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 #570 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 Sunday, October 12 2003 Volume 06 : Number 570 In this issue: Charges laid in fatal 1997 shooting Parliament braces for a sharp turn to the left Business as usual Gobble tofu turkey ... and spare a bird 'Suicide by cop' on the increase Martin too cosy with Americans: Axworthy Cop arrested on stalking charge Irony Re: Musketry as a pillar of good citizenship Sword issue cuts both ways ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 12:55:26 -0600 (CST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Charges laid in fatal 1997 shooting http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/story.asp?id=78576EA7-856A-40CE-88C6-E1A9244CCCA2 Charges laid in fatal 1997 shooting Victim had affair with woman tied to mob SIDHARTHA BANERJEE The Gazette Saturday, October 11, 2003 A St. Laurent man was shot dead and his older brother was critically injured in the spring of 1997 by a gunman sent to settle a score over a woman, Montreal police said yesterday. But investigators said the hired gun killed the wrong man, following an arrest in the six-year-old homicide case. Robert Fattoush, 28, was gunned down and Elias Fattoush, 30, was critically injured as they got out of their car inside a Henri Bourassa St. W. apartment garage on May 5, 1997. Although Robert Fattoush died, police said Elias was the actual target. Investigators said Elias Fattoush was carrying on an extra-marital relationship with a woman whose husband had ties to organized crime. "That person hasn't been seen since 2001, but he is known to us as a part of the world of organized crime," said Commander André Bouchard, head of the Montreal police homicide squad. Yesterday, Jean-Guy Lambert, 57, was charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder of the brothers, who lived together at the St. Laurent apartment. "The Fattoush brothers got out of their car and they were gunned down - machine-gunned down," Bouchard said. Montreal police's cold-case squad took a fresh look at the evidence from 1997 and found a witness they had overlooked, Bouchard said. That led to the arrest of Lambert on Thursday. Neither of the Fattoush brothers had a criminal record or involvement with organized crime. "They were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time," Bouchard said. Police also said they believe the shooter did not work alone. "We are hoping to make another arrest in this case and possibly a third," Bouchard said. Lambert has a lengthy criminal record and is known to the police service as an expert in auto theft, Bouchard said. The murder of Robert Fattoush was the 22nd homicide on Montreal territory in 1997. sbanerjee@thegazette.canwest.com © Copyright 2003 Montreal Gazette ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 20:38:22 -0600 (CST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Parliament braces for a sharp turn to the left http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/weston.html October 12, 2003 Parliament braces for a sharp turn to the left By GREG WESTON -- Sun Media As angry Canadian voters continue their rout of the right, most recently slaughtering the Tories in their Ontario heartland, conservatives everywhere are apparently looking to Paul Martin as their great white hope. Polls consistently show Martin enjoys support across an extraordinarily wide band of the political spectrum, stretching all the way into right-wing Canadian Alliance territory in the West. It's the same story in the boardrooms of Central Canada -- Bay Street didn't pour the better part of $9 million into Martin's leadership coffers for nothing. Even the likes of Conservative patriarch Ralph Klein have given the nod to Martin's prime ministerial aspirations. So much conservative affection for one Liberal PM-to-be is understandable. Martin's resume is vintage pinstripes -- the self-made millionaire who turned Canada Steamship Lines into a multinational success story. Similarly, Martin emerged from his nine years as finance minister with the aura of a fiscal white knight, the budget-slashing deficit slayer who balanced the nation's books. In short, conservatives can be excused for wondering what is not to love about Paul Martin. They may not be wondering long. Even as Martin speeds down the final stretch of his long road to 24 Sussex Dr., there are already signals he will be turning left. First, the obvious. The real politics of the real Paul Martin were shaped by his legendary father, a former Liberal cabinet minister and three-time losing contender for the party leadership in the 1950s and '60s. Paul Sr. was above all else a devout left-Liberal who helped shape medicare and the modern welfare state, a politician C.D. Howe affectionately referred to as "my favourite communist." Just as his father left an impressive legacy of social policies, so the younger Martin must be pondering what his tenure as prime minister will leave to posterity. He doesn't have a lot of time. Martin is already 65, and even if he survives the next two elections, he would probably be in office for no more than about six years. Whatever he hopes will be inscribed on his political headstone at the end of his days in high office, you can be sure it won't just say: "I reduced the national debt." Fact is, Martin is a big believer in activist government not exactly popular among the free-enterprise crowd cheering him on these days. Even during his deficit-cutting years in finance, Martin