From: owner-cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca on behalf of Cdn-Firearms Digest [owner-cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca] Sent: Wednesday, 11 July, 2001 09:09 To: cdn-firearms-digest@broadway.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V3 #895 Cdn-Firearms Digest Wednesday, July 11 2001 Volume 03 : Number 895 In this issue: CTV - Taking aim at deadly trade in small arms Students injured in knife fight German immigrant fined in hunting sting AS you know, today is Buy a Gun DA U.S. blasts UN bid to ban guns Civilians hold half of world's firearms: Expert urges killing of rampaging coyotes =?iso-8859-1?Q?Lettre_=E0_M=2E_Jean_Chr=E9tien=2C_premier_mini?= =?iso-8859-1?Q?stre_du_Canada=2E?= [none] Good story Commentary: A Tale of a Hunter's Daughter [fwd] Over half the world's small arms owned by civilians, not ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 08:42:17 -0600 From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: CTV - Taking aim at deadly trade in small arms PUBLICATION: CTV - CTV NEWS DATE: 2001.07.10 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- Taking aim at deadly trade in small arms - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- LLOYD ROBERTSON: Good evening. It is the second largest illicit business in the world, after drugs, and Canada is committed to stopping it. This country is among the leaders at the United Nations in pushing a new global plan for gun control, specifically, the trafficking in small arms, weapons that fuel deadly conflicts around the world. The crackdown on illegal weapons comes on the eve of Children and Small Arms Day, and a new study on the subject. But the plan is meeting stiff resistance from the United States. The story now from CTV's Alan Fryer. ALAN FRYER (Reporter): A world awash in weapons, one gun for every twelve people on the planet, half of those bought and sold illegally. An arms trade that fuels civil wars, regional conflicts and crime. HELEN MIRREN (Actor): At the moment, so many of these countries have absolutely no accountability. They simply make the guns, sell the guns to an arms broker and then, good bye, thank you very much and take the money. Those guns very often finish up in the hands of a fourteen year old boy in the Sudan. FRYER: At the United Nations they're trying, at least many countries are, Canada among them, to do something about it. Stricter controls on the manufacture and sale of . Marking weapons so they can be traced. JOHN MANLEY (Minister of Foreign Affairs): This is a very high priority for us. We see it repeatedly in trouble spots around the world that access to small arms and light weapons is one of the key contributors to instability and to conflict situations. FRYER: But the Bush administration is making it clear. America is not prepared to sign on. JOHN BOLTON (US Undersecretary of State): We do not support measures that would constrain legal trade and legal manufacture in small arms and light weapons. FRYER: The Americans say they won't agree to any deal that might, UN officials insist it won't, infringe on legal gun sales and ownership in the US. Americans like their guns, and have powerful organizations whose goal it is to make sure they can keep them. CHARLTON HESTON (National Rifle Association): From my cold, dead hands. FRYER: In spite of some initial optimism, diplomats and experts now doubt they will be able to reach any meaningful agreement to curb an arms trade that by most accounts cost the lives of one thousand people worldwide every single day. Lloyd. ROBERTSON: Alan, as you see it, just how firm is this American resistance to the international initiative being put forward? FRYER: Lloyd, as you very well know this is a hot button issue here in the States. People get very emotional, especially gun advocates do, whenever there is any mention at all of gun control. Now UN officials are quick to point out that this is not about controlling guns inside the United States. Rather it's about curbing the arms trade world-wide. Still, the Americans seem adamant in their opposition to the main points of this deal, namely that weapons be marked that personal possession of military style assault rifles and other weapons be outlawed and most of all that this be turned into a binding global treaty. The Americans say they'll have no part of that. Lloyd. ROBERTSON: Thank you Allan. CTV's Allan Fryer in Washington. At the UN conference Canada will table a special study of the impact of small arms on children around the world. It's estimated there are more than half a billion such weapons in circulation, about half of them acquired illegal. The illicit trade in small arms brings in an estimated $1.5 billion dollars every year. Small arms are defined as everything from revolvers and pistols and to sub- machine guns, assault rifles and hand grenades. It's estimated these have contributed to some four million deaths in major conflicts since 1990 with women and children accounting for eighty percent of those deaths. - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 08:42:23 -0600 From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: Students injured in knife fight PUBLICATION GLOBE AND MAIL DATE: WED JUL.11,2001 PAGE: A17 BYLINE: CLASS: Toronto News EDITION: Metro DATELINE: WORDS: 177 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- Students injured in knife fight - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- At