in E News Team CSSA E-NEWS – April 6, 2015
Team CSSA E-NEWS – April 6, 2015
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COMMENTARY – Last week was an exciting time for Canadian firearms owners. Bill C-42, the Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act, moved forward and the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) finally brought down the long-awaited verdict on the Quebec Long Gun Registry (LGR) data. The news was good on both fronts: the SCC confirmed the final death of the useless registry information, and Bill C-42 passed through Second Reading in the House of Commons, exactly as predicted by the CSSA.
The next step for C-42 is committee stage, the place where the merits of the bill will be debated and the testimony of experts and interested parties will be heard. Recommendations for constructive changes are also discussed at this stage and it can sometimes become a lively affair. Stay tuned to the CSSA E-News for regular updates on the bill’s progress.
The biggest surprise about the SCC’s decision regarding the Quebec LGR data was not the verdict itself (we were quite confident that the court would rule in the federal government’s favour), but the curious 5-4 ruling. In the previously appealed ruling from the Quebec Court of Appeal, the judges ruled 5-0 against the province. Given this ruling from the highest court in Quebec – from the most learned judiciary in that province – it seems almost surreal that the three Quebec judges serving the Supreme Court of Canada could reach an opposite verdict. While we would never be so disrespectful as to suggest the pall of politics in a SCC decision, it does make one wonder.
We know that all CSSA members share in the joy that our Quebec brothers and sisters feel as they celebrate their new-found freedom from the yoke of registration. We also understand and share their concerns about the possibility of the Quebec government launching its own provincial registry, particularly when we hear the outrageously low cost of $30 million being publicly bandied about. Are the memories of people so short that they have forgotten the multi-billion dollar boondoggle of the former federal government? Do they believe that the fiscal competence of the provincial government is so on point that they can create a registry of a quarter of the nation’s guns for less than an eighth of the cost of the federal registry’s computer systems? How about the myriad of other substantial expenses required to register the firearms of 700,000 Canadians, expenses like wages, enforcement, education, etc.?
Since this shiny new registry would be a quarter of the size of the previous federal version, do you think it might be reasonable to assume that it might cost a quarter of the cost? A province with pothole-ridden roads that terminate in crumbling bridges; where unruly university students protest the rising costs of school tuitions; where hospital wait times approach incredulous levels and basic provincial government services cannot be provided without massive transfer payments from the rest of the country? A province like that can hardly afford to drop a half-billion dollars into an unenforceable, airy-fairy “feel good” exercise.
The CSSA would like to think that, politics notwithstanding, the Quebec government would behave more responsibly than that. We are unconvinced that the provincial government will actually follow through with this senseless notion, and that has been the CSSA’s position since the first day Quebec announced its intention to create its own registry. We called them out when the original injunction was filed to preserve the horribly inaccurate data from the previous basket-full-of-stupid. The Quebec government responded with a farcical piece of legislation that, quite frankly, looked like it had been slapped together by a grade eight student.
The CSSA stated then that the provincial bill would never see second reading – and we were right. It died on the Order Paper and was never reintroduced. So here’s a CSSA Reality Check: Over eight years ago, the minority Harper Conservatives announced their intention to slay the Long Gun Registry dragon. Three years ago, the majority Harper Conservatives kept that commitment. Quebec has had EIGHT YEARS to write a bill, prepare the infrastructure and hire and train its army of staff. But so far … nothing.
This is simply “poker politics” and the Quebec government is bluffing. We predict a cacophony of rhetoric, table pounding and self-righteous indignation – particularly in the lead up to the federal election. But Quebec’s treasury is bare and the good people of Canada’s first province need healthcare and safe roads far more than an expensive, useless gun registry.
It’s high time we move on.
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MP BOB ZIMMER TABLES PRIVATE MEMBERS’ MOTION ON THE UN FIREARMS REGIME
OTTAWA – Bob Zimmer, Member of Parliament for Prince George-Peace River, has tabled his Private Members’ Motion, M-589. The motion highlights Canada’s extensive firearms safety regulations and discourages the government from adopting the United Nations resolution 55/255 concerning firearms.
