From: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V8 #307 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, August 8 2005 Volume 08 : Number 307 In this issue: COP UNION GUNS FOR GROWTH DEATH THREATS WITH PELLET GUN Man with fake gun alarms drivers PAIR IN CUSTODY AFTER SHOOTINGS Rash of shootings spurs task force Editorial: Devise an arrest list, not a no-fly list. Grim Gunfire Letter to National Post (unpub) ... Re: Letter to National Post (unpub) ... Column: Canada closed to refugees? Hardly ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2005 08:25:43 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: COP UNION GUNS FOR GROWTH PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Sun DATE: 2005.08.07 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: 12 BYLINE: TOBI COHEN, OTTAWA SUN WORD COUNT: 322 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ COP UNION GUNS FOR GROWTH - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Getting the provincial government to make good on its promise to expand Ottawa's police force is among the local police association's top priorities when the Police Association of Ontario meets in the capital this week. "Unfortunately, Ottawa has been at the short end of the stick when it's come to its fair share of police officers," said Ottawa Police Association president Charles Momy, noting the government promised 1,000 new officers across the province when Premier Dalton McGuinty took office. "When the governments have promised increases in policing in Ontario, it seems like most of the money goes down in the Toronto area." Momy said the Ottawa delegation -- which is hosting this year's 73rd annual general meeting that runs for five days starting tomorrow -- will use the opportunity to press keynote speaker and Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Monte Kwinter on the subject of more officers. "For me personally, that's going to be a big issue. Trying to get Kwinter maybe to confirm when that's going to happen," he said. Although this is the first year since 1998 that the Toronto police force is among the Police Association of Ontario (PAO) delegates, Momy said he's not worried the policing powerhouse will steal the show. TASERS ON AGENDA "Being the biggest police force in Ontario holds a lot of influence, especially at the local and provincial government levels, and having them rejoin us is certainly an advantage to the PAO and the rest of the police services." PAO chief administrative officer Bruce Miller said key subjects to be discussed include gun violence and weapons smuggling, shortcomings in Canada's parole and corrections system, the use of Taser guns and changes to the Blood Samples Act for officers exposed to blood-borne diseases. "The focus of this meeting is going to be trying to preserve the safety of the community," said Miller. "The federal parole and corrections system causes us great concern. It's nothing but a revolving door and doesn't seem to take into account the need for community safety." Momy couldn't agree more, citing an Ottawa parole office erected down the street from a park and elementary school as an example. About 200 police officers and civilian members are expected to attend the meeting. Delegates will come up with recommendations for provincial and federal governments. tobi.cohen@ott.sunpub.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2005 08:26:48 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: DEATH THREATS WITH PELLET GUN PUBLICATION: The London Free Press DATE: 2005.08.07 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: A4 BYLINE: MELINDA DALTON, FREE PRESS REPORTER WORD COUNT: 201 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DEATH THREATS WITH PELLET GUN LEAD TO CHARGES - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A Londoner was arrested yesterday after a man brandished a gun and uttered death threats when a party stretching into the early morning hours got out of hand. While the gun was found to be a pellet gun, London police said the situation was treated as seriously as if the weapon was a larger calibre handgun. "If we are arresting someone in possession of this type of weapons, we always take precautions," said Const. Amanda Pfeffer. "You can't distinguish this type of gun from an actual handgun. That's a great concern for police." A citizen called police shortly after 4 a.m. yesterday to report a fight in the parking lot of 1528 Ernest Ave. Police said the disturbance was sparked earlier yesterday when a man at a party got into an argument with a woman and another partygoer intervened. The man pulled a knife from his pocket and a fight began. The man dropped the knife and fled on foot, only to return later with a gun, police said. He pointed the gun at several people and made death threats before assaulting another person and dropping the gun, police said. The man again ran away from the area. Police caught up to a man and arrested him in a nearby apartment. The gun appeared to be a handgun. Police determined it was a pellet gun, a weapon that still poses a significant threat, they say. Lee Woldeyohannes, 29, was charged with possessing a dangerous weapon, pointing a firearm, uttering a death threat and two counts of assault. In June, two Lambton OPP officers drew their weapons on two teenage boys playing in a tree fort when they spotted what they believed to be semi-automatic handguns. The guns, which later turned out to be cap guns, had been modified and painted by the teens to look like real weapons. