From owner-cdn-firearms-digest@broadway.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Thu Jul 31 19:53:16 1997 From: owner-cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@broadway.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V1 #928 Content-Length: 24135 X-Lines: 592 Status: RO Cdn-Firearms Digest Thursday, July 31 1997 Volume 01 : Number 928 In this issue: subscribe typo (was: Ontario Coalition for Rural Development) Winnipeg now Canada's murder capital... homicide rates for 1996 (StatCan) Re: Rifle information Re: Out of Season Carry of Long Arms NFA Annual General Meeting re: transport of "vanilla" long-guns Re: Out of Season Carry of Long Arms Secure storage Re: Longarms Permit in BC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 13:53:39 -0600 (CST) From: "Skeeter Abell-Smith" Subject: subscribe typo (was: Ontario Coalition for Rural Development) I better correct a typo from Digest 927. The instructions should read as follows: To subscribe, send an e-mail to: majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Leave the "Subject" line blank, and send exactly this 4-line message) subscribe cdn-firearms-digest subscribe cdn-firearms-alert subscribe cdn-firearms-chat end The Cdn-Firearms Home Page is at: http://cdn-firearms.ml.org/cdn-firearms/homepage.html but http://cdn-firearms.ml.org/ should also work now. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 18:43:06 -0600 (CST) From: "Skeeter Abell-Smith" Subject: Winnipeg now Canada's murder capital... Falling crime rates don't ease public fear Most people still feel criminal justice system is failing them Jim Bronskill The Ottawa Citizen The national crime rate declined for the fifth consecutive year in 1996 to a level similar to that of a decade ago. Statistics Canada said yesterday the rate of police-reported crime fell two per cent last year. The overall figures included a two-per-cent decrease in violent crime, with homicide and robbery the only such offences showing increases over the previous year. But the figures follow a national opinion survey that suggests most Canadians, particularly westerners, believe crime is increasing. In the poll, conducted by the Angus Reid Group for CTV, 59 per cent said they believed crime in their community had increased in the last five years. The survey also indicated a significant number of people have little faith in the court and parole systems. Criminal-justice experts believe the constant bombardment of media reports about sensational crimes distorts public perceptions and inflates the level of concern. "You get the crime statistics once a year, and then for 364 days you get crime stories, and there's very little relationship between the two," said Julian Roberts of the University of Ottawa. But Reform justice critic Jack Ramsay said the worries are fully understandable. "The crime rate is still very high, even though it is moving downward." Statistics Canada reported: The fall in violent crime was the fourth straight annual decrease following 15 years of increases. The homicide rate increased six per cent. The 633 homicides in 1996 were 45 more than in 1995, but fewer than the average for the previous 10 years. The rate of youths charged fell four per cent, with decreases across all crime categories. The figures included a four-per-cent decrease in violent crime, marking the first notable slide since comparable data on young offenders became available in 1986. The property-crime rate fell one per cent, continuing the decline seen since 1991. However, residential break-ins were up three per cent, and motor vehicle thefts jumped nine per cent. Car theft is the one crime that has been rising steadily since 1988. OBSERVERS ATTRIBUTE THE OVERALL DECLINE IN CRIME TO THE FACT THE SECTOR OF THE POPULATION RESPONSIBLE FOR MOST CRIMES, THOSE IN THE 18 TO 29 AGE BRACKET, HAS BEEN SHRINKING. [emphasis added -- Skeeter] The national pattern doesn't hold for all major centres. Calgary and Vancouver experienced more violent crime last year; property crime increased in Vancouver, Quebec City and Montreal. Mr. Ramsay noted the Angus Reid survey found 25 per cent of respondents had been the victim of a crime that involved calling the police in the last two years. He believes these experiences account for the diminished public faith in the judicial and parole systems. source: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/national/970731/1024761.html B.C.'S MURDER RATE SECOND IN '96 B.C. had the second-highest homicide rate in Canada last year, according to the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. Homicide rates continue to climb in the western provinces, with Manitoba recording the highest rate for 1996, followed by B.C. and Saskatchewan. Of cities, Winnipeg had the highest rate per 100,000 population, with 28 murders, a rate of 4.12, figures released yesterday show. Vancouver's 56 murders (down from 64 in 1995) meant a rate of 2.97 per 100,000 -- higher than the national rate of 2.11. - Guns were used in 30 per cent of murders; 31 per cent of victims were stabbed; 22 per cent were beaten to death. - Four in 10 female victims were killed by ex-boyfriends or spouses; 80 people, 62 of them women, were killed by a spouse or ex-spouse. - In nearly nine out of 10 cases, the victim was known