M-589 states: That, in the opinion of the House: (a) Canada already exceeds all the standards listed in United Nations resolution 55/255 concerning firearms (the resolution); (b) the regulations envisioned in the resolution would do nothing to enhance public safety, and would serve only to burden the law-abiding firearms community; and therefore, the government has already surpassed its obligations with respect to the resolution and is not required to take any further steps.
The UN resolution includes a section on the marking of firearms, asking State Parties to have each imported firearm marked with an identification code, identifying the country of import. This would mean that all firearms imported into Canada would have to be marked with ‘Canada’ or ‘CA’, creating a huge cost to the law-abiding firearms community.
“Canada’s common sense firearms regulations are already extensive and exceed what the United Nations is asking in this resolution,” said Mr. Zimmer. “We have our own Canadian approach, and I have serious concerns with adding yet another layer of unnecessary red tape for our law-abiding firearms community.”
Current Canadian laws already require that all firearms be uniquely identified, including bearing a permanently marked serial number or unique firearms identification number.
“Adding yet another marking on a firearm will do nothing for public safety,” said Mr. Zimmer. “If implemented, this marking regime would only drive up the costs for law-abiding firearms owners, or drive down the gun market, affecting small business owners throughout Canada.”
“We have already seen how the wasteful and ineffective long-gun registry did nothing to stop crime,” said Mr. Zimmer. “My concern is that implementing this resolution would create a back-door registry and my intention in tabling this motion is to ensure that any door that could re-open the long-gun registry remains firmly closed.”
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THANK YOU TO THE AACCA – A special thank you to the Alberta Arms and Cartridge Collectors Association for the generous donation made to the CSSA at the 2015 Calgary Gun Show. This year’s event was the best show in the long history of the Calgary show. There were hundreds of vendors and wall to wall people. Congratulations to the AACCA for a superbly well-run show and we look forward to participating again in 2016.
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CSSA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2015 – OTTAWA CONFERENCE AND EVENT CENTRE, 200 COVENTRY ROAD. AGM from 10 a.m. to noon. Afternoon seminars from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. featuring world-renowned firearms researcher, Dr. Gary Mauser will discuss the latest and greatest statistical trends in the firearms world; Natural Resource Director-General Patrick O’Neill will share his vast knowledge on the Explosives Act’s hand-loading and ammunition regulations; and CSSA Life Member, Keith Beasley of the hugely popular television show “Canada in the Rough” will discuss public relations and the image of firearms owners. Members may register for these seminars at [email protected].
Lastly, the evening of May 30 brings a very special “Stick to your Guns” dinner. Recognizing the unprecedented achievements of retiring Member of Parliament Garry Breitkreuz, this STYG Dinner is themed as a “thank you” to the best friend Canadian gun owners ever had. There will be many special guests, fabulous food, exciting draws, raffles and auctions, and a good time guaranteed to all. Tickets are $69.95 each and a table of eight is $499.95.
A block of rooms is now available at the Hampton Inn Ottawa, 100 Coventry Road, attached to the Ottawa Conference and Convention Centre. Reference group name: Canadian Shooting Sports Association; group Code 2438; group number: CSS. Room rates: $136 single or $146 double occupancy plus applicable fees and taxes. Reserve before April 25 and save!
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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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5TH ANNUAL KOOTENAY GUN SHOW – MAY 23 AND 24, 2015 – CRANBROOK, B.C. Located at 1812, 2nd Street North, Cranbrook. Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $5 per person over 12 years of age. For more information, please contact Rick Grant at 250-427-0158 or Duncan Waugh at 250-422-3469, or you can email [email protected].
