TEAM CSSA E-NEWS – Feb. 10, 2014
TEAM CSSA E-NEWS – Feb. 10, 2014
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COMMENTARY: ALL REPSONSIBLE GUN OWNERS SHARE COMMON THREAD
Gun owners are gun owners.
It sounds simple enough, yet those who use firearms responsibly come in many forms – target shooters, hunters, farmers, trappers, action shooters, skeet and trap competitors, muzzle loaders, archers, collectors and more. In the eyes of some sport shooters, these disciplines have little in common with one another. Taking the big picture into account, they would be quite mistaken.
The Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA) advocates changing firearms laws on behalf of all sport shooters. The hysterical surge in anti-gun rhetoric in recent decades affects all sport shooters as a single class and kind. So, when a sport shooter defends their own need to own a specific kind of firearms while dismissing the needs of other sport shooters, we all lose. Those tools you use to pursue your preferred heritage sport are essentially the same as the tools employed by every shooting enthusiast.
Most Canadian gun owners remember justice minister Allan Rock’s ill-informed goal in 1994: “I came to Ottawa with the firm belief that the only people in this country who should have guns are police officers and soldiers.” That declaration of war pertained to every gun owner and Rock’s prejudice lives on within elected politicians, bureaucrats and anti-gun organizations today. It is also the juice behind the RCMP’s continually bloating list of restricted and prohibited firearms.
The anti-gun crowd believes that once they succeed in confiscating the so-called “dangerous” guns, the momentum (and the precedent) will be there to seize the rest. Note to anyone who thinks grampa’s favourite Winchester .30-30 with the handsome wood stock won’t be at risk some day – please re-read Allan Rock’s quote above. The abolitionists live among us and many continue to get elected.
Alas, firearms owners can be their own worst enemies. There remain a few who are quick to criticize others shooters who may prefer black guns, AR-15 variants or handguns. Sport shooters who draw an “unwelcome” line between their own firearms of choice and the choices of others are gift-wrapping a anti-gun message to legislators that will backfire on the entire community.
There is no such thing as good or bad guns. As the RCMP continue to restrict firearms based on their “military” or “assault” appearance or barrel length, every sports shooter should join the community effort to unmask the myth. We urge one and all to get behind the CSSA’s initiative to create a non-partisan firearms classification panel of real experts. The current government can draft regulations to disallow a future anti-gun government from co-opting the panel to advance their own gun ban agenda. This could be the road back to sanity.
Meanwhile, the anti-gun organizations and federal politicians are well aware of our community’s schism as we continue to eat our own. Not surprisingly, they see us as fractious and vulnerable as long as gun owners are willing to point fingers at each other. What else can they think when a rifle or shotgun owner tells a news reporter that no one has a valid reason to own a handgun? Lawful gun users should re-examine their own bias as a favour to themselves and others.
Here’s a starting point – admit that every sport shooting pursuit is valid and poses no danger to public safety. We must stop casting doubt on the motives and demeanour of our fellow sport shooters. Until we appreciate that all shooting disciplines are comprised of good people, how can we expect non-shooters to appreciate our pursuits? Don’t take the “open mic” bait that anti-gun advocates offer.
Sport shooters need to keep their collective eye on the target of their choice, whether it’s paper, clay, ducks or deer. The pursuit for fairer laws affects everyone who owns a firearm. Finger-pointing at others undermines the entire sport, including your own. Rest assured that the shooter you criticize is every bit as concerned about public safety – it is the tie that binds us all.
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COMMENTARY: CANADIAN ACCESS TO FIREARMS PUBLICATION A REAL BARGAIN
There are key people in Canada to whom firearms owners owe a debt of gratitude.
Paul Rogan is the engine behind the great tabloid publication, Canadian Access to Firearms. Issued 12 times a year from Whitehorse, Yukon, it is a mere $48/yr delivered to your mailbox. Or, you can receive it in a first-class, unmarked envelope for just $12 more. It’s a great resource to learn where gun shows are taking place in Canada and we commend Paul for his decades of relentless work for sport shooters.
