half-baked rules designed to intimidate firearms   owners with the hope they will abandon their heritage sports out of sheer   frustration. Tabling and passing legislation that sends the CFOs out to   pasture is sure to garner the respect and support of law-abiding firearms   owners from coast to coast.

 

Eliminating the UN Gun Marking scheme would also go a   long way to capturing the firearms vote. The outrageous regulation was   proposed to force all foreign firearms manufacturers to inscribe the year and   country of destination on every gun coming into Canada. International   manufacturers have noted they would simply remove Canada as a customer   destination rather than comply. It would kill the multi-billion dollar annual   sport shooting industry in Canada without preventing a single firearms crime.   The entire exercise is moot, of course, since every firearm imported into   Canada or manufactured here is already clearly etched with a unique serial   number that identifies the firearm’s source and destination history. The   elimination of the UN Gun Marking threat would restore a great deal of   support within the Conservative family.

 

Prime Minister, perhaps you can detect that the   “frustration campaign” against gun owners is taking its toll. A   Postmedia story on November 1 noted that more Canadians donated money to the   Liberals than Conservatives during the last six months. While the CPC raised   more money due to larger individual donations, the Liberals received 38,000   donations compared with 30,000 for the Conservatives. The news story even   suggests this could reveal a “possible change in the political landscape.”   The CSSA has heard from thousands of firearms owners who have refused to   donate to the CPC solely due to inaction on the gun file. The financial   floodgates would soon open again if the CPC tables legislation that favours   responsible gun ownership.

 

Even though the firearms community is very grateful for   the elimination of the long-gun registry, the disappointment since that time   is palpable. The corrective measures that the Firearms Act so badly   requires are poised to restore the faith of millions of gun owners, most of   whom are politically motivated voters. There is no need to fear a backlash   from the anti-firearms groups, as there is copious supporting evidence   available to prove the laws we want scrapped have absolutely no public safety   benefits. If the anti-gun groups object, the CPC can prove them wrong by   citing solid, statistical-based facts.

 

Firearms owners comprise a community of dedicated,   safety-conscious Canadians who are committed to the heritage sports. If you   show support for them, the CSSA predicts you and your government will reap   the rewards in October 2015.

 

As you know, the CSSA is in constant contact with the   capable policy staff in PMO, Public Safety, and the House of Commons. We are   always willing to discuss how securing the future of firearms owners will   secure the CPC’s future at the same time.

 

Sincerely,

 

The Canadian Shooting Sports Association

 

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COMMENTARY: SPEECH BY TONY BERNARDO AT THE UNITED   NATIONS

 

The following speech was presented at the United   Nations this week by Tony Bernardo, executive director of the Canadian   Shooting Sports Association and the Canadian Institute for Legislative Action   (CSSA/CILA). He was invited to address the UN General Assembly Sixty-eighth   Session on October 29, 2013 regarding the UN Arms Trade Treaty. The speech   supports Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird’s decision to so far   refrain from signing the treaty.

 

Mr. Chairman, I am Tony Bernardo, of the Canadian   Shooting Sports Association. We are Canada’s principal shooting sports NGO,   representing some 20,000 members who are lawful firearms owners and   responsible Canadian citizens.

 

Canada has been unwilling to sign the Arms Trade Treaty   due to the potential harm it could inflict on our country’s sovereignty   through the amendment process. This is not detrimental to the rest of the   world as Canada’s current arms controls far exceed the UN standard.

 

Some other Canadian NGOs, including Project   Ploughshares, Amnesty Now and Oxfam Canada favour signing the ATT, but we   suspect their interests are merely consistent with an ongoing agenda to   eradicate private firearms ownership of any kind.

 

Our association commends Canadian Foreign Affairs   Minister John Baird for having the foresight not to sign the ATT, and who is   reflecting the views of our members and surely all Canadians who revere basic   human rights.

 

Canada has extensive real-life experience with anti-gun   laws forged by a former government to hobble lawful firearms owners. The ATT   is more of the same and would unnecessarily rein in responsible sports   shooters and collectors without laying a glove on criminals. Canada’s law   books were co-opted with a Draconian mish-mash of bad legislation during the   1990s by groups that appear chillingly similar to those currently championing   the ATT.

 

There is proof that virtually all anti-gun legislation   in several countries has been a public safety failure. The Canadian   government is in the process of modifying and repealing some of these junk   laws that do public safety more harm than good.

 

We urge Canada to continue to refuse any notion that   would force our country to adopt international legislation that could be   detrimental to our lawful shooting sports industry and jeopardizes the   personal freedom of all Canadians.