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OPEN HOUSE – KINCARDINE NIMROD CLUB – SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015 – KINCARDINE, ONTARIO. Located at 2334 Concession #12, Huron-Kinloss (Aintree Road) east of Lake Range Road (south end of Kincardine) just down from the golf course. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Enjoy a barbecue prepared by the local 4-H Club. Watch demonstrations of cowboy action and soldiers from 1812. Try your hand at various rifles, black powder guns and handguns under the direct supervision of qualified members. Young, old and in between, including ladies, are welcome. Come out and see what we are all about!
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IT’S FINALLY HERE – THE 3RD ANNUAL WOMEN’S OUTDOOR WORKSHOP (WOW) – JUNE 20, 2015 – BLENHEIM, ONTARIO. Located at the Rondeau Rod & Gun Club, 10260 Campbell Line. AVOID THE INTIMIDATION AND FRUSTRATION OF LEARNING ON YOUR OWN! Courses Offered: Archery, ATV’S, Compass Orienteering, Duck/Turkey Calling, Gun Cleaning, Handgun Target Shooting, Leave No Trace, Reloading, .22. Entry fee is $75. Pig Roast is $5 for WOW participants; $10 for guests. Pre-registration is required. Registration deadline is May 30, 2015. For registration and information, please email: [email protected] or visit us at the club on Wednesdays from 6-10 p.m. Find us on Facebook!
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GUN-REGISTRY SHREDDING GETS GREEN LIGHT (By Sean Fine | Globe and Mail | March 28, 2015)
Split ruling, with three Quebec judges in dissent, seen as a threat to the unwritten constitutional principle of co-operative federalism
The federal government can destroy Quebec records in the now abolished long-gun registry, the Supreme Court ruled, casting into doubt a vision of Canada in which co-operation between levels of government would be enforceable by the courts.
The 5-4 ruling on Friday has implications for guns, politics and the Supreme Court itself. For the first time in recent memory, the three Quebec judges co-authored a dissent, saying Parliament had acted unconstitutionally in seeking to harm its partner in Confederation. In the process, they sent a message that they view the Canadian federation differently than most of their colleagues.
Quebec promised in the wake of the ruling to create its own registry, with new data, as it is constitutionally entitled to do.
But while Quebec Public Security Minister Lise Thériault estimated the setup costs at $30-million, others said a registry could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, a doubtful proposition at a time when the province has just made cuts to its health and education budgets.
As the country heads toward a federal election in the fall, the ruling reinforces the divide between the Conservative government and many Quebeckers. Gun controls have come to be seen as a “Quebec value” after the 1989 mass murder of 14 women at Montreal’s École Polytechnique.
At stake, beyond the registry records, was an idea of Canada called “co-operative federalism,” in which Ottawa and the provinces work together on mutual objectives. The Supreme Court had called it an “unwritten constitutional principle,” but when that principle was put to the test, a majority said it could not trump the “division of powers” set out in Canada’s original 1867 Constitution. Criminal law is solely in federal jurisdiction, and the federal government is entitled to repeal a program it created, and the data that went along with it, the majority said, stressing that their ruling was not a comment on the usefulness of a gun registry.
In essence, the majority feared that the way Canada works would have been cast into uncertainty if it ruled in favour of Quebec. “To hold otherwise would undermine parliamentary sovereignty and create legal uncertainty whenever one order of government adopted legislation having some impact on the policy objectives of another,” the majority said, in a ruling co-authored by Justice Andromache Karakatsanis and Thomas Cromwell.
Court supervision of co-operative federalism has now been put to rest, observers said.
“The idea of using co-operative federalism as an autonomous source of obligations and duties that can be imposed on either level of government is pretty much dead,” Jean-François Gaudreault-Desbiens, a law professor at the University of Montreal, said in an interview.
Travelling in a rural area southwest of Quebec City, Prime Minister Stephen Harper played down suggestions that the Supreme Court split shows there is a rift between Quebec and the rest of the country over gun control. He pointed out that the Quebec Court of Appeal, like the Supreme Court majority, had sided with his government. He also said Canada already has a strict regime of gun control, including the licensing of gun owners and registries for handguns and restricted weapons.