The newsprint publication connects gun owners with suppliers, retailers, wholesalers and other sport shooters across the country. Paul prints all the advertising and firearms factoids that fit as he provides a monthly meeting place for sport shooters. The Canadian Shooting Sports Association is a proud sponsor of Canadian Access to Firearms and we encourage others to support this important source of national information.
Paul Rogan famously appeared before the parliamentary debate on May 8, 1995 to throw darts at the proposed mess that is Bill C-68. He told Parliament that the debate “…looked like a convention of blind men discussing Rembrandt.”
Paul used the occasion to warn Liberal M.P.s they were making a huge mistake and delivered the following prescient statement as the new Firearms Act was poised to hatch 19 years ago:
“We have concluded that C-68 has nothing to do with crime or violence and everything to do with an all-out attack on the legitimate firearm owners of this country. The whole context of this legislation points in that direction. In fact, should C-68 become law, the penalty for breaking mere paper regulations in regard to firearms would attract a much more severe penalty than for stealing the same firearm or committing an offence with it. The calculation by the government that most Canadians could be fooled into believing otherwise is condescending and despicable.”
Paul Rogan continues to rally sport shooters by providing the greatest gift of all – a meeting place where sport shooters can buy, sell and trade the tools of our heritage activities. There is no time like the present to show support for someone who has led – and continues to lead – the way for all responsible firearms owners in Canada.
Take a look at the no-nonsense web site for Canadian Access to Firearms at www.canadianguns.com and find out how you can can get a free sample copy. The email address for the publication that calls itself “The most useful gun paper in Canada!” is [email protected].
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HELP SUPPORT THE GREAT WORK THE CSSA DOES TO PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS. DONATE HERE
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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.
These rifles will find a new home at CSSA’s Annual General Meeting on April 26, 2014 in the Niagara region. Help us continue to defend your sport, your guns and your rights. Your donation helps us help you. To purchase tickets call the CSSA at 1-888-873-4339. Thanks!
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FIREARM LEGAL DEFENCE SALES SURGING: Court costs to defend against firearms charges can cost tens of thousands of dollars and take months or years to resolve. Even if you are found innocent like so many gun owners, the high cost remains and there could be debt. If you believe it can happen to you (and it can happen to anyone), read on.
Firearm Legal Defence (FLD) is reasonably-priced and readily-available legal expense insurance. It covers legal fees, court costs and time off work to attend court – up to $100,000 per occurrence or $500,000 total per year. Policy holders also receive 24-hour access to confidential legal advice from a qualified lawyer through a toll-free Legal Advice Helpline.
CSSA Member Special Price – If you are a member of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association, you qualify for a $10 saving on your annual premium. You pay just $85, plus tax where applicable. Visit www.firearmlegaldefence.com for more information or email info@firearmlegaldefence.com.
CSSA members can click on “Buy Now” and enter the following exclusive code to access your savings: CSSA001
FLD clients will not be required to disclose any information about firearms in your possession.
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HIGH RIVER GUN GRAB SEPARATES CPC CANDIDATES: Federal Conservative candidate for MacLeod Scott Wagner has waded in with his two cents on the issue of gun seizures by the RCMP during June’s flood in High River. Wagner says kicking in doors and confiscating guns was wrong.
“I believe that there was a violation, a lot of violations by the RCMP. There was a violation of the Charter of Rights. I believe that the confiscation of property was untenable and also a violation.”
Fellow Conservative candidate John Barlow posted on his Facebook page his support for the RCMP and says the Mounties had “the safety of the community in mind.”
In a statement Wagner took issue with Barlow’s stance.
“John Barlow a candidate who is seeking the Conservative Party of Canada nomination to become the next Member of Parliament for the riding of MacLeod made the following statement about the RCMP’s actions when they kicked down doors to seize weapons in High River, Alberta during last summer’s flooding. The biggest issue was the lack of communication. Prior to entering the homes the RCMP should have stated that they would collect firearms not properly stored when searching houses and why they were doing so.”
“Actually John the three biggest issues here are:”
1.) Did the RCMP violate the charter rights of High River residents when they kicked down doors and seized weapons?
2.) Who instructed the RCMP to kick the doors down?
3.) How did they know which homes to search for firearms?