to the killer. Only 14 per cent of all murders were committed by strangers. - In 1996, 53 children under 12 were killed. Of those, 75 per cent were killed by family members; 18 were less than a year old. - The number of murders committed by youths remained stable. In 1996, 51 youths were charged with murder (eight per cent of all homicide charges, a drop of one percentage point from 1995). source: http://www.vancouverprovince.com/newsite/news/970731/1026295.html EXPERTS SAY MOST FOLKS SAFE IN HOMICIDE CAPITAL Winnipeg can be dangerous if you live in the inner city, abuse drugs or alcohol or belong to a street gang. But despite the dubious distinction of being 1996's murder capital of Canada, experts say the city and province remain safe for the average citizen. Statistics Canada reported yesterday that of nine major cities in Canada, Winnipeg had the highest numbers of murders per capita, and Manitoba led the provinces in murders. But police and criminologists maintained the chances of being murdered are virtually zero for most people. At higher risk are those who live in the inner city, are victims of domestic violence, or are involved in dangerous lifestyles. source: http://www.mbnet.mb.ca/freepress/summary.htm Funny how they will use murders to win support for "tougher" anti-gun laws, but when the rate goes up (after a new law that was supposed to bring it down**) the authorities simply try say that "the rate isn't really _that_ high, you guys are pretty safe." **I'm referring to C-17, which didn't come fully into effect until 1994, not C-68, which is not fully in effect. I read elsewhere that homicides involving handguns are up (again). Strange. They are supposed to be registered (since 1934), while rifles and shotguns are not (yet). If registration is such a great deterent, why do criminals choose them more and more often over rifles and shotguns? Since 1960, the use of handguns in homicide has nearly doubled (from 10% of homicides to 18%)... See http://cdn-firearms.ml.org/cdn-firearms/Faq/ctg.html#HANDGUNS for more detail. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 19:14:22 -0600 (CST) From: "Skeeter Abell-Smith" Subject: homicide rates for 1996 (StatCan) The 1996 complete "Homicide in Canada" summary, as well as the crime statistics summary, can be found at: http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/970730/d970730.htm Excerpts from "Homicide in Canada 1996" follow... Canada's homicide rate increased by 6% in 1996, following four straight annual declines. Police reported 633 homicides, 45 more than in 1995. Part of this increase was due to an increase in multiple-victim homicides. The 1996 rate of 2.11 homicides per 100,000 people was still well below the peak of 3.02 in 1975. [Four year _before_ most of C-51 took effect. -- Skeeter] The homicide rate more than doubled between 1961 and 1975. Since then, despite annual fluctuations, the rate has gradually decreased. [The US homicide rate has also been declining. -- Skeeter] According to preliminary 1996 data, the homicide rate in the United States was almost four times higher than Canada's. [And has been for decades... -- Skeeter] However, Canada's homicide rate is generally higher than that of many European nations. Most provinces reported an increase in homicides in 1996, notably Manitoba, Quebec and Saskatchewan. The increases in these three provinces were primarily due to homicides involving acquaintances. The only decreases were reported in Alberta and New Brunswick. Table: Homicides 1995 1996 Numberr Rate(1) Numberr Newfoundland 5 0.87 7 Prince Edward Island 1 0.74 1 Nova Scotia 17 1.81 18 New Brunswick 14 1.84 9 Quebec 135 1.84 153 Ontario 181 1.63 187 Manitoba 27 2.38 45 Saskatchewan 21 2.07 31 Alberta 60 2.18 53 British Columbia 120 3.19 125 Yukon 4 13.20 - Northwest Territories 3 4.56 4 Canada 588 1.99 633 1996 Rate(1) Newfoundland 1.23 Prince Edward Island 0.73 Nova Scotia 1.91 New Brunswick 1.18 Quebec 2.07 Ontario 1.66 Manitoba 3.94 Saskatchewan 3.03 Alberta 1.90 British Columbia 3.24 Yukon 0.00 Northwest Territories 6.01 Canada 2.11 (-) Nil or zero. (r) Revised. (1) Rates are calculated per 100,000 population using updated postcensal estimates. Table: Homicides by census metropolitan area Population of 500,000 1995 1996 and over Numberr Rate(1) Numberr Toronto 74 1.70 79 Montreal 77 2.31 71 Vancouver 64 3.50 56 Ottawa-Hull 28 2.74 17 Ontario 24 3.11 11 Quebec 4 1.59 6 Edmonton 19 2.15 20 Calgary 18 2.16 12 Québec 4 0.58 15 Winnipeg 16 2.36 28 Hamilton 17 2.64 10 Total 317 2.22 308 Population of 500,000 1996 and over Rate(1) Toronto 1.79 Montreal 2.11 Vancouver 2.97 Ottawa-Hull 1.64 Ontario 1.41 Quebec 2.32 Edmonton 2.25 Calgary 1.41 Québec 2.15 Winnipeg 4.12 Hamilton 1.52 Total 2.13 (r) Revised. (1) Rates are calculated per 100,000 population using updated postcensal estimates. Winnipeg reported the highest rate among the nine largest CMAs, followed by Vancouver and Edmonton. The lowest rates were in Calgary and Hamilton. Homicides involving firearms increased in 1996 In 1996, 211 homicides were committed with a firearm, 35 more than in 1995. Firearms have accounted for about one-third of all homicides since 1979. Homicides, however, account for a relatively small portion of firearm deaths. The latest figures available (1995) show