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2005 08:27:21 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Man with fake gun alarms drivers PUBLICATION: The Record (Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo) DATE: 2005.08.08 EDITION: Final SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 SOURCE: Record staff DATELINE: CAMBRIDGE WORD COUNT: 114 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Man with fake gun alarms drivers - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cambridge residents got a scare early Saturday night when a man inside the Royal Hotel pointed what looked like guns at passing cars. The 20-year-old Cambridge man was standing at a third-storey window of the hotel on Main Street, Waterloo regional police said. The incident lasted two hours and required police to shut down Main Street between Ainslie and Wellington streets, and Wellington Street between Dickson and Main. The man wielding the weapons eventually fled the hotel. When police entered his room, they found what turned out to be a replica submachine gun and a pellet gun, which was not fired, Waterloo Regional police said. The man later turned himself in at the Cambridge police station. He was charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2005 08:27:47 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: PAIR IN CUSTODY AFTER SHOOTINGS PUBLICATION: The Toronto Sun DATE: 2005.08.08 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: 5 BYLINE: JASON TCHIR WORD COUNT: 127 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PAIR IN CUSTODY AFTER SHOOTINGS - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A MAN was rushed to Sunnybrook hospital with gunshot wounds to his neck after two people were shot in a car outside a Scarborough plaza late last night. Few details were available but police had at least two people in custody after the shooting in front of the Money Mart at Markham Rd. and Eglinton Ave. around 11:30 p.m. "I saw a car pull up behind them and then a guy got out, took out his gun and started shooting," said a witness. "Then the car took off." It was the second shooting in Scarborough over the weekend. Two victims narrowly escaped injury as they left the Seawall lounge at 1067 Midland Ave. around 3 a.m. Saturday and a single shotgun blast was fired at them from a passing car. Three suspects made brief court appearances Saturday and remain in custody. Two others are being sought. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2005 08:36:30 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Rash of shootings spurs task force PUBLICATION: The Toronto Star DATE: 2005.08.08 EDITION: ONT SECTION: News PAGE: B1 BYLINE: Tracy Huffman SOURCE: Toronto Star WORD COUNT: 736 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Police boost presence to combat violence; Rash of shootings spurs task force Officers patrol Jane-Finch area - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "How are you, sir? Can I see some ID?" the police officer asks a young man drinking a beer with a friend at the back door of a highrise apartment building in the city's northwest end. It is Friday just before midnight in an area of the city that has been home to several shootings in recent weeks. The young man, wearing big baggy jeans, a dark T-shirt and baseball cap, reaches into his pocket as he looks at the seven uniformed police officers in his presence on this warm evening. The officers search the man, check his identification and confirm he isn't wanted for anything. They chat with him and his friend politely before telling them to have a nice evening. "I don't mean to be nosy, but why so many of you here? For me?" the man asks as the officers walk away. Const. Matt Butt explains there's been a lot of violence in the Jane-Finch area. Recently, a 4-year-old boy was shot. The uniformed officers are part of a new task force created by police Chief Bill Blair last week to tackle street violence in the area. The man nods at Butt and replies, "That's cool." For now, officers at 31 Division are calling it Project 14, since it's the 14th project the division has worked on under Supt. Glenn Decaire. "Not very creative, I know," Decaire admits. "We'll have to come up with something else." The project's goal is to reduce violence in the Jane-Finch community while restoring its sense of security, says Decaire. Although Decaire increased the uniformed police presence in the area a few weeks ago, Friday was the first night on which his team worked in collaboration with both the Guns and Gangs Task Force and a team of community response officers. "We've seen a recent rash of shootings and we are very interested in the individuals committing these crimes. I am particularly concerned about the number of injuries," he says. Last week Blair announced additional resources would be directed to the area to set up a new task force on street violence. The project began immediately, supplementing what Decaire had already begun. "We will arrest as many people as we can who shoot off guns in this community," Decaire says. "With the additional resources, people will notice a very visible increase in the number of officers on the street. It is unacceptable to have a 4-year-old shot.... We are not going to be held hostage to gangs." Friday night at 7 p.m. the street