“Given the intransigence of the RCMP when answering these questions, I believe a judicial inquiry is one way to get the answers that the residents of High River deserve. It would also help to insure that the RCMP never repeats these actions again.”
“I am a firm believer in property rights, including the right to gun ownership.”
“John Barlow’s position on this flies in the face of the values of law abiding gun owners and is especially disturbing considering the number of farmers and ranchers that he would like to represent.” (Okotoks Online – February 6, 2014)
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SUN NEWS IS ON THE JOB – ENJOYING HERITAGE SPORTS
WOMEN AND HUNTING on Byline with Brian Lilley: Amanda Lynn Mayhew is a hunter and author, and previews her new recipe book, “Living off the Land: www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/featured/prime-time/867432237001/women-and-hunting/3167871368001
THE REMINGTON 700 PRECISION RIFLE with Rightist Shot’s host Rob Furlong demonstrates the Remington 700 Precision Rifle: http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/featured/prime-time/867432237001/the-remington-700-precision-rifle/3167702045001
CANADA’S FUR TRADE ROOTS with John Robson: The historic fur trade is still an integral part of our Canadian heritage: http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/featured/prime-time/867432237001/canadas-fur-trade-roots/3167654197001
WHO ARE THE REAL ENVIRONMENTALISTS? Brian Lilley argues that Canada’s outdoorsmen, and not the green group types, are the true stewards of nature: www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/featured/prime-time/867432237001/who-are-the-real-environmentalists/3167702051001
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U.S. GUN CONTROL RHETORIC RAMPS UP: President Obama said previously that the nation needed to have a “conversation” about gun control, and he reiterated this agenda in his State of the Union speech. New York’s Governor, Andrew Cuomo, has subsequently boasted that his SAFE Act has criminalized law-abiding gun owners for “offenses” such as having too many bullets in their guns. This helps prove that Cuomo meant exactly what he said when he stated that there was no place for “extreme conservatives” in his state. Cuomo defined his enemies as those who “oppose abortion rights and favor legalization of assault weapons.
Barack Obama’s ongoing anti-Second Amendment rhetoric, and the SAFE Act, prove that the left wing of the Democratic Party has declared war on all law-abiding gun owners. Moderate Congressional Democrats have, through their silence, given their consent to this agenda. There is not only no place for gun owners, almost all of whom are productive citizens, in New York State; there is no place for them in the Democratic Party.
This is emphatically a war, and not a conversation. The following, along with the Obamacare debacle (“If you like your Democratic Member of Congress, you can keep him”), are all strong arguments for voting straight Republican in almost every House and Senate contest this year. At the state level, Pennsylvanians need to be aware that potential gubernatorial candidate Allyson Schwartz shares Andrew Cuomo’s unethical and dishonest position that gun manufacturers should be held civilly accountable for misuse of their products. (By William A. Levinson – American Thinker – February 7, 2014)
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CANADA OFFERS COLD COMFORT TO U.S. CITIZEN WITH HANDGUN: Louis DiNatale didn’t intend to enter Canada when he and his wife wound up on a bridge from New York state to Ontario province one day in September, misdirected by an unreliable GPS.
What began as an American couple’s getaway to Vermont quickly turned into a lesson on the stark difference between the U.S. and Canada when it comes to gun laws. DiNatale, whose request to turn around and cross back into the U.S. was denied, then made another mistake. When a border official asked if he had any weapons, he said no. Then the questions started about guns. A border agent asked whether he owned any.
“Yes,” DiNatale said.
“Why?” an agent asked.
“I told him I was retired military, I had respect for weapons, and I had a concealed carry license to do so,” DiNatale said in a written statement.
“He asked me when was the last time I had a weapon on me. I told him, ‘Earlier that week.’ He asked me again, ‘Why?’ I told him it was my right as an American citizen to do so.”
But he was driving his wife’s car, and had forgotten he had stowed his Bersa .380 handgun in the center console days earlier.
A search turned up the gun, and DiNatale was handcuffed and questioned by Canadian border officers for allegedly trying to smuggle a loaded handgun into the country — and lying about it. He spent four days in a Canadian jail before he could post bail.
DiNatale’s predicament is a cautionary tale for American gun owners: Canada takes gun control more seriously than the United States. Over the last three years, nearly 1,400 firearms were confiscated at Canadian entry points, most of them personal guns belonging to U.S. Citizens.
