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 #521 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 Friday, October 21 2005 Volume 08 : Number 521 In this issue: CITY COUNCIL LOOKING AT BANNING FAKE FIREARMS U.S. passes lawsuit shield for gunmakers Pediatric society asks doctors to inquire about firearms in homes EDITOR (Our laws actually shielded him.) BRITAIN: Gun crime, sexual offences and robberies still rising, Family defends shot boy's dad Man faces 31 charges after 50-hour standoff RCMP reveal property seized in Project Gunship an "arsenal" of four weapons Gunman caught, freed: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 07:17:17 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: CITY COUNCIL LOOKING AT BANNING FAKE FIREARMS PUBLICATION: The Edmonton Sun DATE: 2005.10.21 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: 9 BYLINE: FRANK LANDRY, CITY HALL BUREAU WORD COUNT: 194 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CITY COUNCIL LOOKING AT BANNING FAKE FIREARMS - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Toy guns could soon be banned from the shelves of Edmonton stores. A committee of council next week will consider prohibiting the sale of imitation handguns and pellet guns within city limits, or restricting who can buy them. But a report to the committee concludes it wouldn't be an easy task. Mayor Stephen Mandel said at the very least, the discussion will draw attention to the seriousness of the matter. "Maybe we need to do some education, some publicity," Mandel said. "I doubt very much we'll be able to ban them. We'll see what the report says." Mandel initiated the push for a ban after a 13-year-old boy was nearly shot by police in March after failing to obey instructions to drop what later turned out to be a pellet gun. The weapon was a very realistic replica of the Glock pistol issued to city police. Following the near-fatal incident, Mandel asked administration to come back with a report on how the city could control the sale of imitation handguns and pellet guns. The report - which will be considered Wednesday by the executive committee - found council has the authority to create a bylaw to do just that. "The question remains whether dealing with the issue in this manner is a practical solution," states the document. The report notes it would be difficult to define what, exactly, constitutes an imitation gun. "Would it be based simply on appearance? Would it require some form of operation capability? "These are important questions as the answers will determine whether a simple wood carving would contravene the bylaw, or a cap gun or water pistol..." Alisha Bard, spokesman for the Bay and Zellers, said the stores stopped selling toy guns four years ago in response to customer demands. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 07:17:35 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: U.S. passes lawsuit shield for gunmakers PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen DATE: 2005.10.21 EDITION: EARLY SECTION: News PAGE: A16 BYLINE: Laurie Kellman SOURCE: The Associated Press DATELINE: WASHINGTON WORD COUNT: 152 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. passes lawsuit shield for gunmakers - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WASHINGTON - Congress gave the gun lobby its top legislative priority yesterday, passing a bill protecting the firearms industry from massive crime victim lawsuits. "Our laws should punish criminals who use guns to commit crimes, not law-abiding manufacturers of lawful products," President George W. Bush said in a statement. Under the measure, a half-dozen pending lawsuits by governments against the industry would be dismissed. Anti-gun groups say some lawsuits filed by individuals could be thrown out, too. The Senate passed the bill in July. The bill's passage was the National Rifle Association's top legislative priority. "Lawsuits seeking to hold the firearms industry responsible for the criminal and unlawful use of its products are brazen attempts to accomplish through litigation what has not been achieved by legislation and the democratic process," House judiciary committee chairman James Sensenbrenner said. Former House majority leader, Texas Republican Tom DeLay, did not vote. He is in Texas in connection with his indictment in an alleged scheme to violate state election law. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 07:18:39 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Pediatric society asks doctors to inquire about firearms in homes DATE: 2005.10.20 CATEGORY: Lifestyles BYLINE: VICTORIA AHEARN PUBLICATION: cpw WORD COUNT: 440 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pediatric society asks doctors to inquire about firearms in homes - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TORONTO (CP) _ Doctors should routinely inquire about the presence of firearms in the home and counsel parents about the safety risks involved with firearms possession, the Canadian Paediatric Society said Thursday. The recommendation was among several issued by the society in its Youth and Firearms in Canada report, published this week in the journal Paediatrics and Child Health. ``The general issue is that in a developed country like ours . . . accidents and injuries are really a leading cause of death, and that pediatricians should have an interest in helping prevent injuries,'' said Dr. Katherine Austin Leonard, principal author and member of the society's adolescent health committee in Toronto. ``In particular, the message with this statement is to pay attention to firearms injuries,'' she said in an interview. The position statement is a revision of the society's 1995 paper on prevention of firearm deaths in children and adolescents. The new version asks that doctors include the topic of firearms possession _ including non-powder firearms like BB guns, air guns and paintball guns _ as part of their routine injury prevention counselling with families. Physicians are also asked to pay particular attention to families or parents dealing with a depressed teen. ``That would probably be the single most important thing,'' said Austin Leonard. ``If there were a depressed teen male, the risk for suicide is greater when there's a firearm in the home.'' The society said physicians should recommend removing any firearms from homes with children or adolescents. If there is resistance to the idea, they should ask that the firearms be stored