in E News TEAM CSSA E-NEWS – September 3, 2014
TEAM CSSA E-NEWS – September 3, 2014 ** Please share this E-news with your friends **
COMMENTARY: CAN GUN OWNERS LOOK FOR PROTECTION IN A LIBERAL TENT?
As Parliament reconvenes to kick off the final year of its current mandate, the Liberal Party of Canada is making cooing noises toward gun owners.
Could it be that the Liberals want to make friends with hunters, sport shooters and collectors? Of course they want our votes, but that apple could be poison. While we can’t hold a political party in 2014 for promises made in the 1970s, it’s hard to forget an agitated Solicitor General Warren Allmand pontificating that gun control is a permanent plank in the Liberal platform. About 20 years later, Justice Minister Allan Rock said only police and armed forces personnel should have access to firearms. And more recently, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau said he was glad to see Quebec retain its gun registry, having voted for it himself several times.
Bit of a trend here, eh?
It’s interesting, then, to see letters now emanating from the Liberal party that state: “A Liberal government led by Justin Trudeau would not reinstitute the long-gun registry, however, like yourself 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.”
Gun control is a controversial file and every political party that’s serious about forming a government is forced to both suck and blow as they shop for votes next fall (or sooner). For this reason, no party can afford to be either totally for or totally against gun control. Not surprisingly, a quick look at Liberal media lines over the past couple of years reveal a party that really, really wants your vote, regardless of where you stand on the gun control issue.
Here’s the mixed messaging from Justin Trudeau in The Canadian Press from December 2012:
“I voted to keep the firearms registry a few months ago and if we had a vote tomorrow I would vote once again to keep the long-gun registry,” Trudeau told reporters. “However, the definition of a failed public policy is the fact that the long-gun registry is no more… The fact is, because it was so deeply divisive for far too many people, it no longer exists.” He repeated that definition of public policy, in both English and French. Trudeau said he would rather spend the next three years, before the federal election, trying to find evidence-based policies that will unite Canadians and not divide them.
With juggling skills like these, Trudeau could join the circus. But wait, there’s more:
A Quebec reporter asked Trudeau about that province’s legal fight to keep its portion of the registry and he replied: “I find it’s a very good idea. Because in Quebec it was not at all as divisive as it was elsewhere in the country,” Trudeau said. “Perhaps a solution is to let provinces find different solutions. What’s important is protecting Quebecers from gun violence.”
The performance earned him a scathing rebuttal from a prominent gun-control advocate.
A survivor of the Montreal polytechnique (sic) massacre, which occurred 23 years ago this week, Heidi Rathjen pushed for the creation of the federal registry. On Monday she blasted not only Trudeau’s gun policy but also his broader approach to leadership.
“It’s just political garbage,” she said of Trudeau’s policy. “He’s basically saying that the registry is a good thing only where it’s popular, but that’s not what a political leader does, that’s not how you lead — by implementing a public safety measure only where there’s no controversy…
“It’s not clear, it’s confusing and I think it’s a cop-out because he wants to please everybody and then he ends up pleasing nobody.”
While Heidi Rathjen is herself a communications disaster, she does manage to undress Trudeau here for his exquisite deceit. Having been beaten up by both sides in the gun debate, he’s beginning to learn that winning the gun control controversy and translating it into votes requires taking a position. So, he will “develop fact-based evidence” to save Canadians from themselves. Given the Liberal party’s track track record for the last 40 years, it seems safe to assume that Trudeau will simply tear a page out of Allan Rock’s Red Book and will present just the “facts” – if we get rid of guns, we get rid of crime. And all real evidence to the contrary be damned.
It’s going to be a long year, folks.
——-
LIBERALS TO THE LETTER: (Editor’s note: The following form letter is currently being sent to Canadians who inquire about the Liberal party’s stance on gun control):
Dear Xxxxxx:
Thank you for taking the time to write to us with your concerns 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 yourself 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.
Thank you again for sharing your perspective on this issue, and please do not hesitate to write to us again should you have any other questions or concerns in the future. We will be more than happy to help.
Sincerely,
Ahn Jae Kiun
Liberal Party of Canada
——-
COMING EVENTS:
The Elgin-Middlesex-London and Haldimand-Norfolk PC Associations and MPPs Jeff Yurek and Toby Barrett present the first annual Shoot with the Politicians on Saturday, October 4 from11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will be held at Otter Valley Rod and Gun Club on Plank Road, between Tillsonburg and Straffordville at 9908 Plank Rd., in Eden, Ontario. Cost is $45 for shoot, including tax receipt. For tickets call Chris at 519-428-0448.