“It’s important to note we made a promise to people in rural areas in Quebec and elsewhere in the country, and it was a decision that was well received in the rural areas.” The registry had been created by a Liberal government in the 1990s.
Quebec had argued that the federal government subverted the province’s plans to create its own registry by planning to destroy Quebeckers’ records. The minority picked up on that theme, saying that “Parliament declared that its intention was to cause harm to the other level of government.” The destruction of the records wasn’t necessary to fulfill the federal government’s purpose in closing the registry – to protect the privacy of gun owners – and thus went beyond the criminal law into provincial jurisdiction over property and civil rights, the minority said.
The dissent was authored by Justices Richard Wagner, Clément Gascon and the now-retired Louis LeBel, and joined by Justice Rosalie Abella of Ontario. Frederick Vaughan, who wrote a seminal history of the court, said the joint authorship by the three Quebec judges may have been a first.
See the story: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ottawa-free-to-destroy-quebecs-gun-registry-data-top-court-rules/article23656155/
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QUEBEC WILL CREATE ITS OWN GUN REGISTRY – HIGH COURT RULES FEDS CAN DESTROY WEAPONS DATA (By Mike Blanchfield | The Canadian Press | March 28, 2015)
Quebec will forge ahead with its own gun registry after losing out in a Supreme Court decision that could have future political consequences in the province.
The high court ruled Friday that the federal government has the right to order the destruction of gun-registry data that Quebec has coveted for years.
The issue sparked rare consensus among Quebec political parties as well as in broad swaths of the province – a unity that was reflected in the three Supreme Court justices from Quebec all being part of the dissenting minority.
While Prime Minister Stephen Harper welcomed the 5-4 ruling, it remains to be seen what impact it might have on his Conservatives’ goal of winning more seats in Quebec in this year’s federal election.
“The decision to destroy the data is not acceptable in terms of managing public funds or in terms of co-operative federalism,” said Quebec Public Security Minister Lise Theriault. “There will be a Quebec registry. We will proceed step by step so we respect the ability of Quebecers to pay. We are convinced that the use of such a tool on a daily basis is necessary to facilitate investigations and police interventions and to comply with court orders prohibiting the possession of weapons.” She estimated the cost of creating a registry at $30 million – a figure she acknowledged could fluctuate depending on its scope.
The Supreme Court ruled that destroying the data was a lawful exercise of Parliament’s legislative power to make criminal law under the Constitution, firmly upholding the notion the government is free to enact policies it deems appropriate as long as it operates within the law.
“In our view, the decision to dismantle the long-gun registry and destroy the data that it contains is a policy choice that Parliament was constitutionally entitled to make,” wrote Thomas Cromwell and Andromache Karakastanis for the majority, a group that included Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin.
Speaking near Quebec City, where he was making an unrelated announcement, Harper reiterated his long-held view the gun registry was obsolete.
“Yes, we have abolished one registry,” he said in Saint-Apollinaire. “But what we have in Canada already is permitting. In other words, we have registration of all gun owners, already. We have registration of all handguns, already. We have registration of all restricted weapons, already.
“Our view -and I think it’s been borne out by the facts – is that we simply don’t need another very expensive and not effective registry.
“What we have needed are severe, strong and more effective penalties for people who commit criminal acts using guns, and that’s what we’ve done.” A spokesman for Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney said in an email “the data will be deleted in the very near future.” The Liberal government created the gun registry in 1998 in response to the murder of 14 women at Montreal’s Ecole polytechnique in 1989. They were targeted by a gunman because of their gender. The Harper government abolished the registry for long guns in 2011.
See the story: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/quebec-to-proceed-with-own-registry-after-ruling-1.2299997
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LONG-GUN REGISTRY TARGETS WRONG GROUP (By John R. Hunt | North Bay Nugget | April 1, 2015)
The long-gun registry has always had its share of critics in Northern Ontario. Moose and deer hunters resented it. Farmers and trappers who have to contend with wolves, bears and coyotes were against it.