His Canadian lawyer, Bruce Engel, says Canada overreacted to DiNatale’s honest mistake and is using his case to send a message.
“They’re trying to make a general blanket statement to American citizens: Don’t mess with our borders,” Engel said from his office in Ottawa… (The Seattle Times – February 8, 2014)
To read more – http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2022858553_canadagunsxml.html
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WORD SPREADS IN U.S. – CANADA IS THE COAL MINE CANARY: If you need any proof at all that governments in this very country intend to use gun registries as a means to track down and confiscate our firearms, California is only the latest example to prove it.
California used its registry of guns to begin a program of confiscating guns from people they claim are “criminals.”
But the system the state has devised to identify these evil-doers seems to be quite screwed up. Just ask Bakersfield resident Michael Merritt who was confronted with this roving goon squad of cops that have been cruising the state and confiscating guns from people who may or may not be guilty of owning guns in violation of “the law.”
Merritt was sitting home one day when cops came slamming their fists on his door demanding he turn over all their guns because he violated the state’s drug laws… back in 1970.
The resident could barely remember the bust for marijuana for which he served five weekends of jail time back in the day, but the cops assured him that he pleaded guilty to “a felony” and because of that–despite that he had no other offenses–he did not deserve to be able to observe his Second Amendment rights to self protection.
Cops told him that he had violated state code 11910, a felony they claimed.
So, to avoid being beaten up and his house destroyed by the cops Merritt gave up his guns. But it turns out that not only is code 11910 off the books today, even back then it was a misdemeanor, not a “felony.”
Merritt was lucky in as much as the jackboots looked up the violation when they got back to their base and realized they had mischaracterized the “violation.” They later gave back the man’s firearms.
But how many others has this happened to? How many California citizens have had their firearms stolen from them under the color of law even though they were innocent of any violations?
Of course, we don’t need just California to prove it. Authorities in New York have also used its gun registry to threaten the confiscation of guns. After the anti-Constitution law the SAFE Act was passed in the Empire State, officials sent letters to gun owners threatening them for owning guns they had registered in the past.
Governor Cuomo also warned that he could begin confiscating guns or set up forced buy-out programs–itself a form of confiscation–to rid the state of guns.
Of course, Canada already proved that already. When Canada initiated its gun registry supporters insisted that it would never be used to confiscate guns. Turns out they lied. (wizbangblog.com – February 6, 2014)
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JOHN LOTT ACCUSES ABC NEWS OF MISLEADING AMERICANS: Gun control advocates not only push new fees and taxes on guns to reduce ownership, but they also employ another tactic: scaring people into not owning guns.
Last week, on January 31, ABC News saturated its news programs with the alleged danger of gun ownership. It started early in the day with a segment on “Good Morning America,” then came a report on the evening news, and finally an entire hour devoted to the subject on “20/20.”
The reports all focused on the dangers guns pose for children.
Although a producer for ABC News spent hours asking me questions about this subject before the reports aired on various news programs, our discussions seemed to have had no impact.What I told them just didn’t fit the type of story they wanted to tell.
The producers appeared to want to argue that gun ownership had fallen, dropping as low as 33%, implying that gun ownership really is not all that popular any more.
Yet, as I explained to the producer I spoke with, the General Social Survey poll they wanted to cite was unusual. Other polls had found much higher rates of gun ownership. Indeed, I pointed out, much to her surprise, ABC News’ own polls show that gun ownership has changed little, currently holding at 43%. But in their reports, ABC didn’t even mention their own polls, instead cherry-picking the one with the lowest number.
ABC’s goal was to make people believe that little, innocent children frequently play with guns, accidentally hurting themselves and others.
“World News” anchor Diane Sawyer warned: “Every hour a child is rushed to the emergency room because of gun shots.” . . .
Read the rest of the story – http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/02/07/abc-news-reports-on-guns-mislead-americans/ (By John Lott – Crime Prevention Research Center – February 7, 2014)
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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
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Phone 416-679-9959, Fax: 416-679-9910
Toll Free: 1-888-873-4339
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website www.cdnshootingsports.org