in E News TEAM CSSA E-NEWS – June. 25, 2014
TEAM CSSA E-NEWS – June. 25, 2014 ** Please share this E-news with your friends **
COMMENTARY: U.N. GUN MARKING STAYS ON THE RADAR
The fifth Biennial Meeting of States (BMS5) for the Implementation of United Nations Programme of Action (PoA) took place in New York City last week.
As the name would suggest, it is a rather cumbersome gathering of international delegates who convene at the U.N. to discuss reducing the transfer of illicit small arms into conflict areas. The cat in the birdcage at the 11-year-old PoA is the hidden horror that Canadian gun owners should greatly fear – the U.N. gun marking scheme.
Canada signed the initial agreement to adopt the scheme, and fortunately, both the Liberal and Conservative federal administrations have kept it on ice because it could devastate the firearms industry in Canada. But, Canada’s signature resulted in a law being passed (C-10A) that commits this country to eventually requiring every imported firearm to be specially marked with a “CA” and the year of manufacture. Virtually all major international gun makers have said if gun marking becomes a condition of sale, there will be no more firearms destined for Canada because the monstrous added cost isn’t worth the trouble. Canada’s entire commercial firearms industry would likely wither on the vine soon after.
Worse, this silly idea seems intended to cripple our legitimate industry for it clearly serves no other purpose. Civilian firearms are already marked with unique identifiers and can be traced without further markings. Despite repeated requests to the government to fix this issue the result has always been a deferral of the implementation date. More on this below.
The Canadian government needs to keep playing the game at the PoA, even though it’s becoming a near non-event at the U.N. Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA) president Steve Torino was appointed once again to sit on the Canadian delegation. He joined the Chief of Delegation, skilled diplomat Habib Massoud, Deputy Director, Proliferation and Disarmament Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Tony Bernardo, executive director of CSSA and Canadian Institute for Legislative Action (CILA) attended the conference as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO.)
Attendance was poor and if it seemed like many countries had lost interest, one could believe that to be true. It’s like this biennial meeting has become nearly moot in a world where gun control is increasingly seen as an impotent public safety mechanism. And that is good for gun owners.
As an aside, here’s even more good news – The PoA is the wicked god child of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA). The IANSA web site – GunPolicy.org – announced on June 7, 2014 that it is shutting down its Gun Policy News service “for lack of resources.” The 38,000 anti-gun media articles catalogued from 2006 to 2014 will continue to be available on the web site, but the service that delivered daily bulletins for 17 years has gone the way of the Model-T. The demise of this anti-gun news clipping service may indication that the tired mantra of gun-control-saves-lives doesn’t have many fans anymore.
Why does CSSA continue to take part in the fading PoA? Because Canada’s signature 11 years ago is a commitment that some future government will try to exercise. A resurgence could rise up and bite every Canadian gun manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer and reseller. As long as IANSA pushes for the U.N. gun marking scheme, we need to push back. Anyone who thinks IANSA isn’t a threat to freedom in firearms should be aware that the org even resorted to presenting a still-grieving Newtown parent to point accusatory fingers at gun control critics. Why? So they could stop the illegal traffic of weapons of war to Africa? No, not hardly. It was to attack the civilian ownership of firearms and in doing so, IANSA shed it’s veil of lies and revealed its true agenda.
The CSSA continues to monitor the U.N. movement to push a Firearms Protocol that would handcuff sports shooters worldwide without making anyone safer anywhere. The pent-up desire within our own federal opposition parties to introduce more gun control laws could be a perfect storm if coupled with the UN Marking System.
Please write polite letters to your members of Parliament reminding them that this dangerous tidbit of law still remains on the books. Insist that this issue be properly addressed before the next election, not merely deferred. The U.N. Marking System is a simple regulation and is easily changed. There is no realistic excuse to have this regulation still in place after all these years, particularly when neither the Conservatives or the Liberals have been willing to actually implement it.
Prime Minister Harper, please end the U.N. Marking System now.
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SPEECH: TONY BERNARDO ADDRESSES THE UNITED NATIONS. For the sixth time CSSA’s Executive Director Tony B. has addressed the United Nations regarding gun control. In this address he directed his remarks toward the government of Canada regarding the implementation of the Programme of Action and encourages the government to stand strong against the U.N. attempt to foist gun control laws on the modern nations of the world. Here is the text of the speech:
“Mr. Chairman, I am Tony Bernardo, executive director of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association. We are Canada’s principal shooting sports NGO, representing some 22,000 members who are lawful firearms owners and responsible Canadian citizens.
Canada has been unwilling to implement portions of the Programme of Action due to the potential harm it could inflict on our country’s lawful and licensed civilian firearms industry. Not implementing this initiative in Canada is not detrimental to the rest of the world as our current arms controls far exceed the UN standard.
Some other Canadian NGOs favour full implementation of the PoA, but we suspect their interests are merely consistent with an ongoing agenda to eradicate private firearms ownership of any kind.