No doubt someone in Toronto will try to persuade the province to imitate Quebec, which has promised to form its own long-gun registry.
Quebec lost out before the Supreme Court, which ruled that the federal government had a perfect right to order the destruction of data used to create the long-gun registry.
Quebec is now going to form its own registry at an estimated cost of $30 million. There is all the usual talk about how essential it is for law enforcement. Quebec police are alleged to have used it 900 times a day.
It has always been a mystery how a long list of law-abiding citizens could be a useful police tool. What the police need is a list of illegal gun owners.
Hand guns have been registered in Canada since the 1930s. A Toronto newspaper once sent a reporter to Detroit where he had no difficulty finding a gun dealer who shipped more than 100 illegal weapons into Ontario every year.
The long-gun registry may give police a false and dangerous sense of security. Their enemy may be the little old lady who prunes her roses and keeps a machete beside her front door and runs a grow operation in the basement.
Long-gun owners do not present a threat to law and order in Canada. It is the owners of illegal hand guns who rob banks and kill people after midnight on the streets of Toronto.
The police have so far failed to stem the flood of illegal weapons into Canada and our American cousins have failed to co-operate in blocking it.
Quebec has lost its battle in the Supreme Court. There is no reason why Ontario should show sympathy. The long-gun registry was a well-meaning attempt to control a problem. It did not work.
Gun violence has its roots in illegal weapons and dangerous people who show a complete disregard for the law. Cutting off the supply should be the top priority of law enforcement not registering law-abiding citizens.
See the story: http://www.pressreader.com/canada/north-bay-nugget/20150401/281702613220791/TextView
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COMMENTARY #5 – RCMP HIGH RIVER REPORT – SO MANY QUESTIONS LEFT UNANSWERED BY THE RCMP PUBLIC COMPLAINTS COMMISSION HIGH RIVER INVESTIGATION (By Dennis R. Young | Canada Free Press | March 31, 2015)
Senior politicians stated (hoped) that the High River report released on February 12, 2015 by the RCMP Public Complaints Commission would close the file on the hundreds of doors being kicked in, 4,666 x 2 unwarranted entries and searches, seizures of hundreds of guns, and seizure and destruction of tons of ammunition, seizure of firearms magazines, bows, knives, etc, etc. The 122-page report didn’t even come close to answering all the questions that High River residents asked at their town hall meeting on September 5, 2013.
PROMISE: Alberta Justice Minister and Solicitor General Jonathan Denis’ letter dated January 28, 2015 stated: “The Province of Alberta, as a contracting partner for the services of the RCMP, have worked with the CRCC (Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP), as the federally legislated oversight body, to ensure sufficient accountability to Alberta and its citizens results from this independent review.”
Comment: The RCMP Public Complaints Commission’s High River report didn’t deliver on the Justice Minister’s promise.
PROMISE: Defence Minister Rob Nicholson’s letter dated January 5, 2015 stated: “I am confident that the Commission will look into many of the questions you raise in your letter and that have been expressed by other members of the public and I look forward to the results of the investigation.”
Comment: Once again the RCMP Public Complaints Commission’s High River report didn’t answer the questions I posed to the Defence Minister.
PROMISE: On September 6, 2013, Peter MacKay, Justice Minister and Attorney General for Canada responded to a constituent’s concerns (PDF page 000158): “I am honoured to assume the responsibilities of this position and I intend to work with great commitment to maintain and enhance the integrity and professionalism of Canada’s system of justice. As you are aware, the RCMP falls under the purview of my colleague the Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. I note that you also addressed your correspondence to Minister Blaney’s predecessor. While I appreciate being made aware of your concerns, I will leave this matter to be considered by Minister Blaney. The oversight of policing services in Alberta is the responsibility of the Honourable Jonathan Denis, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General of Alberta. Therefore, if you have not already done so, you may wish to share your concerns with Minister Denis.”