that about 80% of all firearm deaths were due to suicide. The use of handguns in all homicides has increased over the past decade (from 7% to 17%) while the use of rifles/shotguns has decreased (from 20% to 13%). [Yet, they want to register all rifles and shotguns, too?! -- Skeeter] In 1996, a further 31% of homicide victims were stabbed and 22% were beaten. "Homicide in Canada, 1996" which appears in Juristat, Vol. 17, no. 9 (85-002-XPE, $10/$93), is now available. See How to order publications. For further information on this release, contact Information and Client Services (613-951-9023 or 1 800 387-2231), Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. The 1996 complete "Homicide in Canada" summary, as well as the crime statistics summary, can be found at: http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/970730/d970730.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 19:43:59 -0600 From: Oetcdiehl@aol.com Subject: Re: Rifle information There is one more important thing to check when purchasing and first using any used rifle, that being head spacing. Former military rifles especially need to be checked to make sure that there is not excess head space, for safety's sake. This is a simple matter to test with a set of gauges, and .308 gauges are fairly common. I say this as a matter of experience. Several years ago I purchased a model 96 Swedish Mauser which was in splendid physical condition, had good rifling, shot very accurately, and had about 0.5 mm too much head space. With very mild handloads, (35.0 grains of IMR 4064 behind a 140 grain Sierra Matchking, in Norma brass) the primers actually pushed their way out so far that the spent cases would not fit in the reloading press shell holder. If the load had been heavier, it either would have badly stretched the brass or blown the primer and put hot gasses in my face. Not good. The gauges to test for this condition are inexpensive, and someone in a local shooting club probably has a set in .308. For safety's sake, please check the head space! D. Martin Huntsville, Alabama - -------------------------- "The best way to lose your freedoms is to stop exercising them." ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 19:44:03 -0600 From: Rick Young Subject: Re: Out of Season Carry of Long Arms In Nova Scotia, you must get a permit from Natural Resources to have a rifle outside your home during the non-hunting season; if you belong to a gun club , your membership card usually suffices (or at least it used to) for that permit. How strictly they enforce it, I'm not sure - but you can bet your bottom dollar that if they catch you in or near the woods with one and it's not during, or immediately preceeding/following the open season, you'll be spending a lot of time talking to a guy by the name of "Your Honour" straightening the matter out. Shotguns (minus any slugs or ball shot in your possession) are the only thing I understand that are permitted for year- round carry in the woods - and they might just give you more than a once- over for that as well. I had a game warden tell me point blank one time that the only time I was allowed to have my .22 rifle out of the house was during rabbit season (after big game season had closed - there is an overlap and shotguns only are allowed during that period). A friend and I had committed the unforgivable crime of having a pair of old single-shot .22s with us in our van while we were out duck hunting. You'd have sworn the guy caught Bonnie and Clyde on the way out of the bank! (Luckily, we had the bolts out and stored separately so it was readily apparent we weren't hunting with them - we had them for some can plinking at hunting camp - so after a long conversation he let us bugger off back to camp and dispose of them). Lest you think this is a product of recent hysteria, that event took place close to 20 years ago! You can bet the situation isn't improving with time. Bottom line - even if you comply with the Criminal Code/Firearms Act, the provincial hunting regs or maybe even Explosives Act may still get you! ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 19:44:08 -0600 From: Larry Going Subject: NFA Annual General Meeting Prices for the NFA's Annual General Meeting Oct. 4th and 5th have been set. The AGM will be held at the Best Western (306)244-5552 in Saskatoon. Ask for Linda or Carol. When making room reservations, please be sure to mention you are booking for the NFA AGM the weekend of Oct. 4 & 5. Make room payments directly to the Best Western. Room prices, including both GST and PST, are: - $54.89, 1 person in a room - $60.02, 2 persons per room - $65.15, 3 persons per room - $70.28, 4 persons per room - $82.65, mini-suite, holds 6, smaller rooms, double beds - $96.33, suite, holds 6, king beds - --------------------- The banquet is $20.00, and the AGM $25.00 You may attend either, or both. You need not be a member of the NFA to attend, although voting privileges are restricted to NFA members in good standing. Purchase your ticket(s) before September 10th (postmarked date) and save $5.00 on the AGM. ($20+$20) Tickets may be purchased by cheque or money order (no credit cards), payable to the NFA, from: Larry Going Sask. Pres., NFA Town House #6 1250 - 11th Ave. S.W. Moose Jaw, SK S6H 7J5 