Team CSSA E-NEWS – November 13, 2014
Team CSSA E-NEWS – November 13, 2014
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COMMENTARY – THE ANSWER TO CRIMINALS WITH ILLEGAL HANDGUNS IS… MORE LAWS FOR CRIMINALS TO IGNORE? Ontario Liberal M.P.P. and Deputy Government Whip, Mike Colle, doesn’t like criminals driving around with guns. Frankly, who does?
Unfortunately for us, the answer to the problem – any problem – for a politician is always the same: create more laws for criminals to ignore.
This is precisely what Mike Colle proposes with Bill 24, Prohibiting Driving with Unlawful Handguns Act, 2014 – An Act to amend the Highway Traffic Act and the Civil Remedies Act, 2001 to promote public safety by prohibiting driving in a motor vehicle with an unlawfully possessed handgun. (http://www.ontla.on.ca/bills/bills-files/41_Parliament/Session1/b024.pdf)
He wants to create more laws prohibiting criminals from driving around with illegal handguns even though doing so is already a crime.
The bill’s Explanatory Note starts off with this statement:
The purpose of the Bill is to promote public safety and suppress conditions that lead to crime. The Bill adds a new section 172.2 to the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, which makes it an offence to drive on a highway in a motor vehicle in which there is an unlawfully possessed handgun.
While his bill’s intended outcome is perhaps laudable, his premise is not. Amending the Ontario Highway Traffic Act to include new crimes is pointless, redundant and a waste of the Ontario Legislature’s time, energy and resources.
Why?
The Criminal Code of Canada, through Section 94, already makes it a crime to occupy a vehicle, moving or not, with an illegal firearm inside it.
Unauthorized possession in motor vehicle –
94. (1) Subject to subsections (3) and (4), every person commits an offence who is an occupant of a motor vehicle in which the person knows there is a firearm, a prohibited weapon, a restricted weapon, a prohibited device, other than a replica firearm, or any prohibited ammunition, unless
(a) in the case of a firearm,
(i) the person or any other occupant of the motor vehicle is the holder of
(A) a licence under which the person or other occupant may possess the firearm, and
(B) in the case of a prohibited firearm or a restricted firearm, an authorization and a registration certificate for it,
(ii) the person had reasonable grounds to believe that any other occupant of the motor vehicle was the holder of
(A) a licence under which that other occupant may possess the firearm, and
(B) in the case of a prohibited firearm or a restricted firearm, an authorization and a registration certificate for it, or
(iii) the person had reasonable grounds to believe that any other occupant of the motor vehicle was a person who could not be convicted of an offence under this Act by reason of sections 117.07 to 117.1 or any other Act of Parliament;
The answer to criminals and guns is not to create more laws for them to ignore. The answer is to enforce the laws against criminals possessing illegal firearms. Creating an Ontario-specific crime that duplicates Section 94 of the Criminal Code of Canada is pointless (and probably ultra vires) unless, of course, your primary motive for passing such a law is so you can be seen to be doing something useful instead of actually doing something useful.
Please contact your local Ontario M.P.P. immediately and urge them to stop wasting the legislature’s time and resources by duplicating laws that already exist.
To find your M.P.P. visit http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/member_addresses.do?locale=en
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WE’RE GROWING AGAIN: We’re looking for a clerical staffer to work out of our Etobicoke, Ontario, location. A little firearms background is an asset, as is a PAL. Some light web experience and the ability to work in a small team environment also would be helpful. This is a full-time administrative position. If you would like to be part of Team CSSA, please send your resume to [email protected].
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2015 ELECTION NOTICE: Applications for new CSSA Board Members must be received by midnight, December 15, 2014. Applications to the Nomination Committee must be in writing and accompanied by a brief resume outlining skills and experience. Applications may be submitted by fax, snail mail or email to [email protected]. CSSA’s mailing address is: 116 Galaxy Blvd, Etobicoke ON M9W 4Y6.
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A WARM WELCOME FOR OUR NEWEST PARTNER! Do we have something for you? The CSSA is always aiming to provide better communication and services for its membership. To this end, we have been searching for a print publication over the last several years that can satisfy these demands. Although our more experienced members may remember a time when we had our own print publication, this process proved to be too expensive and time intensive for staff to perform and pure cost-effectiveness ruled it out.