Comment: The RCMP Complaints Commission High River report did nothing to “enhance the integrity and professionalism of Canada’s justice system” as promised by Justice Minister MacKay.
PROMISE: In response to dozens of letters of complaint and concern to Prime Minister Harper, many requesting a judicial enquiry into the RCMP actions in High River, the Prime Minister’s Office responded: “You may be assured that your comments have been carefully reviewed. A copy of your correspondence has been forwarded to the Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. I am certain that the Minister will appreciate being made aware of your views and will want to give them every consideration.”
Comment: The RCMP Complaints Commission High River report did not give the “views” of these many constituents “every consideration.” Now it is up to the Prime Minister and the Public Safety Minister to demand an inquiry that will address all the outstanding issues and rebuild the trust of High River residents. RCMP draft emergency/evacuation policies seem to be written to justify a repeat of what happened in High River in 2013. Let’s hope the final version makes the necessary corrections to protect the Charter rights of evacuated residents during the next emergency/evacuation.
PROMISE: Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness responded stating (PDF page 000119): “Please rest assured that the Government of Canada will continue to do everything it can to assist Albertans deal with this tragedy.”
Comment: The High River report prepared by the RCMP Public Complaints Commission does not give these constituent’s concerns “every consideration and does not begin to “do everything it can to assist Albertans to deal with this tragedy”.
Read the rest: http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/70833
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AUSTRALIANS OWN MORE GUNS THAN EVER WITH MORE THAN 37,000 LICENSES ISSUED IN FIVE YEARS IN NSW ALONE AND AMERICAN POP CULTURE ‘IS TO BLAME’ (By Lillian Radulova | Daily Mail Australia | April 2, 2015)
• Firearm licence holders grew from 177,675 to 215,462 in the last five years
• Tamworth has the most at 3259, with Bathurst a close second at 3075
• However there has not been a related increase in gun related crime
• Detective Superintendent Mick Plotecki said U.S.’s popular national gun laws and their influence through pop culture, is likely reason for increase
The number of firearm licence holders in New South Wales has increased by more than 20 per cent in the last five years.
Currently, a total of 215,462 licences exist compared to the 177,675 owned in 2010, according to figures obtained by News Corp.
Tamworth, 403km north of Sydney, was revealed to have the most number of firearm licences – 3259 – with Bathurst, 200km west of Sydney, a close second at 3075.
Currently, a total of 215,462 licences exist in New South Wales compared to the 177,675 owned in 2010. Pictured: NSW police busted an illegal firearm operation in the Casino and Lismore areas last month.
Both suburbs saw an increase of almost 500 guns in their areas over the last five years.
Detective Superintendent Mick Plotecki said US’s popular national gun laws and pop culture was likely to be driving the increase.
Detective Superintendent Mick Plotecki said the United State’s popular national gun laws, and the country’s influence on Australia through popular culture, was likely to be driving the increase in licence holders in the state.
‘There is an element in the community who are swayed by the US culture that guns are a right rather than a privilege,’ Supt Plotecki told News Corp.
‘Generally speaking however Australians don’t have a strong gun culture and recent strong reaction against relaxing our gun ownership laws is indicative of this – Australians don’t want lax gun laws’.
He added that there did not appear to have been an increase in gun related crime that related to the increase in licences.
Although the figures revealed that each person with a licence owns an average of 2.3 guns each, the Firearm Registry’s regulations suggest it’s not easy to acquire a licence.
Each request must include a ‘genuine reason’, proved through supporting evidence, with each reason in turn holding restrictions on the type of gun that can be owned.
Sport, recreational hunting, rural occupation, firearms collection and animal welfare are all listed as ‘genuine reasons’.
See the story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3023260/Australians-guns-37-000-licenses-issued-five-years-NSW-American-pop-culture-blame.html#ixzz3WV5AXX00
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CANADA IN THE ROUGH – YUKON MOOSE MANIA PART 1
With a moose and caribou tag in his pocket, Paul Beasley is on a horseback adventure in the wilds of the Yukon. Close encounters are plentiful as the moose are in the peak of the rut, but Paul is waiting for a once-in-a-lifetime bull. Find out if his patience pays off!
