From: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V6 #144 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 Monday, June 9 2003 Volume 06 : Number 144 In this issue: Missing from the files CTV - Police warn gun registry will be enforced Norm Gardner never gun-shy [EDITORIAL] Bad law just got worse Re: steel Raid turns up guns Mark wrote: Orchard looks like real Tory winner Is Eves credible? If the shoe fits CPA says they will charge Background checks optional for gun licences, Ottawa says ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 10:27:04 -0600 (CST) From: "jim davies" Subject: Missing from the files Missing from the files: http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/weston.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 10:27:33 -0600 (CST) From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: CTV - Police warn gun registry will be enforced http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1054997925841_451/?hub=C anada ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 10:28:13 -0600 (CST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Norm Gardner never gun-shy http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1052251776949&call_pageid=970599119419 Jun. 8, 2003. 08:17 AM Norm Gardner never gun-shy Police board chief unapologetic Won't step aside unless ordered MAUREEN MURRAY AND JACK LAKEY STAFF REPORTERS Norm Gardner is a magnet for controversy — and, most often, it's guns that have landed the chair of the Toronto Police Services Board in hot water. >From the very beginning — some 17 years ago — when Gardner, a North York controller, was appointed to the then-Metro Police Commission, his critics were calling for his resignation even before he had attended his first meeting. An unabashed gun enthusiast, Gardner said in an interview in 1986 that storeowners in high-crime areas should be allowed to carry guns if they knew how to use them. His comments set off a media firestorm. (Six years later, he made headlines again, for shooting and wounding a robber in his North York bakery.) Almost two decades later, Gardner remains unapologetic and said it was just another example of the many times his opinions have been overblown and taken out of context. "I made a qualified statement. I wasn't saying everyone should go out and arm themselves," Gardner said in an interview yesterday. While taking his 5-year-old granddaughter to a dance recital, Gardner, 65, said, his affinity with guns has unfairly saddled him with a bad rap over the years. "I've been involved in shooting sports. I spent time in the military." Trained as an auxiliary Metro police officer before being elected as a North York alderman in 1976, Gardner also holds a black belt in judo. And he's back in hot water — once again, over guns. Gardner is under fire for accepting a .45-calibre pistol from Thanos Polyzos, a co-owner of Scarborough gun manufacturer Para-Ordnance, last February. Although he insists he always meant to, Gardner failed to pay the wholesale cost of about $700 until after his name surfaced in an unrelated OPP investigation into a Stouffville sporting goods store. After learning of the incident and discussing it at two special meetings Friday, the Toronto board yesterday issued a news release saying it has asked the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services to investigate. In the meantime, board vice-chair Gloria Lindsay Luby said, the board has asked Gardner to step aside as chair. Insisting he has done nothing wrong, Gardner says he won't relinquish the chair until the provincial commission decides if it will investigate. "I'm not being defiant," Gardner said. "I'm going to see what the protocol is, and I'll do what I have to. I'll go along with whatever the protocol is." Lindsay Luby, who expects the provincial body to decide sometime this week, said the commission could order Gardner to resign permanently if it finds he breached the code of conduct for board members. It could also send the matter back to the Toronto board for a decision. "This is something we've never gotten into before," Lindsay Luby said. "I think it's proper for Norm to step aside. But to hang on like this, to this title, while you have a cloud over your head, is not fair to the force, the board or even the board staff. It puts everybody in a very awkward position. "For that reason, I think he should absent himself." Gardner said he received the pistol, a .45-calibre, Tac-Four, after he helped Polyzos get an exhibitor's booth at the 2001 International Association of Chiefs of Police convention in Toronto at a reduced rate by introducing him to Toronto police Inspector Mike Sale. Although Polyzos received a reduced rate, paying $7,500 for the booth instead of the original asking price of $25,000, Gardner said most exhibitors ended up paying $1,200 (U.S.) for a booth. "I never gave the guy anything special," Gardner insisted. "I never used my position to benefit myself. I didn't do anybody any special favours." Because the pistol, by law, had to be transferred through a registered firearms dealer, Polyzos arranged to turn the gun over through the Stouffville dealer. Gardner was picked up by OPP wiretap surveillance talking to someone at the store about the gun, and from there the matter eventually reached the Toronto Police Services Board. Gardner says that he originally forgot about paying for the gun and then couldn't because OPP investigators told him not to say anything about the probe. Para-Ordnance is Canada's largest handgun manufacturer, turning out some 25,000 guns annually. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 11:23:30 -0600 (CST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: [EDITORIAL] Bad law just got worse http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=2cd732b8-e2b1-4121-886d-b74e1d5bfe51 >From The Gazette Bad law just got worse The Gazette Editorial Sunday, June 08, 2003 It's bad enough Canada's bloated, billion-dollar gun registry is poorly conceived, badly run and obscenely overpriced. But now we are coming to realize this project is threatening to balkanize the country's criminal-justice system, as well. So far, five provinces - Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta - have said they will press ahead with gun-possession charges in cases related to other criminal activities but will refuse to prosecute gun-owners who simply fail to register their firearms before the July 1 deadline. That means if the federal government wants to haul an otherwise law-abiding Prairie farmer or Atlantic fisherman into court for having an unregistered hunting rifle up in the attic, it will have to send in the Mounties and use its own prosecutors. Provincial frustrations are understandable. For several years now, Ottawa has been building up fat budget surpluses, at least partly by downloading responsibilities onto the provinces. Now the feds demand the provinces use their dwindling resources to track down ordinary citizens whose only sin has been a failure - deliberate or otherwise - to meet the requirements of an absurdly bureaucratic and poorly planned program. The provinces can no doubt find more productive ways to use the manpower of police and Crown attorneys. As Nova Scotia Justice Minister Jamie Muir said: ''We believe the public is served best when our prosecution service focuses on serious criminal matters; it makes no sense to clog up the courts with procedural matters on long-gun registrations.'' So we have some sympathy for the balking governments. Still, the provinces are crossing a dangerous line here. In this country, the federal Parliament writes the Criminal Code and the individual provinces administer most of it. It's a somewhat clumsy arrangement, but it works fairly well, and it's a lot less confusing than having 10 criminal codes (or 50, as they have in the United States - not to mention the U.S. federal code). And that, of course, is the danger: If provinces start deciding which bits of the Criminal Code they'll apply and which they won't, Canada could end up with the equivalent of several different criminal codes. Although the provinces have, and need, a certain amount of flexibility in deciding their law-enforcement priorities, we certainly don't want a situation where Canadians in one province find themselves paying heavy fines, serving jail terms and acquiring criminal records for activities that would get them no more than a nudge and a wink in another less rigorous jurisdiction. And there's also the danger that the wholesale public defiance of a specific law can undermine the administration of justice as a whole and sap the sense of fairness that is always required to hold societies together. This remains true even if the law is a stupid and unpopular one. So the provinces should tone down the rhetoric and apply the law as judiciously and fairly as they can, given the normal constraints of police manpower. In the meantime, they can - and should - also press ahead with efforts to get this law repealed and the gun registry scrapped. That won't be easy, mind you. The federal government's attitude on this issue is beyond stubborn: It's mule-headed. Solicitor-General Wayne Easter won't even extend the registration deadline, despite the news last week thousands of people recently and unknowingly had their registration records wiped out when the government's computer system crashed. That's a good metaphor for everything about this law, which has so far cost $1 billion, with no end in sight. It would be nice to think Ottawa's obduracy grows out of a conviction the registry will do something to prevent such horrors as the mass murder of 14 women at the Ecole Polytechnique in 1989 and the murder of four professors at Concordia University in 1992. But the sad fact is there's no evidence at all it will accomplish any such thing. What's keeping this law on the books is merely, shamefully, this government's inability to admit it made an enormous mistake. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 11:24:09 -0600 (CST) From: B Farion Subject: Re: steel > The moron who was passed off in BC as a "range expert" was little more than a > jumped up former military senior NCO who was part of the ex-military mafia they > had working in the CFO's office. I understand he is now the FO over on > Vancouver Island, proving yet again that stupidity does have its' rewards. > > - Hi; Believe the guy who did not like steel was from Edmonton.!! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 11:43:04 -0600 (CST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Raid turns up guns http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=76a12dfb-8f2e-483e-977a-c121f803e58b >From Halifax Daily News Raid turns up guns By Keith Bonnell The Daily News An East Preston couple face weapons charges after police raided their home Friday night looking for drugs. At least 15 RCMP officers from the emergency response team, the Cole Harbour drug section and the dog-service section were on scene as police busted down the door of the couple?s mobile home around 11 p.m. A 49-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman were both arrested without incident by the bevy of officers. RCMP Const. Peter Marshall described the pair as ?compliant.? While the raid didn?t turn up much in the way of drugs ? police said they found only traces of cocaine on some drug paraphernalia, including a set of scales ? there were guns and ammo aplenty. Police confiscated a loaded .357 Magnum, a loaded handgun and two more loaded shotguns, as well as a large pile of ammunition next to the weapons. Marshall said the raid was prompted by repeated tips about the presence of drugs in the residence. It was the culmination of a three-week investigation, he said, adding that the man was known to police. The two face charges of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, careless use of a firearm and unauthorized possession of a firearm. They were released yesterday, and will appear in Dartmouth Provincial Court on Aug. 27 to enter pleas. kbonnell@hfxnews.ca ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 12:19:21 -0600 (CST) From: "Tom Falls" Subject: Mark wrote: "Doubly so, if one is part of that Army. The only thing that permits what morale there is to be maintained is cynicism... Mark" Don't forget sarcasm, Canada's secret weopon. I use it all the time. From the looks I get, it must be still secret. Tom Falls ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 12:57:41 -0600 (CST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Orchard looks like real Tory winner http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1052251776632&call_pageid=968332188774&col=968350116467 Jun. 8, 2003. 01:00 AM Orchard looks like real Tory winner GRAHAM FRASER OTTAWA—When David Orchard was a teenager, he had an experience that marked him for life. "U.S. Air Force jets came suddenly screaming out of the Saskatchewan sky, right over our barn," he writes in his book The Fight for Canada: Four Centuries of Resistance to American Expansionism. "At barely treetop level they came so fast and so loud as to be from another planet, scattering the livestock in panic. For months they came without warning. Later I learned they were conducting exercises and were on their way to bomb farmers in Vietnam — farmers struggling to raise their crops and livestock just as we were." That seed flowered into a persistent campaign that reached a peak last weekend, when Orchard used his power to anoint Peter MacKay as Tory leader. A turning point in Orchard's evolution occurred when he met Marjaleena Repo. Originally from Finland, Repo came to Canada in 1960 at the age of 22, and studied sociology at the University of Toronto. After she graduated in 1964, she worked as a social worker and freelance broadcaster before being hired by the City of Toronto in 1966 as a relocation officer in Trefann Court, the neighbourhood south of Regent Park threatened with demolition and redevelopment. Convinced that the city was going to hurt the neighbourhood rather than help it, she quit — and worked as a community organizer. She was drawn to the working class homeowners, and saw them as the basis for organizing the community — and had little sympathy with what she described as "the defeated people on welfare." Her tough-minded approach resulted in conflict with the other community organizers in the neighbourhood, in particular John Sewell, who argued that all the elements of the community should be brought together. Her class analysis of the neighbourhood led to her being attacked as a Marxist, a label she rejected. In 1973, she met Orchard and convinced him to study Canadian history, fight Canada's colonial mentality and organize to free the country of foreign domination. In 1985, she helped him transform his criticisms of free trade into a protest movement: Citizens Concerned About Free Trade. Together, Orchard and Repo have organized a movement that is now a significant force in the Progressive Conservative Party. In some 80 constituencies, the Orchard and MacKay forces were the only ones competing for delegates, and Orchard and Repo arrived in Toronto for the convention with more than 600 delegates, representing about