helped create a series of controversial "foundations," secretive government fronts set up to deliver everything from road projects to health information. Funded with almost $10 billion of public money, the foundations are beyond the scrutiny of taxpayers and even the auditor general -- all in all, not the stuff of a great fiscal conservative. Expect more of the same in future. Insiders say Martin's agenda could include massive national social reform in areas such as child care, health and pensions. Martin is apparently also considering sweeping environmental programs he dreams would make Canada the green capital of the world (when we are not polluting our rivers and clear-cutting our forests). To that end, Martin has already brought into his inner circle environmental guru Maurice Strong. As it happens, Strong was also the father of PetroCan and one of the great Liberal interventionists of the Trudeau years. Yikes. Finally, electoral realities will further pressure Martin to veer left. In the absence of a political miracle between now and the next election, probably in the spring of next year, Martin's conservative image gives him little to fear from either the Tories or the Canadian Alliance. But it is precisely that image that could do damage to the Liberal centre-left, possibly driving voters into the arms of the New Democrats. Michael Bliss, a well-known University of Toronto history professor and sage political pundit, recently offered an astute warning about Martin. "The business community and those who see him only as a deficit fighter are mistaken," Bliss is quoted as saying in a recent edition of Business magazine. "I think of him as a tax-and-spend Liberal like his father, and he is much further to the left than business thinks he is. The business community is in danger of being gulled by Paul Martin." Greg Weston is Sun Media's national political columnist, his columns appear Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Letters to the editor should be sent to editor@sunpub.com. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 20:39:40 -0600 (CST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Business as usual http://www.canoe.ca/CalgarySun/editorial.html Calgary Sun Editorial October 12 Business as usual Scandal of the week doesn't slow waste of taxpayers' money One more week in our nation's capital. And one more week of government scandal. Well, you might ask, what's so unusual about that? Ever since Prime Minister Jean Chretien came to power in 1993, his government has literally run on scandal atop scandal. This past week, we got an inking of a scandal involving the man soon to take over the prime minister's position and the man who has vowed to run a far different kind of government than his soon-to-be predecessor. Federal Ethics Commission Howard Wilson is looking into allegations a subsidiary of Paul Martin's Canada Steamship Lines empire has received millions of dollars in federal contracts, while at the same time not being listed as part of Martin's blind management disclosures with authorities. Wilson has apparently discovered when Martin made his first public declaration of all his business holdings in 1994, Lansdowne Technologies Inc. was listed. It was also listed in 1995. But dropped off the list in 1996. Alberta Canadian Alliance MP Monte Solberg revealed this apparent discrepancy in the Commons, charging the Federal Public Works Department has done some $12 million in business with Lansdowne Technologies Inc. in recent years. Lansdowne Technologies is actually a subsidiary of Canadian Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd., which is itself a subsidiary of Canada Steamship Lines. Yes, that must have been quite a web for Solberg to uncover. A spokesman for Martin -- whose personal fortune is said to be $50 million -- said it was "absurd" for the Medicine Hat MP to suggest Martin was in a conflict of interest. Well, we'll see how this little scenario plays out, and we admit an individual is innocent until proven guilty. Let's just wait for Martin's own explanation as to why Lansdowne Technologies disappeared from his disclosure list. That said, no matter what Martin's explanation is on this issue, we still find it hard to believe an individual who until recently owned and operated Canada Steamship Lines, flew foreign flags on many of his ships that allowed him to avoid paying Canadian taxes on profits from those operations. On one hand, the former finance minister upped taxes on Canadians in his first years in office by $100 billion, while using loopholes to avoid paying some Canadian taxes himself. Hardly becoming of a man lusting to become prime minister. We also learned Heritage Minister Sheila Copps is sponsoring a three-day Native cultural shindig in the lush resort town of Whistler, B.C., at a cost to the taxpayers of $2.5 million. Cost for each of 320 sponsored aboriginal delegates from Canada, Australia and South America will average $7,000. That sounds like lavish treatment. Other costs involve 30 government officials to walk these pampered delegates safely through the halls. Since Copps will have held four of these Native cultural get-togethers, the total tab is $10 million of your dough. Then we learned the Business Development Bank of Canada spent $1 million of the taxpayers' money on two award galas for young entrepreneurs. The $1 million included $60,000 for silver-embossed programs and $172,000 for a cabaret-style show. This is the same Crown corporation Chretien browbeat