See the teaser: http://www.canadaintherough.com/yukon-moose-mania-part-1/
Canada in the Rough can be found on OLN, WILD TV, and CHEX. For a full schedule, visit: http://www.canadaintherough.com/schedules/
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‘NEW GUN LAWS TO FIRE BLANKS UNTIL REGISTRY BACK ON TARGET’ (By Bianca Capazorio | Times Live | March 26, 2015)
South Africa – The central firearms registry is in such a dire state that it would be unable to implement the proposed changes to the Firearms Control Act, according to Deputy Police Minister Maggie Sotyu.
The registry is responsible for processing thousands of gun licence applications and renewals.
Sotyu yesterday told parliament that she had found an outdated IT system and a high vacancy rate at the registry when she had visited earlier this year.
“A lot of personnel were fired due to corruption – which is a good thing – but they have not been replaced,” she said. As a result, the registry’s “state of readiness” for the changes in the law was “zero”.
Sotyu recommended that short-term contracts and interns be introduced to bolster staff numbers.
The amendments to the Firearms Control Act impose stricter punishments on those who lose guns through negligence, and call for guns to be marked with microdot technology and to be sent for ballistic fingerprinting.
Paul Oxley, representing sports shooters at the summit, said the microdots could easily be removed. He added that recent state senate hearings in Maryland in the US had shown that ballistic fingerprinting was “hugely expensive” but did not result in any convictions.
See the story: http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2015/03/26/new-gun-laws-to-fire-blanks-until-registry-back-on-target
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COLLUSION OR COINCIDENCE? ATF’S AMMO BAN IDENTICAL TO UN AMMO BAN (By Jeff Moran | Ammoland.com | March 25, 20150
The February BATF Ammo Ban Proposal Was Nearly Identical to a January UN Ammo Ban Proposal.
Geneva – For much of the past month, the American shooting industry and pro-gun civil arms rights groups, along with the majority of lawmakers on Capitol Hill, have been rightly preoccupied with the Obama Administration’s latest gun control proposal to effectively ban common center-fire ammunition used in popular AR-15 style rifles and pistols.
The resignation of the BATF Director last week should not be the end of the story however…the Senate and House Judiciary Committees should question the acting Director of the BATF, along with other officials at the Departments of State and Justice on the apparent transnational dimension of the aborted ammo ban.
The fact is that the 13 February BATF ammo ban is linked through timing, content, and “covert” or “off the books” US involvement to a nearly identical United Nations plan released for comment to a small group of pre-approved experts on 19 January 2015.[2]
Setting aside the questions raised by the Administration’s January “publishing error” detailing current law as if the proposed ban was adopted months prior when in fact the proposal hadn’t even been made public,[3] the apparent violation of Administrative Procedures Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 533),[4] and the less than credible justification given by the White House Press Secretary on 2 March,[5], I submit that new attention needs to be given to the transnational dimension of this latest gun control initiative because of the appearance on its face that the Obama Administration has secretly been offshoring its domestic firearms policymaking to democratically unaccountable officials in the United Nations, for years.
A smirking White House spokesman Josh Earnest couldn’t conceal his glee when asked about the ammo ban.
Was the recent BATF ammo ban the result of years of secret coordination to get around Capitol Hill lawmakers? Was it all just a coincidence? Why has the US been so silent on the controversial small arms control standards that have been published by the UN over the years? Whatever the truth is, Americans must know more, and should demand two things as a minimum:
A full accounting of the US involvement in the UN’s International Small Arm Control Standards (ISACS) multi-stakeholder initiative (MSI), and
A declarative statement of position on the broader model national regulation the UN proposed on 19 January 2015.
Read the rest of the story: http://www.ammoland.com/2015/03/collusion-or-coincidence-atf-ammo-ban-identical-to-un/#axzz3W0s3Lou0
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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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