From: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V5 #788 Reply-To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Sender: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Errors-To: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Precedence: normal Cdn-Firearms Digest Tuesday, February 18 2003 Volume 05 : Number 788 In this issue: Column: What you can't spell, can't hurt you Taxpayers 'deserve' to know: Auditor general demands more gov't accountability GUN CRIME CRACKDOWN URGED Gunmen shoot holes in fleeing vehicle: GANGLAND-LIKE VIOLENCE ERUPTS IN CALGARY Ontario: Former sniper testifies to get his guns back Did anyone really expected anything else ?? Rights vs Privileges Re: Good news over morning coffee! Re: Good news over morning coffee! Re: Government backs down on gun bill: Re: Rights vs Privileges ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 08:15:29 -0600 (CST) From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: Column: What you can't spell, can't hurt you PUBLICATION: Calgary Herald DATE: 2003.02.18 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: A15 COLUMN: Naomi Lakritz BYLINE: Naomi Lakritz SOURCE: Calgary Herald - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- What you can't spell, can't hurt you - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just when you think political correctness can't get any dumber, along come Mark and Amanda Sousa to take it to new heights. Or depths. The Sousas are the couple from Lombardy, Ont., who made headlines last week after they complained the word "gun" had appeared on their seven-year-old daughter, Chloe's spelling list. It's hard to decide which is sillier -- their complaint or the fact that Chloe's school gave in and removed the offending word. "I realize people hunt in this area, but I still don't think that warrants the teaching of this word to my daughter or any other child," Amanda says. Thank you very much, Chloe's mom, for deciding what's best for other people's kids, too. "The word gun is synonymous with death," she says. "I'm racking my brain trying to figure out why a seven-year-old would need to learn this word." "Death" is pretty negative, too. Why not banish it from the language and then people will stop dying? Poor Chloe. Just think of what lies ahead. She'll never be able to ride in a car, for fear the driver might say he's going to "gun" the motor. When she grows up, she won't be able to work for a newspaper because the term "bullets" is journalism jargon for ideas expressed in point form in an article. She can't search through a desk drawer because that's known as "to rifle." And, horrors, what if she wants a point-and-shoot camera for her next birthday? Her parents had better have the radio removed from their car. What if Chloe's out for a drive when the oldies' station starts blasting that Sonny and Cher chestnut that goes: "Bang, bang, I shot you down"? Excuse her from history class, too. She might learn that soldiers used guns to fight for her freedom not to hear that word. Grenville County trustee Joan Hodge says pretending the word "gun" doesn't exist is ignoring reality: "It's still a word and it can be used in different ways like a squirt gun or gunning your engine. Our children don't live in bubbles. Not talking about it isn't going to make it go away." Sure, it will. Think of the possibilities of adopting this exciting new "speak-no-evil" attitude. Bank tellers will benefit immensely because they'll never be robbed. A thug will come in, announce "I've got a gun" and the teller can simply laugh and say, "No, you don't. There is no such thing," and go back to her work. We could do away with all sorts of unpleasant things merely by throwing out the words used to describe them. The list is endless. War, child abuse, hunger, poverty, cholera, cockroaches, ingrown toenails. You name it, we can eradicate it. Rutabagas, too. Let's get them on the banished list immediately. This latest kerfuffle over language is strongly reminiscent of the tiresome annual fuss over the so-called offensive words pertaining to Christmas. Those aren't Christians putting up Christmas trees. They're just people in the mood to bring tall green things into their living rooms every December. Terry Simzer, a local school board official, said the word "gun" was removed after the Sousas and Chloe's teacher had an "amicable meeting." Why would any teacher be amicable to such a stupid request? You'll note that all of this was instigated on the basis of one complaint, as these sorts of things usually are. The silent majority is always the group that tends to hang on to its common sense. What of the 30 other parents for whom spelling "gun" correctly is no different than learning the proper spelling of "cat"? Of course, "cat" could be thrown out, too, so that allergy sufferers would have nothing to sneeze at. The Sousas' complaint should have been dismissed. What I really mean is, it deserved to be