least four teenagers were hurt, one seriously, in a knife fight outside Scarborough's Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute yesterday, police said. Sergeant Mike Boothby said students leaving summer-school classes at about 3: 30 p.m. were ambushed by several carloads of boys or young men. "They exited from the vehicle with a variety of weapons and began assaulting and fighting with a number of students there. The fight lasted probably several minutes, which is quite a length of time in fight terms. Police were called. When we arrived it was quickly broken up." Sgt. Boothby said no were used and there was no indication that the fight was racially motivated. "We're hearing a variety of reasons for it, but none are conclusive -- everything from a dispute over a girl to just a gang deal." A 16-year-old was stabbed in the back and other teens were treated for lesser wounds, he said. Police have identified "the guy who did most of the damage," he added. Staff ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 08:42:30 -0600 From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: German immigrant fined in hunting sting PUBLICATION GLOBE AND MAIL DATE: WED JUL.11,2001 PAGE: A7 BYLINE: ROBERT MATAS CLASS: National News EDITION: Metro DATELINE: Vancouver - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- German immigrant fined in hunting sting B.C. slaps steep penalties on illegal guide who helped undercover agent shoot a bear - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- ROBERT MATAS VANCOUVER Erwin Klapper served 12 years in the secret service of the German army before arriving in northern British Columbia a few years ago to set up a tourism business catering to Germans interested in hunting moose and black bear. But his training in the German military was no match for Canada's undercover sleuths. A sting operation by a special investigation unit in the provincial Environment Ministry caught him breaking numerous hunting laws this spring. In an out-of-court settlement reached this week, Mr. Klapper pleaded guilty to hunting moose illegally, counselling another to shoot a black bear from a vehicle, illegally acting as a guide, having a firearm with live ammunition in his car and discharging his firearm from a motor vehicle. He was arrested based on information gathered by a German-speaking undercover officer who was hired specifically for this case. According to conservation officials and the Crown Attorney, the conservation officer, who had law enforcement training, posed as a German tourist. After several telephone conversations with Mr. Klapper, he agreed to pay $4,000 for the chance to kill a black bear. The officer moved into Mr. Klapper's home for several days. The two men set out each morning to hunt. The undercover officer shot a bear while Mr. Klapper shot a moose. Mr. Klapper faced 23 criminal charges but the prosecutor agreed not to pursue the charges after the out-of-court settlement. Mr. Klapper, who is in his early 60s, agreed to pay $30,000 in fines and to forfeit his high-powered and expensive binoculars, estimated to be worth up to $45,000. The penalties, which also include a four-month conditional sentence and an 11 p.m. curfew, are among the steepest ever imposed for wildlife violations in the province's history. The crackdown on illegal hunting is not intended to scare off German tourists who are flocking in increasing numbers to the wide-open spaces in isolated areas of B.C. and elsewhere in Canada. But the province hopes the 23-month investigation and conviction delivers a message, conservation officer Doug Forsdick said yesterday from Vanderhoof, B.C. "Wildlife belongs to everybody," he said, "and it's not there for individuals to abuse. There's not an endless supply." Mr. Klapper, who runs a travel agency in Burns Lake, an isolated spot 230 kilometres west of Prince George on the Yellowhead Highway to Prince Rupert, advertises in Germany, offering opportunities to hunt black bears and other game. Mr. Klapper came to Canada in 1998 and is now a landed immigrant. In a brief conversation from his home at Fraser Lake, he said he does not speak English well and asked for written questions. However, he did not respond yesterday when the questions were sent. B.C. requires guides to be licensed and each guide has a quota for moose, bear, sheep and deer. Hunters from outside the province can hunt only with a licensed guide. The Vanderhoof area has 20 licensed guides, but Mr. Klapper was not licensed. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 08:55:11 -0600 From: Michel Rouleau Subject: AS you know, today is Buy a Gun DA I( just ordered a Ruger Vaquero Blackhawk 44 Remington Magnum; by buying a handgun I hope to ¨piss off twice as much¨ a liberal. When there is a will, there is hope. Michel rouleau Gatineau, Qc ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 08:55:17 -0600 From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: U.S. blasts UN bid to ban guns PUBLICATION: Calgary Herald DATE: 2001.07.11 EDITION: FINAL SECTION: News PAGE: A10 BYLINE: Toby Harnden SOURCE: The Telegraph DATELINE: WASHINGTON, D.C. - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- U.S. blasts UN bid to ban guns - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- The Bush administration has told the United Nations it will oppose international plans to curb the sale of small arms if they threaten to undermine the American