Enter Calibre magazine. This premier Canadian publication is designed specifically for Canadian shooters and will now be distributed to every CSSA general member in good standing, six issues per year. We believe this is the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship between Calibre and the CSSA. It is our sincere wish that you enjoy every issue of this outstanding publication and that this benefit will significantly add to the value of being a CSSA member. Calibre magazine will provide our organization with an efficient and cost-effective means of communicating with our members – be it distributing AGM ballots and information or promoting important upcoming CSSA events.
If you do not wish to receive Calibre magazine, please contact our office to be removed from our confidential mailing list.
Lastly, Calibre does not replace the CSSA E-News, and those of you who have enjoyed our weekly electronic publication will continue to receive it as usual. For those that do not receive it but wish to, you may subscribe, free of charge, at our website: www.cdnshootingsports.org.
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GIVE THE GIFT OF CSSA – $5 off * That’s right, you can give the gift of firearms freedom to someone special this year, and save five dollars off our regular one-year price. Benefits include $5 million dollars insurance, a year’s subscription to Calibre magazine, weekly issues of the Team CSSA E-news, and attractive membership card and decal and so much more. For $40, a mere .77 cents per week, you can help us win the fight against the forces who would take away your guns. Join with Team CSSA to lead the way for a better future for firearms owners in Canada. $40
* new memberships only
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CSSA – For LIFE!
Forever is a long time but that is our pledge to fight for you. And the CSSA has walked the walk too. The end of the long gun registry, dealer ledgers, the new ammunition laws and so much more, the CSSA has achieved much for Canada’s firearms owners. Become a LIFE MEMBER today and receive a special Life Member swag package, including special discounts for CSSA events, a CSSA LIFE MEMBER Gold Card, a wall certificate and other credentials that show how much you care about firearms ownership in Canada, plus all the benefits of a General member . The CSSA is committed to you. Please show your commitment to the shooting sports in with an investment in the future. Become a CSSA LIFE MEMBER TODAY! $950.00
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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 Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety
HELP SUPPORT THE GREAT WORK THE CSSA DOES TO PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS. DONATE HERE
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FRANCIS PEGAHMAGABOW, UNSUNG WWI HERO, TO GET OVERDUE RECOGNITION: The most decorated First Nations soldier in the history of the Canadian military will get the recognition he never received in his lifetime.
A life-size bronze statue of Francis Pegahmagabow, a little known hero of the First World War, will be erected in Parry Sound, Ont., in the spring of 2016.
The initiative, announced today in Parry Sound, is supported by members of Pegahmagabow’s family and Wasauksing First Nation, along with the Town of Parry Sound, author Joseph Boyden and sculptor Tyler Fauvelle.
“I want the work to be noble, to show that the spiritual traditions of his people sustained him through the otherworld of war,” Fauvelle said in a news release.
“It was very momentous for me, to know that this is going to happen. It’s something we can go to in this area and share with other people as well,” said Pegahmagabow’s granddaughter, Theresa McInnes, about the announcement.
Wasauksing First Nation, where McInnes serves on band council, is a 15-minute drive from Parry Sound. McInnes says that even though the sculpture isn’t up yet, the support from town council, and the publicity the project has received, has already created more awareness of her grandfather’s legacy in the region
As a sniper in the First World War, Pegahmagabow was deadly accurate, and although difficult to substantiate, he was credited with 378 kills, as well as the capture of 300 prisoners. The Ojibway from the Wasauksing First Nation returned a hero, but it wouldn’t last.
“When he was in uniform, he was considered an equal… by what he could do. When he came back, he just went back to being an Indian. Indians at that time were not even Canadian citizens. They were treated like children and the Indian agents wanted him to basically sit back and shut up and not say anything,” said Adrian Hayes, the author of the definitive biography of Pegahmagabow.
Despite that, Pegahmagabow was chief of his band, always sending letters to Ottawa — even to the prime minister — demanding better treatment. Eventually he helped to form some of the first national native-rights movements in Canada. The war hero faced poverty and persecution, usually at the hands of Indian agents who controlled even his pension and seemed to block every attempt he made to get ahead.
In 2006, over 80 years after he served, the military finally decided to recognize him, erecting a monument at CFB Borden and, with full military honours, naming the building of the 3rd Canadian Ranger Patrol group after him.
In Parry Sound, in addition to the bronze sculpture, there are plans to produce an educational video about Pegahmagabow and Aboriginal Peoples’ military service to Canada.