into loaning a near-bankrupt hotel and golf course complex of which he had once been part owner $600,000 of our money. It's still up in the air as to whether Chretien received his proceeds before or after the bank was forced to make its reluctant loan. Finally -- we hope it's finally -- is the outrageous threat by Bombardier Inc. boss Paul Tellier that unless his asset rich company receives more government financial support, it will have to chop its staff down to size. Over the years, Bombardier -- a company with close ties to the Chretien regime and a Liberal-government favourite -- has received hundreds of millions in loans and grants and guarantees from Ottawa. Corporate welfare for Bombardier at the taxpayer trough must stop. Sadly, until the Liberals are thrown out, we doubt if it will. It will just be "business as usual" when it comes to flushing taxpayers' money away on patronage and programs of dubious merit. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 20:40:29 -0600 (CST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Gobble tofu turkey ... and spare a bird http://www.canoe.ca/EdmontonNews/es.es-10-12-0023.html Sunday, October 12, 2003 Gobble tofu turkey ... and spare a bird By SUN MEDIA WINNIPEG -- If it were up to Liz White, Thanksgiving Day would be renamed Turkey Freedom Day. The spokesman for the advocacy group Animal Alliance of Canada says there's no need to cook a bird this holiday weekend. Instead, gobble a tofu turkey, also known as tofurkey, or a vegetarian dish. "I think we should let our turkeys go. There are so many alternatives out there that are so much better," said White. "How can it be a happy Thanksgiving if something has to die for it to happen?" Canadians don't realize what turkey producers do to plump up their birds for consumption, she said, adding the animals live sad, deprived lives in crowded farm environments. Often, they become so fat they even have trouble standing. "There are people who are utterly disconnected with what they put on their dinner plates and how it got there." But local agriculture representatives dismissed White's comments. "I think farmers have the best interest of the bird in mind," said Alayna Giesbrecht of the Manitoba Farm Animal Council. "Farmers like animals. They wouldn't do anything inhumane to their animals." ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 20:40:54 -0600 (CST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: 'Suicide by cop' on the increase http://www.canoe.ca/EdmontonNews/es.es-10-12-0025.html Sunday, October 12, 2003 'Suicide by cop' on the increase By CP DELTA, B.C. -- The majority of people killed by Canada's police in recent years were desperate or suicidal and wanted to be shot, says a city police officer doing his PhD thesis on police shootings. The number of "suicides by cop" has risen since the 1980s, when most people killed by police were involved in crimes like bank robbery, said Sgt. Rick Parent yesterday. "A lot of individuals don't have the tenacity to go out and kill themselves, where maybe they had a little more of that moxie in the 1970s and 1980s," said Parent, adding that deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill and greater domestic strife are some of the causes of the increase. "Now it's more plausible for people to come up to a policeman and have him do it for them." Statistics Parent compiled for his thesis indicate that about 250 Canadians were killed by police between 1980 and 2000, more than 10 a year. In the 1980s and mid-1990s, six of those 10 were shot because they were involved in a crime, he said. The other four were either people who wanted to be killed or were killed accidentally or mistakenly, Parent said. But since the mid-1990s, only four of the 10 annual police killings have occurred during a crime and the majority of the rest are suicide by cop, he said. The numbers killed by police have also remained steady, despite Canada's falling violent-crime rate, said Parent. Over the 20-year period, 45 of those fatal police shootings happened in B.C., an average of two a year. But in 2003, there have so far been five fatal police shootings in B.C., Parent said. "We are dealing with people who have real-life problems and emotions, and they are looking at police to solve those problems. "So there's a lot more crisis intervention, rather than hard tactical skills," he said. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 20:41:23 -0600 (CST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Martin too cosy with Americans: Axworthy Pink Llyod rides again! Heaven forbid we should stop insulting the Americans now! http://www.canoe.ca/EdmontonNews/es.es-10-12-0026.html Sunday, October 12, 2003 Martin too cosy with Americans: Axworthy By CP OTTAWA -- Under a Paul Martin government, Canada could become too cosy with Washington, risking domestic control over the country's military and even its federal budget, says a former senior Liberal cabinet minister. Lloyd Axworthy, who was foreign affairs minister under retiring Prime Minister Jean Chretien, said Martin's support for a proposed U.S. missile defence system is a very expensive example of how tightly he may tie Canada to American interests. And that could end up costing Canadians much more than they expect, Axworthy said in an interview. "Once you get tied into that, you surrender your ability to have a command control system for your own military," said Axworthy, who was known for his position on the left wing of the Liberal party during his years