shot down. lakritzn@theherald.southam.ca ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 08:16:06 -0600 (CST) From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: Taxpayers 'deserve' to know: Auditor general demands more gov't accountability PUBLICATION: Edmonton Journal DATE: 2003.02.18 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: A6 BYLINE: Shannon Kari SOURCE: For CanWest News Service DATELINE: TORONTO - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Taxpayers 'deserve' to know: Auditor general demands more gov't accountability - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TORONTO - On the eve of the federal budget, Auditor General Sheila Fraser called on the government to be more accountable in its spending. "There is no question that shareholders, stakeholders and citizens are increasingly demanding it -- and that they deserve it," Fraser told a business crowd at the Canadian Club in Toronto on Monday. She described the right of taxpayers to control how public funds are collected and spent as "one of the cornerstones of democratic government." Fraser said the federal government has a responsibility to provide "sound information," to Parliament so it can fulfil its role of ensuring there is "sound oversight" of public expenditures. The most recent and highly publicized failure to meet the duty of providing "sound information" involved the cost overruns in the federal firearms registry, she noted. The controversial Canadian Firearms Program is expected to cost taxpayers more than $1 billion. While the spiralling costs were "bad enough," Fraser said "the really upsetting conclusion" was that the Justice Department "did not provide Parliament with sufficient information to allow it to effectively scrutinize the program, to ensure accountability." The auditor general said she supported a process that may result in as many as four parliamentary committees holding hearings to determine why the gun registry costs are so high. During her remarks, Fraser also endorsed new standards for government financial reporting released last week by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. She said that reporting just the annual surplus or deficit is not sufficient to paint "a complete picture" of government finances. "Governments need to provide other indicators as well -- particularly the net debt, the accumulated surplus or deficit, the change in net debt in the year and cash flow for the year. Governments need to include these numbers and explain them in their financial statements. This will help taxpayers to understand what is really going on." The federal government is expected to announce in today's budget that it is allocating billions of dollars for a number of "trust foundations," including funds intended for health care. Fraser repeated her concerns that the arms-length foundations may not be accountable because they operate independently from the political process. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 08:16:44 -0600 (CST) From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: GUN CRIME CRACKDOWN URGED PUBLICATION: The Calgary Sun DATE: 2003.02.18 EDITION: Early SECTION: News PAGE: 4 ILLUSTRATION: photo of JACK BEATON BYLINE: MIKE D'AMOUR, CALGARY SUN - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- GUN CRIME CRACKDOWN URGED - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- After a spate of public shootings and open gunplay, Calgary's top cop said enough is enough and it's time to get tough on crooks who favour firearms. "We've got to stop it," Chief Jack Beaton told the Sun yesterday. "Our concern is the weapons they're now using -- you know they're using automatic or semi-automatic weapons that will, sooner or later, ricochet and hurt one of our innocent citizens in our city." Beaton said he agreed with Toronto police Chief Julian Fantino, who last month called on the feds to increase sentences for those who illegally use firearms or illicit, unregistered handguns. "The gun-related murders reflect the real face of our (national) gun crisis," Fantino told Sun Media after calling for a minimum 10 years behind bars for anyone who commits a violent crime with a gun. But that doesn't go far enough in addressing and combating the problem, Beaton said. STIFFER PENALTIES "I support stiffer penalties . . . and I do agree that, in its present state, (current laws and prison sentences) are not enough of a deterrent to stop people from using firearms, but just increasing sentences to 10 years is not the answer," he said. "You have to have a strategy that goes beyond enforcement -- you have to have public awareness, you have to have education, you have to have intervention and you have to have enforcement strategies." To that end, Beaton said city cops are working in those areas and have people who even go out to the prisons and talk to the cons about violence in our community. For the most part, Beaton said the average citizen is safe. "These people who are shooting at each other -- these last ones in particular -- they know each other so they have their targets in mind and they're not random acts of violence," he said. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 08:17:29 -0600 (CST) From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: Gunmen shoot holes in fleeing vehicle: PUBLICATION: Calgary Herald DATE: 2003.02.18 EDITION: Final SECTION: City & Region PAGE: B1 / FRONT BYLINE: Deborah Tetley SOURCE: Calgary Herald ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: (See hard copy for graphic).; Colour Photo: JenelleSchneider, Calgary Herald / A police cruiser monitors the lot.; Colour Photo: Jenelle Schneider, Calgary Herald / A police officer collects evidence from the snow in the parking lot outside Perkins Family Restaurant following a shooting Monday. !@IMAGES=Graphic: / (See hard copy for graphic). [44270-11840.jpg]; Colour Photo: Jenelle Schneider, Calgary Herald / A police cruiser monitors the lot. [44270-11841.jpg]; Colour Photo: Jenelle Schneider, Calgary Herald / A police officer collects evidence from the snow in the parking lot outside Perkins Family Restaurant following a shooting Monday. [44270-11842.jpg]; - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gunmen shoot holes in fleeing vehicle: Bullet found buried in back of driver's seat - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A young man fleeing his attackers sped along northeast Calgary streets Monday morning as a torrent of bullets sprayed his vehicle. At least eight shots were fired from a handgun in the pursuing vehicle. One slug ripped through the trunk of the victim's car, tore through the back seat into the interior and lodged in the back of the driver's seat, inches from his spine. "There is no question that we would be dealing with a life-threatening injury if (the bullet) had've penetrated the seat and then the skin," Calgary police Det. Ryan Dobson said Monday. "(The bullet) landed at his lower back about one inch from his spinal cord." The driver sustained a bruise to his back. Police are hunting for three males connected to the incident, stemming from a brief confrontation outside Perkins Family Restaurant in the 3000 block of 23 Street N.E. at about 4 a.m. Early indications suggest the victim does not know his attackers. "My gut tells me the groups aren't related and this might be a case of mistaken identity," Dobson said, "but that is preliminary at this point." Monday's incident is the city's fifth drive-by shooting in three months. "It's getting to be a little much," Dobson said. "It's these random acts that are the scary ones, because there is no defence for the public." The latest shooting stemmed from a confrontation between two separate groups leaving the restaurant. Police say a sideways glance by one of the men triggered the gunfire and subsequent chase. "There was no contact between them at all," Dobson said. "There was literally a glance and one guy thought he knew the other." Police spent all morning and much of the afternoon marking evidence at two locations and recovered at least eight bullet casings from two locations, blocks apart. One casing was found in the parking lot where the victim and his passenger fled. The victim, already struck in the back, fled east on 32nd Avenue and was again fired upon at 29th Street. Seven more casings were found at that location. Dobson said there were five bullet holes in the car. The man was able to escape to the Marlborough area and call police on a cellphone. While it is not known whether the latest incident is gang-related, the police gang unit is monitoring the case. "We're not discounting anything," Duty Insp. Luch Berti said. "Information has been passed on to the gang unit, and they will use it to see if there is any correlation to past, present or future investigations. "We're trying to figure out why this keeps happening." Police are looking for three males and a suspect vehicle. One male is white, in his 20s, six foot one with a muscular build and bleached blonde hair. He was dressed in a tight white dress shirt. The other males are both Asian and in their 20s. The vehicle is a newer four-door, dark-coloured, imported car, with bluish gas headlights that are very bright. Police are asking anyone with information on the initial attack, the pursuit, and/or the second shooting to call police at 284-3393 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. tetleyd@theherald.southam.ca ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 08:18:38 -0600 (CST) From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: GANGLAND-LIKE VIOLENCE ERUPTS IN CALGARY PUBLICATION: The Edmonton Sun DATE: 2003.02.18 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: 12 BYLINE: MICHELLE MARK, SUN MEDIA DATELINE: CALGARY - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- GANGLAND-LIKE VIOLENCE ERUPTS IN CALGARY - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Another gangland-style shooting rocked Calgary streets yesterday, ending a long weekend plagued with violence. Just after 4 a.m., two groups of males got into an argument in the Perkins Family Restaurant parking lot in the city's northeast. Shortly after one male and his passenger drove away, they were shot at by the occupants of another vehicle. "The victim left, not knowing another vehicle was following him and that's when shots came from the second vehicle," said Calgary police Insp. Luch Berti. "He got onto 32 Avenue and started heading eastbound away from him and some more shots were fired," said Berti. Police said the car from which the shots were fired was a newer model, dark-coloured Honda or Accura four-door with blue headlights. There were an estimated three to five people in the vehicle at the time of the incident. Police also estimated between three and seven shots were fired from a handgun. No one was injured in the shooting, although the driver of the victim's vehicle narrowly missed being seriously hurt, and instead suffered only minor bruising. "One round entered through the trunk and hit the back of the driver's seat," Berti said. "The driver suffered some blunt trauma to the back, but nothing serious." Police later retrieved shell casings from the scene near the Perkins restaurant. "It seems that the victim did not know this other group that had attacked him," Berti said. "It is still unknown if this incident is in any way gang-related." However, the Calgary police gang unit was called in to investigate. This is the tenth shooting incident in Calgary in the past three months and the third since Friday. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 08:19:26 -0600 (CST) From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: Ontario: Former sniper testifies to get his guns back PUBLICATION: National Post DATE: 2003.02.15 EDITION: National SECTION: Canada PAGE: A11 COLUMN: West to East SOURCE: National Post DATELINE: OWEN SOUND - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ontario: Former sniper testifies to get his guns back - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- OWEN SOUND - A Canadian Forces sniper who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, and is fighting to get his seized guns back, said his military experience and stress disorder don't make him a threat. Warrant Officer James Fischer testified Friday he's better now, with medicine, therapy and no alcohol, and should be allowed to have his guns back. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 08:20:33 -0600 (CST) From: "Karl Schrader" Subject: Did anyone really expected anything else ?? Dear Mr. Gallaway: It is with great admiration for you that I have followed this recent development and your effort to inject "common sense" into the "House of Commons" is highly appreciated. However, as you can see from the ruling of the speaker, the machinations in this House of "Commons" are going on unabated. Personally, I was not expecting any other ruling from this speaker and the only other thing is, why did the House deny the $72 million at one point in time, claiming not to waste any more taxpayers money in this black hole, when it intends to approve further funding in a few days ?? This whole, strange behavior of the House is completely confusing to taxpayers who are valuing their hard earned money and it does not make any logical sense at all. When it comes to a new vote to approve further funding, logic would have it that this new funding should also be denied and the whole process will grind to a halt again. What are they are doing to us in the House of Commons ??? ++++++++++++++++++++++ Shortly after Mr. Boudria abandoned his plan to limit debate, Speaker Peter Milliken rejected a claim from Liberal MP Roger Gallaway that the government decision to continue with the registry contravened a Commons decision last fall to withdraw a Justice Department request for $72 million to keep the program running until the end of March. Mr. Milliken ruled the all-party agreement to withdraw the request for supplementary spending did not mean the Commons had agreed to suspend the program entirely. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 08:43:52 -0600 (CST) From: "Don Hart" Subject: Rights vs Privileges Right vs. Privileges On January 23, 2003 my mother and I met with our Liberal Member of Parliament, David Pratt. The purpose of the meeting was to inform Mr. Pratt of our wishes with regard to his government's latest "billion dollar boondoggle", the firearms registry. To me as a taxpayer, the cost was unacceptable. I reminded Mr. Pratt that former Justice Minister Allan Rock had promised the registry would cost $117 million ($2 million) and not $1 billion, as predicted by Auditor General Sheila Fraser. Mr. Pratt stated that if costs were to continue to escalate, he would no longer support the registry. Mr. Pratt was quick to point out that he