right to bear arms. John Bolton, under-secretary of state for arms control, told a hushed UN gathering in New York: ``The United States believes that the responsible use of is a legitimate aspect of national life.'' Americans did not find all guns ``problematic'' and did not want to prohibit all private individuals from buying arms, which ``would preclude assistance to an oppressed non-state group defending itself from a genocidal government,'' he said, during the second day of the two-week conference designed to discuss small arms sales. His strong words pitted America against some of its closest allies, including Britain which, an embassy spokesman said, favoured ``a comprehensive, politically binding agreement of action that covers the transfer, making and tracing and destruction of small arms.'' The spokesman stressed, however, that a deal had yet to be finalized and Britain supported the U.S. position on the need for stronger export regulations in many countries. The European Union fears that America, the world's largest arms producer, will side with China, Russia and India, which want looser arms controls. A new study on the global arms trade released Tuesday showed that more than half the world's 551 million are legally owned by private civilians rather than governments, with fewer than a million in the hands of insurgents. But those 910,000 weapons illegally in the hands of rebels -- a minuscule 0.2 per cent of the total -- are responsible for much of the carnage inflicted by gunfire, some 1,500 deaths a day worldwide, the authors said. The Issue UN wants to curb small arms sales - - What's New: U.S. says it may not support it - - What's Next: Conference continues for two weeks ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 08:55:24 -0600 From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: Civilians hold half of world's firearms: PUBLICATION: The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) DATE: 2001.07.11 EDITION: FINAL SECTION: National PAGE: D8 SOURCE: Associated Press DATELINE: UNITED NATIONS - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- Civilians hold half of world's firearms: Fewer than a million in hands of insurgents, arms trade study finds - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- UNITED NATIONS (AP)-- More than half the world's 551 million are legally owned by private civilians rather than governments, with fewer than a million in the hands of insurgents, according to a new study on the global arms trade released Tuesday. But those 910,000 weapons illegally in the hands of rebels -- a minuscule 0.2 per cent of the total -- are responsible for much of the carnage inflicted by gunfire, some 1,500 deaths a day worldwide, the authors said. ``The weapons problem is complex, multifaceted and long term -- it is not going to disappear tomorrow,'' said Peter Batchelor, project director for the three-year survey by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies. Batchelor, a South African, and Canadian co-author Keith Krause presented the findings on the second day of a two-week UN conference aimed at finding ways to curtail illicit small arms and light weapons trafficking. While calling the survey the most comprehensive ever on the subject, the authors conceded gaps in its findings -- such as the lack of an estimate of illegally owned guns or figures on legal ownership in major countries like China, India, Pakistan and France. Some governments did not co-operate in the survey and others, such as China, were not asked, Krause said. The study said its global figure of 550,910,000 was a ``conservative estimate.'' ``A comprehensive total, including those missing categories, would be greater by tens to hundreds of millions more,'' it said. The legal ownership total is skewed by the fact that some 250 million legally owned guns are in the United States, 84 for every 100 people and about half of the world's ``known .'' ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 08:55:30 -0600 From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: Expert urges killing of rampaging coyotes PUBLICATION: Times Colonist (Victoria) DATE: 2001.07.11 EDITION: FINAL SECTION: News PAGE: A4 BYLINE: Marcella Bernardo SOURCE: Canadian Press DATELINE: VANCOUVER ILLUSTRATION: Photo: File / A young coyote wanders through Vancouver traffic in 1999. - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- Expert urges killing of rampaging coyotes - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- VANCOUVER -- A wildlife expert is recommending a program to kill urban coyotes after the second attack against a child in the Vancouver area this month. But a B.C. wildlife official said Tuesday that while the offending coyote will be tracked down and killed, there are no plans for a large-scale cull. A one-year-old girl was sent to hospital after a coyote entered the yard of her family's Vancouver home Monday evening. While her mother gardened nearby, the coyote grabbed the little girl by the head. The mother managed to chase the animal away but the toddler needed several stitches. The incident took place in an upscale westside neighbourhood with lots of green space, including nearby Pacific Spirit provincial park. It comes about a week after another coyote tried to drag a six-year-old girl into some bushes near a suburban tennis court. And in another incident this summer, some coyotes turned on a Vancouver-area girl who pursued one of them into their wooded den. The executive director of the B.C. Wildlife Federation warned the number of attacks will grow unless provincial wildlife officials conduct a cull program to reduce the population of city-dwelling coyotes. Urban coyotes have no natural enemies and no apparent fear of humans, said Doug Walker. ``They have an ample food source and they become very bold and aggressive,'' said Walker. ``This is why you're seeing these attacks more and more on young children, and ultimately you'll have attacks on adults. ``Left unchecked, this problem will become epidemic.'' Walker said the best approach to avoid an overpopulation would be to hire experts to trap a number of coyotes and kill them. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 08:55:37 -0600 From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Lettre_=E0_M=2E_Jean_Chr=E9tien=2C_premier_mini?= =?iso-8859-1?Q?stre_du_Canada=2E?= PUBLICATION: Le Nouvelliste (Trois-Rivières) DATE: 2001.07.11 SECTION: Opinions PAGE: 10 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- La fameuse loi C-68 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- Lettre à M. Jean Chrétien, premier ministre du Canada. Mais où était donc votre fameuse loi -<68> sur les armes à feu, le soir où votre agent de la Gendarmerie royale du Canada a fait feu sur son ex-conjointe, à bord de son véhicule sur l'autoroute 40? Votre loi qui, supposément, allait arrêter tout cela... J'ose espérer que votre agent avait tous les permis et enregistrements nécessaires et obligatoires. Mais alors pourquoi les ordinateurs n'ont-ils pas prévenu personne? Serait-il que votre loi ne sert à rien? Au prix qu'elle nous coûte (près d'un milliard de dollars), j'en aurais espéré plus. Mais on ne peut prévenir... l'imprévisible. Maintenant, si l'on prenait tout cet argent pour le distribuer aux provinces dans notre système de santé, par exemple, cela aurait réellement aidé à sauver des vies. Car c'est bien le but de la loi -<68>, n'est-ce pas? Posséder enregistrement ou non n'est pas une question de crime en soi. Couper dans le domaine social, c'est jouer avec la vie et le bien-être des gens. Mais, j'oubliais que passer une loi inutile et coûteuse est plus important que de répondre aux vrais besoins de la population. Dommage pour la masse: sur son dos et avec son argent... Sylvain Dion Lac-à-la-Tortue ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 08:55:44 -0600 From: "The Penney's" Subject: [none] Since I started this thread I thought it appropriate to respond to the post made in Jim and Tony's names. I have to admit that I wasn't really aware of any kind of "adversarial relationship" between the two. After all, both organizations are devoted to achieving the same objectives. As for the recent posting on the CFD regarding the issue of the NRA's endorsement of CILA - from my perspective, I thought we had an intelligent, informative and generally amicable debate on the issue of whether or not it was prudent of CILA to accept an endorsement from the NRA. To my knowledge there were no "flame" wars in evidence, but rather a sharing of opinion and perspectives by a number of shooters from all over the country. Given the broad geographic nature of Canada, I think such exchanges are healthy and allow members of the RFC to better understand each other - whether they're from a small outport community on the shores of Conception Bay, Newfoundland or a large urban center like Vancouver and all points in between. Personally, I'm still not convinced that it was the best choice, but as Jim/Tony write, let's focus our energies on our 'real' enemies. I'm sure Barry Glasgow, my friendly devil's advocate over the past few digests will heartily agree. Let's get to work! Regards, Sean Penney > Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2001 10:32:31 -0600 > From: "Jim Hinter" > Subject: CILA AND NFA FIGHTING each other?! Nope! We are fighting our real > foes. > > To all Subscribers of the CFD: > > There has been a persistent rumour posted on the CFD that the NFA and CILA > are somehow engaged in an adversarial relationship. In fact, nothing could > be further from the truth. > > Relations between the two organizations are friendly and communicative and > several joint projects are currently being undertaken. > > CILA and NFA respectfully request that such musings cease and that the > firearms community focus their energies on our real enemies. > > Sincerely, > > Jim Hinter > President, NFA > www.nfa.ca > and > > Tony Bernardo > Executive Director, CILA > www.cila.org > ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 08:55:50 -0600 From: mikeack@ns.sympatico.ca (Michael Ackermann) Subject: Good story Commentary: A Tale of a Hunter's Daughter http://www.nunatsiaq.com/archives/nunavut980930/columns.html - -- M.J. Ackermann, MD (Mike) President, St. Mary's Shooters Association Box 3, RR 1, Sherbrooke, NS Canada B0J 3C0 902-522-2172 mikeack@ns.sympatico.ca Hope for the best, Plan for the worst ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 09:07:09 -0600 From: "Rod Regier" Subject: [fwd] Over half the world's small arms owned by civilians, not http://cbc.ca/cp/world/010710/w071094.html Over half the world's small arms owned by civilians, not governments: report UNITED NATIONS (AP) - More than half the world's 551 million firearms are legally owned by private civilians rather than governments, with fewer than a million in the hands of insurgents, according