one-quarter of the party. When former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed said in his tribute to Joe Clark that he and Clark had been "so pleased ... that they were in a Progressive Conservative Party," he was hinting that the Canadian Alliance had more in common with the right-wing populism of Social Credit than with mainstream conservatism. By "progressive," he meant people like former federal leader Robert Stanfield, former Ontario premier William Davis and former Toronto mayor David Crombie who believe in an activist compassionate state and the preservation of traditions. But he was just as clearly not referring to Orchard and Repo. MacKay's victory was unseemly and inept. His organizers had tried and failed to bully fellow Nova Scotian Scott Brison with reprisals if he didn't support MacKay. They tried dirty tricks — sending delegates disguised in Brison shirts to cross the floor. Then, the famous deal. The MacKay-Orchard bargain was no "gentleman's agreement"; when finally made public, it was clear it went beyond policy issues like reviewing free trade to personnel questions. Orchard now has a written guarantee that some of his people will have jobs at party headquarters. Reaching out to political opponents is nothing new. Tuesday marks the 20th anniversary of Brian Mulroney's victory over Clark, which he achieved by forging an alliance of the discontented. But Orchard, not MacKay, has emerged looking like a winner. He out-organized his opponents, kept his delegates through three ballots, drove a hard bargain, and played his cards well. Now, he has a foothold in Tory headquarters. The Tories have a tiger in the tent, and the tent may not survive. Graham Fraser is a national affairs writer. He can be reached at graham.fraser@sympatico.ca ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 21:21:42 -0600 (CST) From: Lee Jasper Subject: Is Eves credible? It was said on the CFD: >The question here is, is Ontario officially opting out of the federal >gun control program as have other provinces, or is this Ernie Eves >attempting to play both sides of the field? Eves is an experienced politician and does not suffer from the communications limitations of the PM. You will note that with this latest announcement that it was Norm Stirling who floated the idea. To the absolute frustration of both blue and red Tories, Eves is playing all sides. It has taken since Mike Harris' promise in 1995 to only support the 'safety provisions' (owner licencing elements) of the FA. It has taken a concerted effort from many provincial and federal PC and CA members to force Eves to take this somewhat belated token stance - well after most other jurisdictions have already done so. If you're keeping score, Eves has refused to budge on an Ontario led owner licencing amnesty program and was a high level caucus participant in agreeing to Ontario's botched alternate ce rtification fiasco. Some progressive action at that critical juncture would have aided the estimated 400,000 Ontario gun owners who are now faced with legal double jeopardy. >Either way, something like this from the Ontario government is sure to >make life more difficult for the feds and their tar-baby. It is certainly hoped that it will become an insurmountable chink in the feds scheme , , , but you must realize that Eves has not withdrawn Ontario from participation in the long gun registry - so the Titanic may sail on. Voter rich 416 and 905 must be kept pacified. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 21:23:17 -0600 (CST) From: Lee Jasper Subject: If the shoe fits It was said on the CFD: This is a perfect example to conclude a previous discussion. >> The elk and deer market has bottomed and ranchers may be releasing >> their animals into the wild to lessen their financial burden, says >> one man in the industry. >> Doug Milligan of Alberta Agriculture said 20 elk were spotted roaming >> free near Marwayne, 246 km east of Edmonton on May 15. Wildlife >> officers shot eight of them. Milligan confirmed yesterday that 12 >> more roaming in a second group have also since been killed. > One more reason why game farming is absolutely, totally, unacceptable. > We have been constantly fed all this bullshit about all the measures > taken to protect native wildlife, and it comes down to releasing these > animals into the wild because it is no longer profitable. Just like a Bruce County pork farmer who has had two mysterious evacuations of his manure holding tank - into Lake Huron. > We have Chronic Wasting Disease breathing down our necks and yet we > still have morons like Klein permitting game ranching - and with no > real teeth to ensure even the slightest measure of safety to boot. > In their pursuit of the almighty dollar, Klein and his ilk are leaping > over quarters to pick up pennies. And in the end we'll all pay for it. Who's looking after the public interest? And to think fed vets and meat inspectors have been working overtime for the past few years testing an inordinate number of wild game carcasses - at the risk of allowing contaminated domestic