Our association commends Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney, and Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird for having the wisdom and foresight to forgo regulations that would force Canadians to adopt these expensive and needless measures. They would serve only to over-regulate Canada’s indigenous industry that already conducts itself both legally and responsibly. Surely these views reflect those of our members and all Canadians who revere basic human rights.
Canada has extensive real-life experience with laws forged by former governments that unnecessarily damaged the lawful and legitimate firearms industry. In the Canadian context, the PoA is more of the same and would unnecessarily hobble our trustworthy businesses. Canada’s has had enough of well-intentioned but bad legislation from the 1990s that has carried over to this day.
While basic firearms regulation may be necessary for some countries of the world, a blanket application for all nations unfairly disregards Canada’s responsible legacy of good conduct. This lesson has been learned by the current Canadian government, which is fortunately in the process of modifying and repealing specific laws that do public safety more harm than good.
The Canadian Shooting Sports Association urges Canada to walk away from international agreements that could be detrimental to our lawful firearms industry and jeopardize the personal freedoms of all Canadians.
The Programme of Action has done little to enhance the safety of those who need it most, and it threatens Canada’s legitimate firearms industry and the freedoms of all who reside there. Thankfully, our government has rejected the PoA based upon these critical shortcomings.
In closing, the Canadian Shooting Sports Association urges the Government of Canada to stay the course. We hope it continues to refuse to support an initiative that utterly fails to fulfill Canada’s needs and threatens the livelihood of our lawful firearms businesses.”
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COMMENTARY: CSSA ENCOURAGES GUN OWNERS TO PUSH THEIR PENS
We still see occasional comments in social media from gun owners who take umbrage over the Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA) plea for coordinated communications after the last federal election.
Following the May 2011 election, the CSSA simply asked responsible firearms owners to resist the temptation to make myriad demands that could leave new MPs confused or overwhelmed. Many gun owners rushed to tell the fledgling Harper majority that it must completely repeal the Firearms Act immediately. It is well know within the firearms community that firearms freedoms means different things to different gun owners.
The CSSA called for an orderly approach through Canada’s firearms associations to seeking government action, lest Harper and company receive a hodgepodge of wish-lists with demands. Some gun owners who feared the single-window communications approach would dilute their demands. We were surprised to be called arrogant and elitist for trying to organize a communications strategy that’s consistent with most successful corporations.
Our aim was to let MPs find the washroom closest to their offices before swamping them with thousands of letters, faxes and phone calls from exasperated voters. The vast majority of gun owners write reasoned, articulate political letters, but some don’t. The CSSA was hoping to avoid shocking new MPs arriving on Parliament Hill with demands to scrap Canada’s gun laws overnight because the barrage might not serve us well in the end.
MPs soon acclimatized and we have encouraged gun owners to write their elected officials many times. It seems there remain some within the gun community who missed those appeals and remain miffed at the CSSA for advocating a coordinated approach for political change. We were not trying to silence their voices – quite the opposite. We simply aimed to avoid the confusion that a cacophony of voices can cause. When everyone talks at once, no one can hear.
We continue to encourage all gun owners to contact their MP to make sure the message resonates en route to next year’s federal election.
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“Allan Rock said he came to Ottawa with the belief that only the police and military should have firearms. I believe that firearms ownership is a right, but a right that comes with responsibilities” – the Hon. Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety
HELP SUPPORT THE GREAT WORK THE CSSA DOES TO PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS. DONATE HERE
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INTERCEPTED – LETTER TO GUN OWNER FROM THE LIBERAL PARTY OF CANADA:
Dear Xxxxxxx,
Thank you for sharing your concerns with us regarding gun control. We’ve been hearing from a number of people on this issue, and we appreciate your feedback as it helps us develop policies that are reflective of Canadians.
A Liberal government led by Justin Trudeau would not reinstitute the long-gun registry, however, like you we believe in balanced gun control that prioritizes public safety while ensuring that law-abiding firearms owners do not face undue treatment under the law. We will spend the time leading up to the federal election developing evidence-based firearms policy that is based on this approach.
Regarding the recent decision by the RCMP to reclassify a number of rifles including Swiss Arms Classic Greens as prohibited, the government announced that there would be an amnesty for individuals affected by this reclassification. However, there are currently few details from the government about the parameters of the amnesty, which is resulting in unacceptable confusion among gun owners.
It is incumbent on the government to now clearly explain the parameters of this reclassification so that firearms owners are aware of their rights and responsibilities. It is also incumbent on the government to clearly explain to the public why the RCMP felt a reclassification was necessary and the responsible Minister did not.
Thank you again for sharing your perspective on this issue, and I apologize for the delayed response.