to a new study on the global arms trade released Tuesday. But those 910,000 weapons illegally in the hands of rebels - a minuscule 0.2 per cent of the total - are responsible for much of the carnage inflicted by gunfire, some 1,500 deaths a day worldwide, the authors said. "The weapons problem is complex, multifaceted and long term - it is not going to disappear tomorrow," said Peter Batchelor, project director for the three-year survey by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies. Batchelor, a South African, and Canadian co-author Keith Krause presented the findings on the second day of a two-week UN conference aimed at finding ways to curtail illicit small arms and light weapons trafficking. While calling the survey the most comprehensive ever on the subject, the authors conceded gaps in its findings - such as the lack of an estimate of illegally owned guns or figures on legal ownership in major countries like China, India, Pakistan and France. Some governments did not co-operate in the survey and others, such as China, were not asked, Krause said. The study said its global figure of 550,910,000 firearms was a "conservative estimate." "A comprehensive total, including those missing categories, would be greater by tens to hundreds of millions more," it said. The authors told a news conference the major surprises of their research were that some 56 per cent of the known guns in the world were in private hands, owned legally by some 305 million people, and so few were held by rebel and paramilitary groups. The legal ownership total is skewed by the fact that some 250 million legally owned guns are in the United States, 84 for every 100 people and about half of the world's "known firearms." The United Nations conference is trying to draft a program of action to curb the illegal trade in small arms and light weapons. Many countries and antigun activists argue that illegal arms trafficking can only be controlled by regulating the legal trade, the origin of most weapons acquired by criminals and insurgent groups. Human rights organizations say this contraband is a major contributor to armed violence against innocent people. Krause said the Geneva study recognized the difficulty of tracing the arms flow. Although it does not recommend solutions, he said, "we would advocate greater transparency in the legal trade" - but not "a control measure." This was an apparent gesture to U.S. officials who pledged earlier to resist any UN probing of the legal arms trade or gun ownership rights. Among the key findings spelled out by Batchelor and Krause at a news conference: - - Illicit traffic in small arms is worth $1.5 billion Cdn a year, a figure also accepted by the United Nations. It constitutes 10 to 20 per cent of the overall trade in such weaponry. - - Government military forces, scaled back in the past decade, account for some 226 million weapons, or 41 per cent, while police forces hold 18 million, or three per cent. - - Gun makers have grown from about 200 in 1980 to 600 today in 95 countries, but the actual manufacture of weapons has declined from 6.3 million to 4.3 million a year, due to shrinking demand and the vast numbers of guns already in existence. - - The United States has more than half the world's gun makers and leads all nations in the manufacture and export of small arms and ammunition. Yet the industry, with 16,700 workers, contributes only $3 billion a year to the U.S. economy, compared to $42 billion from tobacco, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The study also delved into the shadowy world of arms brokers, saying they play a "critical role" in weapons trafficking, "even though they may never come in actual contact" with the weapons. It said brokers are able to make secret deals with impunity because most countries have no laws or policies to keep tabs on them. Among 28 countries studied, the United States has the strictest requirements applying to arms brokers and six others - Germany, Israel, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland - directly regulate them, the authors said. The Canadian delegation to the conference is being led by Rey Pagtakhan, secretary of state for Asia-Pacific. During the meeting Pagtakhan will be tabling a Canadian-commissioned study called Putting Children First: A Framework for International Action to Address the Impact of Small Arms on Children. Release of the study will coincide with the NGO International Action Network on Small Arms, Children and Small Arms Day on July 11. © The Canadian Press, 2001 ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V3 #895 ********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:acardin33@home.com List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca FAQ list: http://www.magma.ca/~asd/cfd-faq1.html and http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/homepage.html FTP Site: ftp://teapot.usask.ca/pub/cdn-firearms/ CFDigest Archives: http://www.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca/~ab133/ or put the next command in an e-mail message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca get cdn-firearms-digest v03.n802 end (802 is the digest issue number and 03 is the volume) To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next five lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-alert unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".) 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