animals into the human food chain. I can also think of overseas freighters dumping 'exotic species' laden bilge water in the Great Lakes. Who will pay to clean this up? Can't be done. So who will pay for modification of equipment and increased maintenance costs of water treatment plants? The governments who did not act to protect the public's interest have since downloaded the costs onto lower levels of government. The international shipping conglomerates have responded as responsibly as offshore factory dragger fishing fleets. Prove that round nosed goby, zebra mussel or spiny water flea came from my bilge. We killed 7 and sickened over 2500 people at Walkerton due to contaminated drinking water and our government still pays lip service to a Clean Waters Act. Last year there were over 300 cases of water treatment plant violations in Ontario. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 08:53:03 -0600 (CST) From: "ross" Subject: CPA says they will charge "A police officer is required to enforce the law," said David Griffin, executive officer of the CPA." Of course they will charge people without registered guns...they got no choice. Forget the fact this poorly drafted law tramples many of our rights...The CPA has been bought and paid for with 29 pieces of silver by the federal Liberals. They sold their souls for promises made by politicians . Even a whore doesn't go that cheap ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 08:56:34 -0600 (CST) From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: Background checks optional for gun licences, Ottawa says NOTE: Versions of this story also ran in: The National Post, The Ottawa Citizen, The Regina Leader-Post, The Saskatoon Star Phoenix, The Halifax Daily News. PUBLICATION: Edmonton Journal DATE: 2003.06.07 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: A8 BYLINE: Tim Naumetz SOURCE: CanWest News Service DATELINE: OTTAWA ILLUSTRATION: Colour Photo: Journal Stock / Solicitor General WayneEaster - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Background checks optional for gun licences, Ottawa says - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- OTTAWA - The federal government disclosed Friday background checks have not been done on all the 589,200 individuals who have been granted firearms possession and acquisition licences since 1998. The disclosure, prompted by questions from Canadian Alliance MP Garry Breitkreuz, contradicts justice department statements last year and puts into question the government's claim that the new licensing system will keep guns out of the wrong hands. The policy also belies a claim on the centre's Web site that it conducts "continuous background checks on applicants and licence holders," which has resulted in the refusal or revocation of about 9,000 licences. The government has continuously touted the licensing system as the chief safety component of its controversial firearms program and also says it is the most costly aspect. Solicitor General Wayne Easter told the Commons that reference checks for gun possession and acquisition licences are done only at the discretion of officers who are responsible for investigating all licence applications. "Reference checks are performed during the course of an investigation, at the discretion of the investigator, based on the issue being assessed," Easter said in a written response to a question from Breitkreuz. Easter also revealed the government has no idea how many people who gave character references on firearms licence applications have been contacted by the government. Easter told reporters he believes the centre and firearms officers in each province are doing "appropriate" reference checks, adding police officers are increasing their use of the registry during investigations and for tracking down illegal weapons. A spokesman for the Canadian Firearms Centre said it has never been the program's intention to contact all character references on gun licence applications. "One of the myths that Breit-kreuz and opponents have been propagating is that every reference gets a phone call from a firearms officer," said spokesman David Austin. He explained that what really happens is "every reference signs a declaration; they provide their full name, address, and they sign a declaration saying they've known the person for three years and they don't consider him to be a risk, and then that is filed." Austin said the firearms officer "decides whether or not to call the person for further information." But in May 2002, the justice department advised then justice minister Anne McLellan, in a briefing note for question period, that "reference and background checks are done on each possession and acquisition licence (PAL) application," according to documents Breitkreuz obtained through the Access to Information Act. ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V6 #144 ********************************** 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@cogeco.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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