Kind regards, Trevor Padbury, Liberal Party of Canada
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ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS
GUN POLICY NEWS RUNS OUT OF SUPPORT: Gun Policy News Forced to Close for Lack of Resources – Gun Policy News – After 17 years of delivering daily bulletins, and only with great regret, Gun Policy News must close for lack of resources. My sincere thanks go to all our readers and contributors, to former staff, and to past funders of this service. Our archive of 38,000 mass-media articles, 2006-2014 can still be searched at www.GunPolicy.org – Philip Alpers,… (GunPolicy.org – June 7, 2014)
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WORKING COP CRITICAL OF ANTI-GUN MEDIA:
15 years after Columbine: How the media turned me into a ‘gun control advocate’
If an active shooter is not stopped as they progress through the first four phases, the only way they can be stopped is by my version of gun control during the fifth phase — here’s my definition of gun control.
We solemnly remember the vicious murders of 12 students and one teacher at Columbine High School in Colorado. Now, a full 15 years after Columbine, I’ve come to believe that gun control would have stopped Harris and Klebold. That’s right: I’m in favor of gun control.
No matter how you feel about gun control, I feel compelled to say this in the interest of saving lives.
Please, hear me out… (By Lt. Dan Marcou – PoliceOne.com)
Read the article: www.policeone.com/active-shooter/articles/7044407-15-years-after-Columbine-How-the-media-turned-me-into-a-gun-control-advocate/
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SPEND SOME TV TIME WITH THE BEASLEY BOYS: FACE TO FACE WITH ISLAND BEARS –This week Kevin Beasley takes his crossbow on a spot and stalk spring hunt on Vancouver Island. On the shores of the Pacific Ocean, Kevin finds the bear he is after on a lush green estuary and the stalk begins! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK807ICCdj4
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BRUCE MONTAGUE TO FORFEIT GUN COLLECTION: The Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision to force Bruce and Donna Montague to forfeit their $100,000 firearms collection to the federal government should make all Canadians nervous.
Bruce is a talented gunsmith. He violated the law by purposely letting his firearms business license and firearms acquisition certificates expire as an act of protest against the complex licensing and gun registration laws that came into effect in Canada in 1995. Bruce expressed his principled opposition to the new regime by carrying on his business and publicly (but peaceably) challenging the constitutionality of the gun laws.
Eventually, Bruce was charged and put behind bars —sentenced to 18 months in jail and 90 days’ community imprisonment, followed by a year of probation. He did his time without complaint or trouble. In fact, Bruce spent much of his jail time tutoring other inmates and helping out around the facility. But the government was apparently not to be satisfied until it had punished him for his insolent protest by taking everything that Bruce and Donna have worked for over their lives.
The federal government used its criminal forfeiture power to try to take the aforementioned firearms (a collection that includes Bruce’s business inventory and constitutes the bulk of Bruce and Donna’s life savings) without giving Bruce or Donna a dime. And the Ontario government went after the same collection in a civil forfeiture proceeding, but added Bruce and Donna’s house, which Bruce built with his own hands, to the list. Ontario’s justification for trying to take the Montagues’ family home? The government lawyers argue it was a “proceed or instrument of unlawful activity.” Which is pretty interesting given that the only one standing to make any proceeds off of Bruce’s unlawful activity is the government itself. … (By Marni Soupcoff – National Post – June 4, 2014)
Read the article: http://theccf.ca/articles/excessively-punitive-ruling-make-canadians-nervous/
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UNSUSPECTING CANADIANS DRIVE GUNS OVER BORDER: The gun smugglers called him “fool” – one of many Windsorites they used to unwittingly mule firearms over the border. Buried in volumes of recently released Toronto police documents is the frightening revelation that Windsor gun runners hide firearms and GPS devices in the cars of unsuspecting Canadians to sneak them through customs. For Windsor’s Lamar Porter, who police say was the main source of guns for Toronto’s murderous Dixon City Bloods, it appeared to be the preferred method. In one case, Porter and associate Jerry Pope talked on the phone while watching a shocked citizen get stopped at the border with their guns. Pope asked Porter what they should do. He seemed undeterred by the setback. “We gotta keep it pushing,” said Porter, a convicted drug dealer. “That’s one in how many you know what I’m saying, so it’s whatever.” (Windsor Star – June 20, 2014)
Read the article: http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2014/06/20/gun-runners-unsuspecting-canadian-drivers-drawn-into-world-of-weapons-smuggling/
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CLEVELAND MAYOR SHOOTS FOR CRIMINAL REGISTRY: Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson hopes to combat gun violence in the northeast Ohio city by passing a number of measures including a registry for those convicted of gun offenses.
Jackson says he wants to give police and prosecutors the weapons they need to stop convicted felons from using guns to commit more crimes. The mayor at a news conference Tuesday also proposed a number of other gun-related laws. Spokeswoman Maureen Harper said there are other cities with similar registration laws on the books.
It’s unclear how these laws will withstand judicial scrutiny. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that only the state and federal governments can limit gun rights. There are already state and federal laws prohibiting convicted felons from having firearms. (Associated Press – June 18, 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
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