 

The ATT does nothing to enhance the safety of those who   need it most, yet it does serve to undermine the signatories’ freedom to   craft their own laws that would actually fight crime.

 

In closing, the Canadian Shooting Sports Association   urges Minister Baird to stay the course and refuse to support any treaty that   only pretends to address international violence.

 

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SIGN THE PETITION TO BRING BACK ONTARIO’S SPRING BEAR   HUNT:

Want to sign the petition to bring back spring black   bear hunting in Ontario? Vote for the return of the hunt at http://www.change.org/petitions/bring-back-spring-black-bear-hunting-vote-for-the-return-of-spring-black-bear-hunt?share_id=LRzIToojEn&utm_campaign=signature_receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition

 

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HELP SUPPORT THE GREAT WORK THE CSSA DOES TO PROTECT YOUR   RIGHTS.  DONATE HERE

 

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AND NOW FOR THE NEWS:

 

BREAKTHROUGH – CBC RUNS POSITIVE STORY ON FIREARMS   COURSES: Firearms instructors are   scrambling to cope with a sudden increase in demand for gun safety courses.   Enrolment has jumped by more than 20 per cent in the past year as younger   hunters and more women head into the woods and to shooting ranges.

 

The end of the federal long gun registry also plays a   role in the upswing, says firearms instructor Bob Kierstead. He says the   creation of the firearms registry by the federal government in 1993 turned   young people away from hunting and the use of guns.

 

Peter Palmer of the Natural Resources department says   the lowering of the hunting age to 12 years is one reason behind the increase   in participation in gun safety courses. “The very, very restrictive   legislation that came in on firearms in general, and that turned a lot of the   young people away from it,” said Keirstead. “Too many hoops to jump   through and they turned away from it. That was the big thing that we   saw.”

 

Peter Palmer, the co-ordinator of hunter education   courses for the Department of Natural Resources, says enrolment in courses   increased 23 per cent after the long gun registry was abolished last year.

Palmer says the lowering of the hunting age to 12 years   from 14 years of age also played a role, along with new media portraying hunting   in a positive light.

 

“With the media showing hunting in a very, very   positive light, with Wild TV and, you know, outdoor shows, people are looking   at hunting and saying, `You know, I haven’t done it in a while. I think I’m   going to get back in it,'” said Palmer. “And they are benefiting   from it as a family.”

 

Keirstead says he’s surprised and pleased to see more   women signing up for firearms safety courses.

“With our firearm courses, the percentage of   female participation is increasing and for the first time in New Brunswick,   we had an all-female firearm course,” said Keirstead. (CBC News —   November 1, 2013)

 

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CGI’s INCOMPETENCE KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES: CGI, the firm hired by the   Obama administration to develop the registry for ObamaCare, is a Canadian   firm, Conseillers en Gestion et Informatique. Their track record? Their first   big  project was for a Canadian firearms registry. Originally, the   registry was estimated to cost $119 million, which would be offset by $117   million in fees. Instead, it ended up costing some $2 billion. Moreover,   instead of  having to have the capacity to register some 100+ million   Americans for ObamaCare, the firearms registry was only supposed to have the   capacity to register some 7 million long guns belonging to some   two-and-a-half to three million Canadians.

 

That works out to almost $300 per gun – or somewhat   higher than the original estimate for processing a firearm registration of   $4.60. Of those $300 gun registrations, Canada’s auditor general reported to   parliament that much of the information was either duplicated or wrong in   respect to basic information such as names and addresses. So it was decided   that the sclerotic database needed to be improved. But it proved impossible   to “improve” CFIS (the Canadian Firearms Information System). So   CGI was hired to create an entirely new CFIS II, which would operate   alongside CFIS I until the old system could be scrapped. CFIS II was supposed   to go operational on January 9, 2003, but the January date got postponed to June,   and 2003 to 2004, and $81 million was thrown at it before a new Conservative   government scrapped the fiasco in 2007. Last year, the government of Ontario   canceled another CGI registry that never saw the light of day – just for one   disease, diabetes, and costing a mere $46 million…  (By Richard   Butrick — www.americanthinker.com   — October 26, 2013)

 

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CABELA’S TO OPEN NUMBER FIVE IN CANADA: Cabela’s, the world’s largest retailer of hunting, fishing,   camping and other outdoor merchandise, has announced plans to open its fifth   Canadian store – and first in B.C. – in Nanaimo. The Sidney, Neb.-based giant   plans to open in the fall of 2014 in the former Canadian Tire building at   6900 Island Highway in the Dickinson Crossing Shopping Centre. The company   said in a statement Thursday the store is expected to employ 150 full-time,   part-time and seasonal employees. Most will come from Nanaimo and the   surrounding area. Construction in the 50,000-square-foot store is expected to   begin next year.