violence team gathers at 31 Division. Some of the 10 officers regularly work in the area; others have come from other divisions. Det. Brent Swackhamer is calling the shots. For the evening, he is the sergeant. For the next eight hours his colleagues will call him "Sarge." Swackhamer assigns the officers to specific duties. He wants them out in the community before dark, uniformed and in marked cruisers. Four trouble zones - housing complexes along Jane St. - will be the focus. The officers will drive there and patrol on foot before driving to the next zone. "Gun and knife calls are a regular occurrence in the division," says Swackhamer, who has been an officer more than 16 years. "And like most divisions, things become busier in the summer." Throughout the evening, the entire team meets in the different zones, patrolling the areas on foot as a large group. They speak to everyone they see a group of young women laughing and talking in a park, young men standing around or walking about, and youngsters taking turns showing off their moves with a skipping rope. "We want to talk to everyone, let them know we're here for their safety," Swackhamer says while walking with his team through The Lanes, an area near Jane St. and Driftwood Ave. "It is important to let the individuals who are causing the problems know that their behaviour will not be tolerated." In addition to patrolling the area, Swackhamer says the team will respond to any calls involving violence, to assist the officers on regular patrol duties. While walking through a housing complex at Grandravine Dr. and Driftwood, the officers chat and crack the occasional joke, teasing one another and calling each other by nicknames. When they approach people, they are serious but friendly. Although some people are a little leery about why the cops are out in such a large group, most are co-operative and don't mind a short chat with the officers. "Most of the people here are good people, trying to make a life for themselves and their families," Swackhamer says. "It's that small proportion causing the problems." As the officers approach a park, one young man, about 20 years old, doesn't seem comfortable. He tells the officers he hasn't done anything wrong. "And you probably haven't," Butt tells the man. "But we want to be sure you're one of the good guys." The park is the same place where a few nights earlier, Butt and his partner lost a bet to two 11-year-olds. A short game of basketball with the children cost the officers two pizzas and a bottle of pop. "They beat us, so we delivered on our promise. We delivered the pizza right to their home," Butt says. The Friday night shift ends without any gun calls, an unusually quiet evening. "It's been so quiet. But we got out and we talked to people. And the community sees that we're here," Swackhamer says. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2005 08:36:31 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Editorial: Devise an arrest list, not a no-fly list. PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen DATE: 2005.08.08 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PNAME: Editorial PAGE: A10 SOURCE: The Ottawa Citizen WORD COUNT: 532 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Best to ground this policy - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Government no-fly lists and shoot-to-kill policies on dealing with suspected suicide bombers are evidence of how the war against terrorism is distorting our understanding of right and wrong. Transport Minister Jean Lapierre announced in Halifax on Friday that the federal government is working on a no-fly list for Canadian airlines. The idea is to use intelligence information government agencies already have to identify people who pose an "immediate threat to aviation security," give their names and identifying details to airlines, and prevent them from flying. (Mr. Lapierre also talked in Halifax about starting consultations on sea and ground-transport security -- nearly four years after 9/11 and 16 months after the Madrid train bombings. It makes you wonder what the government has been doing all this time.) If the Canadian government can identify people who pose immediate threats to aviation security, it ought to devise an arrest list, not a no-fly list. If it can't confidently seek arrest warrants for these people, it has no business preventing them from travelling by air. Mr. Lapierre also talked about an "advanced automated air passenger assessment system." The idea appears to be a system of profiling would-be flyers on the spot, comparing their ticketing information with intelligence data to see whether a computer thinks they should be on a no-fly list, even if they aren't yet. The United States' Transportation Security Administration has had a no-fly list since 2001 -- one you find out you're on when you go to get on your plane. There's no way to challenge your listing, no way to see the evidence against you, no judicial review. Even senators have been denied the freedom to fly. This is no security tool for a free society. Nor is a policy of killing suspected suicide bombers -- an idea recommended by the National Association of Chiefs of Police in North America "when officers have reasonable basis to believe that the suspect has the capability to detonate a bomb." That's a very low standard of proof. Besides, bombers could easily defeat the purpose of such a policy by