“I know his last surviving son and daughter would be proud, if they were still here today, because they worked so hard for something like this to happen,” McInnes said. (CBC News Posted: November 10, 2014)
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CROSSBOW GIVE AWAY: In case you’ve been wondering what it’s like to hunt (or just target practice) with a crossbow, Mark Jenkins at http://www.bestcrossbowsource.com is giving away two Barnett Jackal packages for free. This x-bow has been on his “top ten” list for quite a while now, mostly due to its versatility: low-maintenance, good for both hunting and field shooting, light enough to be used by both adults and the younger ones.
In order to participate, head over to the website by clicking the link above. Next, on the right side of the screen, scroll down until you find the contest form (it’s right below the crossbow reviews box). There you will just need to input your e-mail and confirm to be automatically added to the list.
The future owners of the crossbows will be contacted directly and asked to provide their physical address for shipping of the Jackal package, which will include all the items required to start hunting, including broad-heads (fixed blades). And if you have any problems assembling the stock, sighting in or just getting the crossbow to shoot properly, Mark will be very happy to help you out directly.
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CANADA IN THE ROUGH – GIANT ONTARIO BRUINS: This week, Keith Beasley, is hunting black bears with Shawn Galea of Advanced Taxidermy, in the Boreal forest of Ontario. They will be hunting with their compounds, while trying to get close to these big bruins that Northern Ontario is so well known for.
See more at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlP8V0JSj0s
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OTTAWA TEACHER WHO STORED GUNS AT SCHOOL GUILTY OF MISCONDUCT – TEACHER STORED AN ARSENAL OF MOSTLY INOPERABLE AND REPLICA GUNS AT HIS HIGH SCHOOL: A “beloved” drama teacher who stored an arsenal of mostly inoperable and replica guns at his high school has been found guilty of professional misconduct by the province’s teaching regulator. Laird Evans, who taught for 30 years at Hillcrest High School, is still awaiting a decision on the penalty he faces from a disciplinary panel at the Ontario College of Teachers. That is expected to come later this month, a college spokeswoman said.
The college’s lawyer Caroline Zayid argued during a hearing held Nov. 3 in favour of a six- to 12-month suspension of Evans’s Ontario teaching certification and college membership. However, Susan Chapman, Evans’s lawyer, said her client should be allowed to resign from the college on his own with an agreement that he will never re-apply to have his certification reinstated. Medical evidence regarding Evans’s mental capacity was presented during a closed portion of the hearing in support of his lawyer’s arguments. Calling it “a very exceptional case,” Chapman told the Citizen on Monday that her client’s medical state is such that, “he’s not going to be teaching any more.”
“It’s a very tragic case … it really is,” said Chapman, retained by Evans’s brother Lang, who holds the teacher’s power of attorney and contacted Chapman after finding out about the college proceeding late last month from news reports. The college’s legal team told the disciplinary panel Oct. 22 that Laird Evans had initially been made aware that a hearing would be held, but several attempts to contact him more recently had been unsuccessful.
Ottawa police were called into Hillcrest on May 27, 2010, after Evans fell ill and school staff stumbled on a cache of firearms that had been stashed in a school storage room used for stage props. Nineteen firearms were found, as well as ammunition. Although most were deactivated or were very realistic replicas, one was a functional rifle dating back to the Second World War and another was a deactivated Uzi submachine-gun with a functional 32-round magazine. Students told staff that Evans had been teaching them how to disassemble a rifle and clean it before putting it away with the others.
As a result of the find, Evans, represented by Chapman, pleaded guilty in July 2011 to possession of an unlicensed firearm, received a conditional discharge and saw three other charges withdrawn. At the time Evans told the court that he had meant no malice toward his students and was trying to teach them safe handling of theatre props. Although more replica guns, along with real bullets and tins of grenade powder, were found at the school in January 2012 during a room cleanout, no further charges were laid, the teachers’ college hearing was told.
Former students have spoken out in support of Evans after news reports about his misconduct hearing. In a letter to the Citizen, former student Melissa Nihmey said that although Evans should not have had guns at school, he “never intended to cause harm” and was “a great teacher.” Others described him on the website Rate My Teacher as “inspiring,” dedicated and “one of the few” who really took the time to connect with students. Evans’s family, through his lawyer, declined to comment further about the case. (By MOIRA MacDONALD – Ottawa Citizen – November 10, 2014)
See the story at: http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ottawa-teacher-who-stored-guns-at-school-guilty-of-misconduct
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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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