in cabinet. "At that point, you're really part of their (Washington's) military machine," he added. "Your spending priorities in your own defence department get skewed ... and the defence department is already spending lots of money getting ready for this and buying all these new toys." Martin, who is expected to take over from Chretien in the next few months, has expressed early support for Washington's proposal to move ahead with a multibillion-dollar missile defence shield over North America. The program would develop defence missile installations around the continent, including in Canada's North. Axworthy warned that could soon divert tax dollars away from such meat-and-potato demands as new vehicles for Canadian peacekeepers serving in Afghanistan. The deaths there of two soldiers earlier this month, when their aging Iltis vehicle drove over a landmine, haveraised new questions about when the military will be able to get replacement vehicles. "So all of these things happen and once you get locked in, you get locked in," said Axworthy. "You've just taken another step in losing your own political space." A spokesman said Martin hasn't fully endorsed the missile defence proposal but at this point, merely wants Canada to have an inside seat during its planning. "The most constructive way to approach this is to be at the table with a strong point of view about what Canada's interests are - not to simply refuse to discuss the subject," said Brian Guest. No funds have been committed yet to a program still under development, he added. Canadian officials have been investigating what role this country could play in the elaborate North American missile shield proposed by the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush. But those talks are happening behind closed doors, which Canadians don't like, warned Axworthy. He called for open hearings in Parliament on Canada's role in the military program so the public knows exactly what Ottawa may be getting the country into. Axworthy said it's not necessarily a bad idea for Martin's inner circle to want closer ties with Washington, so long as Canada doesn't lose its sovereignty in the process. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 20:41:48 -0600 (CST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Cop arrested on stalking charge http://www.canoe.ca/EdmontonNews/es.es-10-12-0043.html Sunday, October 12, 2003 Cop arrested on stalking charge By CP NEW LISKEARD, Ont. -- A provincial police officer has been charged with stalking and sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman during the past year. Michael Potter, 27, was arrested Friday night after a woman filed a complaint Oct. 4. He was charged with two counts of criminal harassment and one count of sexual assault. The three-year veteran of the Ontario Provincial Police's Temiskaming detachment has been suspended from duty. He appears in court Nov. 18. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 20:42:17 -0600 (CST) From: Rod Regier Subject: Irony Mainland China is talking about a constitutional amendment to protect private property rights. Communist China could get private property protection in their constitution before Canada does. How twisted is that! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 20:43:26 -0600 (CST) From: Rick Subject: Re: Musketry as a pillar of good citizenship "Tom Falls" > My response: > (singing) "Rick got beat by a girrrrull, Rick got beat by a girrrrulll!" > (singing ends). You ignorant zipperhead, I should have known that comment would have woken up the peanut gallery. Seeing as how a teenage girl won the world long range Palma Match this year, beating all comers in a truly world event, I am not feeling to bad about getting sharked by a couple of teenage Swiss girls in well worn shooting coats. I wanted a rematch using 81mm mortars at 5 Km instead of .22's at rock throwing range, but they declined. The next Palma Matches are in Canada in 2007. > Subject rifle was re-bbl'd to 5.56mm and a scope (6-24) on a B-Square mount > added. Poor "cheek-weld" now due to height of scope. Was looking in P&D > today at a 1943 No4MkI* Long Branch that had been fitted with an ATI (?) LE > No4 stock and scope mount and this seemed like a good combo. Anybody know > if the B-Square holds the scope higher or lower than the ATI mount? > Comments? Other suggestions? Incidentally, you bonehead, all you have to do is put a lace on cheekpad on your LE now that you have a scope mount. I do believe the Americans made something similar for their Garand sniper variants. All I do is tape layers of cut up sleeping foamy on the stock until I get the right height. Once load development is done, the scope and the foamy both come off. In your case, of course, keep the scope on there - it's the only way you'll ever hit the target. I think you can also find LE sniper variant buttstocks for sale if you look around - the ones that have had a cheekpiece inletted into them. I just saw them advertised somewhere; if I can think of where it was I'll shoot you the link. "Tank" is just an acronym for "missile magnet". ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 20:43:50 -0600 (CST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Sword issue cuts both ways http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/OttawaSun/News/2003/10/12/223782.html Sun, October 12, 2003 Sword issue cuts both ways Hobbyists call them collector's items, but in the hands of criminals they're a growing menace By LAURA CZEKAJ, Ottawa Sun A VIOLENT gangland-style attack involving firearms and a sword just a short distance from where children played sends a ripple of shock through the community in August. A Toronto mother has to have her hands surgically reattached after they are brutally hacked off in a June 11 attack by her neighbour. Also in June, an Ottawa teenager is viciously slashed and beaten by a band of men dressed as ninjas and carrying machetes. The teen is taken to hospital, where he undergoes emergency surgery. The crimes are unusual, the level of violence scary and eye-popping. And one "oddity" that stood out for most -- the use of swords or machetes. Canada's Criminal Code does not prohibit the sale, purchase or ownership of swords, machetes, large knives and other such items, and there are no restrictions on who can buy them -- not even an age limit. "That kind of weapon is not prohibited, but it may be considered as an offence to possess that kind of weapon depending on the circumstances," said Patrick Charette of the federal Department of Justice. If an object is being used to commit a crime, a police officer can lay charges for possession of a weapon, Charette added. Sophie Roux, spokeswoman for the Canadian Professional Police Association, says although there are no hard numbers, more police officers across the country are seeing swords, knives and machetes used as weapons. "It is something that is used quite often as a weapon for (attacking) someone else," she says. This year alone in the capital, there have been at least three cases reported in the Sun where a machete or sword was used to commit a crime. Ottawa police reported 4,500 assaults -- not including homicides or attempted homicides -- committed between Sept. 29, 2002, and Sept. 29, 2003. Of these, 189 involved knives, 52 involved other types of piercing or cutting weapons, which includes swords and machetes, and 15 involved handguns, rifles and shotguns. The vast majority of assaults were committed using physical force. A report released by Statistics Canada earlier this month reveals that more people were killed with knives than guns in 2002. Stabbings were the most common method last year and accounted for 31% of homicides, followed by shootings at 26%, beatings at 21%, and strangulation or suffocation at 11%. The agency reported that there were 182 homicides as a result of stabbing in 2002, compared to 171 in 2001 and 149 in 2000. A breakdown of how many of those murders were committed with a sword, machete or large knife was not available. Despite the increasing use of swords, machetes and knives, the Canadian Professional Police Association doesn't have a clear position on whether the Criminal Code should include restrictions on the availability of swords, daggers, machetes and other types of knives. "We have always stayed short of getting involved in that because a lot of things can turn into a weapon," Roux says. "Where you draw the line is a wild guess in many instances." Ottawa Police Association president Byron Smith says although swords, machetes and large blades are not used as often as smaller knives, they still pose a significant threat to police officers. "A machete can cause a serious amount of damage." Smith is aware of several cases where police seized collections of knives and other large blades during an investigation. "Some of them, when you look at them they have no other possible use ... other than for stabbing someone." The growing number of smaller knives, which are easier to conceal than a machete or sword, is a bigger concern, says Smith. "Even when I was patrolling the streets, machetes were out there and swords, so it would be hard to say they are on the increase," Smith says. "I am more concerned about the smaller knives, because they will kill you just as quick as a machete and you don't see them coming." Ottawa police Staff Sgt. Monique Ackland echoes that sentiment, noting machetes and swords are rarely used by local criminals. "People do not normally carry a sword, so it's not an issue in that sense," she says. "But is it a concern that people would walk around with a sword? Of course it is a concern." Since swords aren't listed as a prohibited weapon under the Criminal Code, anyone can easily find one as a collectors item, art work or historical piece. "It's not a rarity, if you really want to find one you will find one," Ackland says. - --- Wandering through the kiosks at the Stittsville Flea Market, where everything from army gear to porcelain trinkets is available for purchase, there is one category of item that seems to be drawing the largest crowds -- swords. At a stand featuring "the cheapest swords in the market," a group of young men hover over tables heavily laden with swords and daggers of all shapes and sizes. Some are encased in sheaths, others lie on beds of cloth for viewing. Although the vendor stresses she doesn't sell to anyone under age 18, the majority of the prospective buyers appear to be in their teens. When asked why anyone would want a "razor sharp" sword in their home, the vendor replies: "They are collectors items, they gain value over the years." At another kiosk in the market, the owner says the people buying her swords are collectors who realize the artistic pieces are not to be used as weapons. "It's still hard, and if you hit somebody it's going to hurt," says owner Su Lu. "But I always tell them it's not a weapon, it's just for decoration." Many swords have a story behind them and are much sought-after collector's pieces. They