——-
The North Shore Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society of Canada presents its first sporting clays shoot on Sunday, Sept. 14 at Otter Valley Rod and Gun Club on Plank Road, between Tillsonburg and Straffordville at 9908 Plank Rd., in Eden, Ontario. Cost is $45 for 100 targets, $40 for 50 targets and $25 for juniors. Prizes for top shooter in each division, and all shooters. Registration is 8 – 9:45 a.m. For more information, phone 519-983-3947
——-
ALL THE NEWS THAT’S FIT:
DR. MAUSER HITS ANOTHER HOME RUN: “To possess a firearm is a right, and it’s a right that comes with responsibilities,” Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney said at a news conference in Powassan, Ont., July 23, while announcing planned changes to Canada’s gun laws. The Canadian Press immediately jumped on Minister Blaney’s statement claiming it failed its “baloney-meter” test; CBC quickly echoed the slam on the Minister. If anything flunks the baloney-meter, it’s the idea that the Canadian media can be objective when reporting political statements by Conservative Ministers.
Whatever the Canadian media may think, a strong argument can be made that Canadians do have a right to own firearms. Canada’s founders, including Sir John A Macdonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada, most certainly did believe that Canadians had that right. During his tenure as prime minister, Macdonald generally opposed restrictions on guns by arguing that Canadians needed arms to defend themselves against violent criminals. Even professor Blake Brown, who is no friend of the National Firearms Association, accepts that Canada’s founders believed Canadians had the right to arms.
But who is a Canadian? In 1885, the Canadian government declared that the right to bear arms did not apply to aboriginal peoples or Metis, who were incapable of full citizenship. Since that time, Canadian governments have passed other restrictive gun laws in reaction to fears concerning Irish laborers, Italian immigrants, Japanese Canadians, and most recently rural White men.
In the present day, many believe that all individuals have the natural right to protect themselves against an unprovoked attack – whether from a violent criminal or a wild beast. Just as a mother naturally wants to protect her child from harm, so do we all have a right to defend ourselves from physical assault. This right existed before Canada, or any other government existed…
… I don’t know if Minister Blaney agrees completely with Sir John A Macdonald, but, as a conservative, he certainly appears to believe that rights are God given, while the leftist media continues to imply that governments grant (or withhold) rights. To be sure, the Canadian Supreme Court has not supported the individual right to own firearms. But can courts erase natural rights? Now that’s really baloney.
(By Gary Mauser, Professor Emeritus, Simon Fraser University – Canada Free Press – August 27, 2014)
See the rest: http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/65594
——-
FLY-IN BEARS IN ALGOMA COUNTRY: The remote reaches of Algoma Country in northern Ontario are one of the best spots to hunt black bears! Paul Beasley is joined by good friend, Bill Ruth on this fly-in adventure that is full of incredible bear encounters that bring some extreme highs and unfortunately some extreme lows too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmOPGldsAxA
——-
GUN STAMPS GUN – NEW FOOTBALL JERSEY PROVOKES ANTI’S IRE: On Monday, the Calgary Stampeders will don their new third jersey for the first time at the Labour Day Classic.
However, while the players are focused on the rivalry on the field, some fans are focused on a controversial emblem on the uniform. The new “Outlaw” jerseys are black with red trim and white numbering with crossed pistols on both shoulders. They are similar to the special third jersey that was first introduced in the Labour Day Classic in 1994. But this year, the guns are a lot more prominent and not everyone is buying in.
“I don’t think they need to put a bunch of guns on a jersey,” said one fan.
Others took to twitter to voice their opinions. @nottoct tweeted “… are we kidding cross guns on stampeder jersey all we need is more glorification of guns in this city…”
Brandon Sauer drove from Medicine Hat to get his hands on the new look. He says critics have it all wrong. “They can think what they want,” he said, “but it’s not promoting gun violence in any way.”
Stamps President Gord Norrie said the league actually called him to ask if he was sure he wanted the pistols in the final design.
“We did think long and hard about using it,” said Norrie. “But this is Alberta. This is Western Canada. This is Calgary. This is cowboy country. Pistols don’t kill people. People kill people.”
Players say the emblem needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
“I don’t think it’s controversial at all,” said Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell. “I know people can, I guess, portray it as we’re promoting that. But, obviously, it’s for a reason. It’s for us being the Stampeders.” (Calgary eventually defeated Edmonton 28-13) (CTV Calgary – August 30)
——-
TIRED OF PUSHY CFOs AND POLICE SEARCHES? DON’T WATCH THESE VIDEOS!
BRIAN LILLEY’S BYLINE – September 1, 2014
While progressives are using rights as a political attack weapon, Sun News takes a stand against violated charter rights for firearms owners.
http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/3762191093001
FAITH GOLDY REPORT – August 29, 2014
Gun owners getting second class treatment thanks to inspections – Warrant-less firearms inspection rules go grey when firearm accessories are thrown in the mix. Lawyer Solomon Friedman provides his comments.
http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/featured/prime-time/867432237001/gun-owners-getting-second-class-treatment-thanks-to-inspections/3756933338001
——-
“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
——
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
——
To subscribe to the CSSA-CILA E-NEWS, send email to: [email protected] or visit http://lists.cssa-cila.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/cssa-cila-e-news.
To unsubscribe send email to: [email protected]
To change your address or manage your subscription options, visit: http://lists.cssa-cila.org/cgi-bin/mailman/options/cssa-cila-e-news
——-
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