would wait for the two studies that the government had commissioned. As this was our first meeting with Mr. Pratt, I thought I should voice my concerns regarding Bill C-68:The Firearms Act. I informed him that I saw firearms as private property and my personal right to keep them. Mr. Pratt then informed me: " You have no rights, only privileges that are granted by the government" and as such, can be taken away. I was even informed that a driver's license was a privilege. I replied that it was a right to get one but I could lose the right if I drove in a dangerous manner. The point I was trying to make was that I was innocent until proven guilty. I then mentioned that federal prisoners seem to have more rights than I do, referring to "Club Fed". To this Mr. Pratt replied, " They have to be offered hope" and that " We have one of the best prison systems in the world." At no point in our conversation was the Charter of Rights and Freedoms mentioned. I expressed that in my opinion, free men have rights, slaves have privileges. Don Hart ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 08:50:43 -0600 (CST) From: "John Poulin" Subject: Re: Good news over morning coffee! On Tuesday, February 18, 2003 09:08 EST, Jim Hill wrote: > The link is not up yet on their website but the headline reads, > "GOVERNMENT BACKS DOWN ON GUN BILL" > Subtitle states " Fuller debate signals victory for backbench; rival > parties say Chretien is losing control" Also heard on Global TV yesterday that the Liberals are still looking and hoping to get that badly needed extra 72 million to keep the registry running. JP Poulin ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 08:52:04 -0600 (CST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Re: Good news over morning coffee! Jim Hill wrote: > We need to find out who supported Gallaway and send them all our thanks. I > believe they have taken the clothespin off their noses and they do not like > the smell. They can also hear the sounds of votes falling and this is not a > good thing for any first term politician. Gallaway is a third term Liberal... And Karl Schrader wrote: > Dear Mr. Gallaway: > It is with great admiration for you that I have followed this recent > development and your effort to inject "common sense" into the "House of > Commons" is highly appreciated. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves and start patting this guy on the back, let us keep in mind that Gallaway is a Liberal, which means he is a political opportunist. He has smelled the writing on the wall, and he is taking steps to protect his own ass in the elections which will take place next year. Gallaway is a Martinite, and he knows the Big Dog has become a Lame Duck, and he's trying to make a name for himself in the upcoming Martin PM Cabinet. He has nothing to fear, and everything to win, by playing the "maverick". If you are going to write to Gallaway, do it in the full knowledge that it is "false praise" and disinformation of the support he will find at home during election time, and fight to get him un-elected when the time comes. *ANY* seat won for the Liberals in Ontario is another seat closer to another Liberal majority government. Roger Gallaway House of Commons Ottawa ON K1A 0A6 Phone: (613) 957-2649 Toll free government number: 1-866-599-4999 Fax: (613) 957-2655 Email: gallar@parl.gc.ca Constituency Office(s) 250 North Christina Street Sarnia, Ontario N7T 7B8 Phone: (519) 383-6600 Fax: (519) 383-0609 http://www.rogergallaway.on.ca Keep you eye on the prize - kick the rascals out! Yours in Liberty, Bruce Hamilton Ontario ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 08:57:41 -0600 (CST) From: "John Poulin" Subject: Re: Government backs down on gun bill: Just a thought. No wonder Rock backed out of the campaign race. Once, the full amount of the registry cost is ever revealed they'll want his head on a platter. May Wendy have her cake and eat it too. JP Poulin ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 08:58:09 -0600 (CST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Re: Rights vs Privileges Don Hart wrote: > As this was our first meeting with Mr. Pratt, I thought I should voice my > concerns regarding Bill C-68:The Firearms Act. I informed him that I saw > firearms as private property and my personal right to keep them. Mr. Pratt > then informed me: " You have no rights, only privileges that are granted by > the government" and as such, can be taken away. And if there were any doubt whatsoever, this should be reason enough to vote the bastards out. Yours in Liberty, Bruce Hamilton Ontario ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V5 #788 ********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:akimoya@sprint.ca 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 v04.n192 end (192 is the digest issue number and 04 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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