range from ceremonial, fantasy, Renaissance, samurai and medieval swords to fencing foils and military sabres. Most vendors will stress their main function is for ornamental and costume use. A sword collector and manager of the House of Knives at the St. Laurent Centre, Jim Kempster says the many daggers and swords sold at his store are art pieces, not weapons. "The steel that the companies use to make these with is a very simple steel, it's not very strong and if it were to be used, heaven forbid, it wouldn't stand up to the test." Many of the items don't have an edge and those that do have a "false edge" for authenticity purposes. Purchasing swords and large knives can be as easy as the click of a mouse. A simple Internet search for swords turns up hundreds of websites selling everything from swords to bowie knives to armour. Some of these items are deemed "battle ready" and one site even boasts its medieval and fantasy swords are tested by cutting 2x4 boards and by using "blade-on-blade contact." Only a few of these sites post an easy-to-find warning stating the product is not to be used as a weapon, and that battle ready or not, all edged weapons if used improperly could cause injury or death. Avid sword collectors stress the majority of buyers do so solely for artistic merit or as a hobby. Collecting swords is no different from collecting stamps, they say. The House of Knives doesn't sell "battle-ready" swords or daggers, says Kempster. But he notes some people confuse the swords, thinking they're weapons when really they're art pieces. "I take personal offence to that, because I know it's art. I consider it art and when people are blind like that it just kind of bothers me," he says. "Anything in this world can be used as a weapon if you know how to use it, and people don't see that." - --- Even if a sword is purchased as a collector's item or art object, it's still dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands, says Emile Therien, president of the Canada Safety Council. "If it's acquired legally and is not properly stored or secured, it could become a very serious issue, especially for young children who are driven by curiosity," he says. Firearms are highly regulated and owners are required to store their guns properly. Swords, daggers and knives are not regulated by the government, nor are there any guidelines about their storage, he notes. "The whole idea is (to have) proper storage of anything that could be classified as a weapon, whether it's being used for antique purposes or for collector purposes." But Therien says he doesn't support banning swords for sale in Canada, adding sword owners don't usually acquire them for use as a weapon and it's rare for a sword to be used in that manner. "I think the issue is responsible ownership," Therien says. Swords, daggers and collectible knives might be allowed in the home, but they are prohibited in Ontario schools. According to the provincial Safe Schools Act, which took effect in 2000, students who bring weapons to school can be suspended, says Ottawa Carleton District School Board spokeswoman Hyacinth Haddad. "If it looks like a sword and it could injure somebody, then I would say it would be considered a weapon," she says. Parents were made aware of the school's position when the provincial act was implemented, Haddad added. "We made sure that everybody knew that they could not bring dangerous things to school," she said. - --- Just as wearing the cross is a sign of Christianity, a ceremonial dagger, called a Kirpan, is a symbol of the Sikh faith. It is one of five items required to be worn by Sikhs at all times following their baptism. Although the dagger is a sacred religious symbol to those who wear it, members of the public often have difficulty understanding the difference, says Gurcharan Singh of the Federation of Sikh Society of Canada. "When you are baptized, you have to wear these things all the time. You can't afford to wear them sometimes and not wear them at other times," he says. The Kirpan symbolizes spirituality and the struggle of good and morality over the forces of evil and injustice, both on a individual as well as social level. Wearing it is meant to inspire Sikhs in their daily lives. There have been several court cases across Canada in which followers of the Sikh faith have fought for their right to carry the Kirpan in the workplace or schools. However, in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, portraying the true meaning of the Kirpan to the public has proven to be an uphill battle, says Singh. Prior to the terrorist attacks on the U.S., Singh said airline officials were in talks with representatives of the Sikh faith about allowing concessions in regards to wearing the Kirpan on local flights. Now more than two years later, those talks have not been resumed. "It's in limbo; we have to reinvent the wheel again," Singh said. ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V6 #570 ********************************** 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".) If you find this service valuable, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the freenet we use: Saskatoon Free-Net Assoc., P.O. Box 1342, Saskatoon SK S7K 3N9 Phone: (306) 382-7070 Home page: http://www.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca/ These e-mail digests are free to everyone, and are made possible by the efforts of countless volunteers. Permission is granted to copy and distribute this digest as long as it not altered in any way.