adding dead-man's switches to their explosives. Shooting a suspected suicide bomber in the torso -- the usual target when police consider shooting necessary -- might not prevent him or her from pressing a detonator button and might set off explosives all by itself, is the justification. That's why British police tackled and then shot a Brazilian electrician, Jean Charles de Menezes, on July 22, including seven times in the head. He had no bomb. Londoners were particularly shocked by the killing of Mr. de Menezes because nobody had told them a shoot-to-kill-on-suspicion policy existed. Here in Canada, neither the RCMP nor the Ottawa police say they've adopted such a policy. Good, but if that changes, we deserve to know exactly what standard of proof the police with the guns must meet before they use them. Mr. Lapierre says that we are under threat and we need a "culture of security" in Canada. Yes, but we also need a culture of laws, where the presumption of innocence overrides all the but the gravest threats. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2005 08:36:38 -0600 (CST) From: "Bruce Mills" Subject: Grim Gunfire http://www.pulse24.com/News/Top_Story/20050808-002/page.asp Grim Gunfire CITY-TV August 8, 2005 The city's summer under the gun has claimed two more victims, and left police dealing with three more shootings. Three men were hit by bullets downtown within minutes of each other. At least one of the incidents is believed to have started near the Phoenix Nightclub at Wellesley and Sherbourne Sts. just before 4am. When emergency crews arrived at Jarvis and Bloor, they found two distraught friends of one victim, desperately trying to get him to hospital. They were forced to flag down an officer for directions as the man lay bleeding. Just blocks away and not long after, sirens were heard at Jarvis and Maitland, where two more shooting victims were located. Both were pronounced dead in hospital. And authorities now wonder if there are even more wounded victims they haven't found yet. The third shooting of the night took emergency officials to Eglinton and Markham around 11:30pm, where a drive-by left two others suffering serious wounds. A 27-year-old man is in Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre being treated for a gunshot to the head. Another man was also hit and managed to reach Scarborough General Hospital on his own. Both are expected to survive. Two people were arrested at the scene but no charges have been laid. There have been an astounding 21 victims hit on the streets of the Toronto in the past two weeks, a declaration of war Chief Bill Blair blames on gang disputes and the easy availability of guns. But so far, police haven't ascribed motives to any of the latest incidents. They're disgusted with all the violence and have pledged to stop it no matter what it takes. "There seems to be some kind of culture in this city now that guns are an acceptable way to deal with any problem you've got," condemns Duty Inspector Brian O'Connor. "Apparently, there's a gangster-thug culture ... and it's disgusting." ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2005 09:19:02 -0600 (CST) From: "Robert S. Sciuk" Subject: Letter to National Post (unpub) ... Making Toronto a safer city ... (fwd) Dear Sir/Madame, In your editorial you demonstrate a grasp of events and realities which seem somehow illusive to our political betters. Perhaps the single root cause of firearms violence which can be easily changed is summed up in your words: "Nearly a decade ago, Bill C-68 amended the Criminal Code to include mandatory four-year sentences when firearms are used in the commission of any of 10 serious offences. But judges and prosecutors have been lax in following through on this requirement, bargaining most sentences down." Truly the single useful measure in the Canadian Firearms Act, or C68 as it has been termed was the mandatory minimum sentencing changes to the criminal code. The government has instead focused upon the regulatory aspects such as the registry, draconian ownership requirements and an inane though incredibly expensive bureacracy to oversee those who by fiat of license are already deemed to be trustworthy. At the same time, the Liberals have steadfastly ignored their own law, sentencing mandate and original intent. Clearly political pressure from the left has changed the will of the Liberal government from cracking down on violence to the elimination of hunters and target shooters (and ultimately firearms) through social engineering. While it is fine to have a political agenda, one wonders whether this should come at the expense of the public safety. While the average Canadian feels that they are directly unaffected by this inane law, one way or another every Canadian will ultimately pay the price -- either through the indirect opportunity costs of maintaining a useless bureacracy or as a victim of criminals who are completely unaffected by this tragically expensive and farcical "Culture of Safety". Sincerely, Robert S. Sciuk Oshawa, Ont. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2005 09:25:42 -0600 (CST) From: "Bruce Mills" Subject: Re: Letter to National Post (unpub) ... - ----- Original Message ----- From: Robert S. Sciuk > In your editorial you demonstrate a grasp of events and realities which > seem somehow illusive to our political betters. "Illusive" or "elusive"? I'm not sure "illusive" is a word...if it is, it's going to miss with your audience. Liberty is wasted on you, Bruce Hamilton Ontario ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2005 10:15:20 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Column: Canada closed to refugees? Hardly PUBLICATION: National Post DATE: 2005.08.08 EDITION: National SECTION: Issues & Ideas PAGE: A16 COLUMN: Lorne Gunter BYLINE: Lorne Gunter SOURCE: National Post NOTE: lgunter@telus.net WORD COUNT: 793 - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ----- A 'silent killer'? Hardly - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ----- Is Canada's new Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States really a "silent killer" of refugees? The Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) -- a special interest activist group -- claims it is. And last Friday, the Toronto Star dutifully parroted allegations in the CCR's new report, Closing the Front Door, that the policy had "slashed" the number of refugees coming to Canada because it "closes land-crossings for asylum seekers from the United States." Hardly. In effect since January, "Safe Third" as it is known, permits Canadian immigration officials at land-based border crossings to deny entry to Canada by claimants who are already in the United States. The theory is simple (and sound). Under the United Nations definition, a refugee is someone with a "well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country." Once he has been permitted entry to a country where he no longer has those fears -- a safe third country -- he is no longer a refugee. Thus, asylum seekers cease to be refugees the minute they are in the United States. So if they later present themselves to Canadian officials thinking they might get a better deal here, they are merely "asylum shoppers," and may be sent back to the U.S. without a hearing. But not all persons seeking asylum here from the United States are turned back, not even with the new rules in place. Indeed, in the first six months of the agreement's operation, just 187 (2.2%) of nearly 9,000 total refugees applicants have been denied entry to Canada because of the agreement. Even at border crossings with the United States, 89.4% of persons presenting themselves as refugees were admitted between January and June this year. That is hardly a "closing" of our border. Admittedly, the number of potential refugees presenting themselves at Canada-U.S. border crossings is way down from the first six months of 2004: 1,762 this year versus 3,494 during the same period last year. And some of that decline, perhaps even most of it, is due to word-of-mouth about the Safe Third Country Agreement. People who might in previous years have shown up at a checkpoint and taken a crack at being admitted to Canada have heard about the new regulations and decided not to try. But the CCR and the Star insist this is tantamount to consigning these "missing" applicants to deportation from the U.S. and death in their home countries -- thus, the "silent killer" accusation. Such a presumption, though, is based on the notion that people who genuinely fear for their lives and the lives of their families are being deterred from even asking for refugee status in Canada because they have heard our border is now tougher to cross. As in, "I am sorry little Juan and Juanita. We know we face deportation and almost certain death back home if we remain here in the United States. But your mother and I have heard rumours that Canada will no longer accept people in our circumstances, so we have decided not even to drive up to Windsor and see for ourselves." Possible, but unlikely. The most probable explanation for the decline is that Ottawa was right in the first place; lots of refugee applicants coming via the United States were merely looking for a sweeter deal here. Now many of these benefit-hunt ers are pre-screening themselves. Safe Third has hardly made Canada cold-hearted to genuine refugees, even those transiting here from the States. True, refugee applications this year will likely be less than half what they were at their peak of nearly 45,000 in 2001. But they are down across the industrialized world. Since 9/11, receiving governments have gotten smarter and more serious about interdicting false claimants before they enter their countries, because most countries have laws, appeal courts or bureaucracies that make removing a claimant difficult once he has reached their soil, even if his claim ultimately proves bogus. Before 9/11, refugee claims had become a way to shortcut the legitimate immigration process. Applying for family-reunification or skilled-worker or investor-class entry from outside the country could take seven years or more. Why not hop a plane to Pearson, claim persecution and be here tomorrow? It still might take three or four years to resolve your claim, but at least you would be here in the meantime. Now forward-screening -- for instance more closely checking the credentials of passengers boarding Canada-bound planes at foreign airports -- has dramatically reduced this queue-jumping. And Canada still accepts more legitimate refugees per capita than nearly any other nation. People genuinely in need of our protection still receive it. ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V8 #307 ********************************** 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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