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 19:44:10 -0600 From: Rod Regier Subject: re: transport of "vanilla" long-guns (Kind of a summary) In Nova Scotia, under the Wildlife Act, you must satisfy *one* of the following conditions in order to tranport an unloaded, cased (non-restricted, non-prohibited) long gun and ammunition by a direct route from your place of residence to/from an approved range. - - Received permission from Dept. of Natural Resources for a specific trip (normally to one of the ranges they control, during a specific time window, with specific long gun(s) you have described to them). - - Be a member of a gun club who has received blanket range transportation authorization. To my knowledge, this is routinely granted to applying clubs. Typically a copy of the authorization wording is printed on the back of the permanent membership card of the gun club. The regulations for persons possessing a hunting license are oriented towards getting that person to/from a game area or their camp. Exact details are available in R.S. C.504 section 80. I bought a copy a few years ago from the Provincial Queen's Printer. It's always handy to read the original wording, as opposed to the executive summaries. - -- Rod Regier, Software Development bus: (902)422-1973 x108 Dymaxion Research Ltd., 5515 Cogswell St., fax: (902)421-1267 Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 1R2 Canada email: RRegier@dymaxion.ca corporate url: http://www.dymaxion.ca ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 19:44:10 -0600 From: Rick Young Subject: Re: Out of Season Carry of Long Arms Shooting just about anything (except maybe crows) requires a permit from NSDNR. I haven't had occasion to go after any "nuisance wildlife" permissions, but I don't think they're hard to get - just another hassle. Plinking has long since been declared "sociably unacceptable" by legislation in theory. In reality, so long as you are doing it safely, especially if it's on your own land, you're not likely to be bothered. BUT the possibility always exists. Pointless? Well, from their point of view, it's all tools in the arsenal to fight poaching. Funny, though, that as with Alibi Al's attempt at "crime control", I'm a little curious as to why another law is supposed to control the activities of a group in society who, by the definition of their existence, don't obey laws. Funny how it's queer, eh? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 19:44:10 -0600 From: "Wayne Passmore PASSWA - CAUGASOV" Subject: Secure storage In reply to the situation of storing firearms and/or ammo in a special room .. During the course that I took to become a Canadian Firearms Safety Course Instructor/Examiner, we discussed the safe storage requirments at length. The current regulations stipulate that if you store firearms in "a room specifically constructed", then you do not need trigger locks for restricted firearms and you can store your ammo, unlocked in side this room. (It helps to think of the room as a very large vault or safe.) However, the _law_ does not specify the security requirements of the room. The only test of what is "reasonable" will come via the courts after someone is charged and precedents set. By putting a lock on a closet or basement room and storing your firearms stuff inside, you have effectively created a room with security specifically for the storage of firearms. Now here's where it gets tricky: If you had say, wood paneling for the basement walls and also kept your axe collection just outside the door, then well, I think you could see a case for your example not being "reasonable". Similarly, if the room was metal, but you kept your cutting torch nearby. The law is vague in this area of what is an acceptably constructed room. You could take advantage of it and then again you might end up fighting it out in court. Your own risk/reward analysis will have to be the judge. As Dave T. suggested, the NFA 7 Pack, makes it unlikely that you will be convicted. Unfortunately, it really comes down to how abusive and/or educated your local police force is. Although I know that we are all commited to safety and often _do_ take the "extra steps", everyone should know where the thin edge of law actually is. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 19:44:14 -0600 From: SBKracer Subject: Re: Longarms Permit in BC The longarm permit has existed in BC for years. I had my first one ten years ago when I got into shooting. Basically it is a method of collecting a fee or tax. You can buy them practically anywhere that sells firearms related stuff and they are good for 5 years. I was a bit woried about moving to Alberta because I didn't have a longarm permit for AB. The local police laughed at me when I asked about it and reminded me that I was no longer in the Peoples Republic of BC. I love Alberta! I am planning on going to the Machine Gun shoot on Aug 10. Does anybody know exactly where the range is? Peter Cronhelm ZX-7 Carbon Fibre Racing Machine SBKracer YSR/YZ80 The Little Beast "I'm not the man you say I am, not radical nor mentally deranged." - -Sons of Freedom- "Without the threat of death, what's the point in living at all!" - -Marilyn Manson- ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V1 #928 **********************************