 

“As Cabela’s Canada continues to expand, we knew   British Columbia, and especially the Nanaimo area, would be a great fit for a   Cabela’s retail location,” said Tommy Millner, Cabela’s chief executive   officer. “The region is full of people who live the outdoor lifestyle   and have supported Cabela’s through our catalogue and online for many   years.” (The Times Colonist — October 24, 2013)

 

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INTERPOL ADVOCATES ARMING CIVILIANS: Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble said today the   U.S. and the rest of the democratic world is at a security crossroads in the   wake of last month’s deadly al-Shabab attack at a shopping mall in Nairobi,   Kenya – and suggested an answer could be in arming civilians.

In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Noble said there are really only two   choices for protecting open societies from attacks like the one on Westgate   mall where so-called “soft targets” are hit: either create secure   perimeters around the locations or allow civilians to carry their own guns to   protect themselves.

“Societies have to think about how they’re going to approach the   problem,” Noble said. “One is to say we want an armed citizenry;   you can see the reason for that. Another is to say the enclaves are so secure   that in order to get into the soft target you’re going to have to pass   through extraordinary security.”

Noble’s comments came only moments after the official opening of the 82nd   annual gathering of the Interpol’s governing body, the General Assembly. The session   is being held in Cartagena, Colombia, and is being used to highlight strides   over the last decade in Colombia’s battle against the notorious drug cartels   that used to be the real power in the country.

The secretary general, an American who previously headed up all law   enforcement for the U.S. Treasury Department, told reporters during a brief   news conference that the Westgate mall attack marks what has long been seen   as “an evolution in terrorism.” Instead of targets like the   Pentagon and World Trade Center that now have far more security since 9/11,   attackers are focusing on sites with little security that attract large   numbers of people.

At least 67 were killed over a period of days at the Westgate mall, more than   60 of the dead were civilians. The Somalia-based al Qaeda-allied terror group   al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack as it was ongoing but   investigators are still trying to determine exactly who planned the strike,   where they are and what is next for them. U.S. authorities in Uganda, fearing   another similar incident in Africa, issued a warning late last week. (ABC   News — October 21, 2013)

 

To   read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/exclusive-westgate-interpol-chief-ponders-armed-citizenry/story?id=20637341&singlePage=true

 

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DON’T FORGET TO ENTER   THE CSSA GUN DRAW!

 

Win two rifles!

 

1. Winchester’s 1873 rifle   was the “Rifle that Won the West.” It was chambered for new, more powerful   cartridges like the .44-40 and the .45 Colt.

 

2. The new Uberti   Silverboy is the ultimate small-bore lever-action rifle chambered in .22 LR.   This is an all-original lever-action firearm, based on the classic styling of   the old west lever gun. The Silverboy embodies the best features of the   proven lever-gun design that goes back as far as the mid-1800s.

 

Be the proud new owner of   these gorgeous new rifles. Donate $10 to the Canadian Shooting Sports   Association and you get a free chance to win these great guns. Three chances   for $20, ten for $50 and a $100 donation can get you 20 chances. As a special   bonus, a $100 donor will also receive a free one-year gift CSSA membership.   Keep it yourself or give it to a friend or family member for Christmas.

 

These rifles will find a   new home at CSSA’s April 2014 AGM in the Niagara region. Help us continue to   defend your sport, your guns and your rights. Your donation helps us to help   you. To purchase tickets call the CSSA at 1-888-873-4339. Thanks!

 

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THANKS   FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

 

The CSSA   is the voice of the sport shooter and firearms enthusiast in Canada. Our   national membership supports and promotes Canada’s firearms heritage,   traditional target shooting competition, modern action shooting sports,   hunting, and archery. We support and sponsor competitions and youth programs   that promote these Canadian heritage activities.

 

To join or donate to the CSSA, visit:  http://www.cdnshootingsports.org/membership.html

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CANADIAN   SHOOTING SPORTS ASSOCIATION / CANADIAN INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION
116   Galaxy Blvd, Etobicoke  ON  M9W 4Y6
Phone 416-679-9959,  Fax: 416-679-9910
Toll Free: 1-888-873-4339
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website www.cdnshootingsports.org

 

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