according to the laws of the Firearms Act: locked, or in a locked box, and separate from ammunition. Those tips may seem like common sense, but the society says some people aren't getting the message. ``I think a lot of gun owners have somewhat unrealistic ideas about the developmental capabilities of children and teenagers,'' said Austin Leonard. ``(They) may not understand that to tell a child or a teenager, for example, `Don't touch that,' might not be adequate.'' Austin Leonard admitted some physicians may feel uncomfortable asking parents about firearms, but said it's a necessary step to preventing injury. ``People aren't totally comfortable with it and they're worried that perhaps the families might take offence or be upset,'' she said. ``But I think if you look back 20, 30 years ago, the kinds of attitudes that we had about cigarette smoking and how much that's changed.'' The report cited a Statistics Canada study which found that 67 youths under age 20 died in 2002 from firearm injuries, either accidental or intentional (suicide or homicide). It also pointed to a 1997 study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which ranked 26 industrialized countries by firearm mortality in youths younger than 15. ``Canada ranked fifth, behind the United States (which had the highest rate), Finland, Northern Ireland and Israel,'' said the report. ``Adolescent males, in particular, have a disproportionate share of firearm injuries; of all firearm deaths among 15-to-19-year-old Canadians in 2002, 96 per cent were male.'' On the Net: http://www.cps.ca/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 07:18:54 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: EDITOR (Our laws actually shielded him.) PUBLICATION: The Calgary Sun DATE: 2005.10.21 EDITION: Final SECTION: Editorial/Opinion PAGE: 14 COLUMN: Letters to the Editor WORD COUNT: 475 GORDON STEELE seems to think "gun control" (a synonym of increased legislation) would have saved four Mounties lives. (Letters, Oct. 16.) What he seems to forget is James Roszko had already been banned by the courts from owning firearms due to previous crimes. The strong wording in our law books already was in place to keep him away from firearms. Had our spineless justice system sent this man to jail, instead of sticking labels on his name and putting his record in a filing cabinet, perhaps those Mounties would be alive today. Christopher Conn EDITOR (Our laws actually shielded him.) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 07:19:09 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: BRITAIN: Gun crime, sexual offences and robberies still rising, say police Sender: owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Precedence: normal Reply-To: cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca PUBLICATION: The Daily Telegraph DATE: 2005.10.21 PAGE: 00 SECTION: News BYLINE: Philip Johnston Home Affairs Editor WORD COUNT: 359 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gun crime, sexual offences and robberies still rising, say police - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CRIMES of violence are continuing to rise, according to police figures published yesterday. Assaults, robberies, sexual offences and the use of guns are all on the increase - though Government ministers said the risk of being a victim is lower than for 25 years. Between April and June, there were 318,000 violent crimes in England and Wales - six per cent more than in the same quarter last year and a rise of 12 per cent on the previous three months. The figures also suggest that Tony Blair's vaunted crackdown on street robberies, which focused police attention on the problem and led to a fall in muggings, has run its course. The second quarter of this year saw a four per cent rise in robbery compared with the same period in 2004 - the first increase since Mr Blair launched his initiative three years ago after mugging figures nearly doubled under Labour. Within a year, as police targeted robbery ''hot spots'', official figures showed that the pounds 67 million initiative had led to a 20 per cent fall in city centre muggings. But every police force area is now reporting a rise in street crime again and the Tories said yesterday that matters would get worse once more flexible licensing laws take effect next month. Edward Garnier, the Conservative home affairs spokesman, said: "With violent crime continuing to soar it beggars belief that the Government's only response is to unleash 24-hour drinking on our town and city centres - something which judges have already warned will lead to a further increase in violent and sexual crime.'' Yesterday's figures also showed a five per cent increase in firearms offences, a 12 per cent increase in sexual offences and an 11 per cent fall in domestic burglaries. Ministers said the figures were not as bad as they seemed because the police were recording low-level violent crimes, including those that did not involve injury, that in the past would not have been followed up. Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, said: "This is a considerable achievement demonstrating the success of Government initiatives on crime reduction and should not be underestimated. ''However, I recognise that the fear of crime is too high - it is not enough to reduce crime if people do not perceive that reduction.'' ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 07:19:55 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Family defends shot boy's dad PUBLICATION: The Province DATE: 2005.10.21 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: A8 SOURCE: The Canadian Press DATELINE: KAMLOOPS WORD COUNT: 250 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Family defends shot boy's dad - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ KAMLOOPS -- The family of a man shot in the back during a hunting trip is concerned that people think he was careless in allowing his six-year-old son to handle a gun. A spokeswoman for the family, who didn't wish to be named, said yesterday the boy has been around firearms since he was two and that safety has always been emphasized. The boy has also gone to a shooting range several times and was taught how to handle a rifle. The boy's 43-year-old father, known as an experienced hunter who is extremely cautious about firearms, is in stable condition in hospital after being shot in the back Wednesday. "That this happened just amazes everyone who knows him," the spokeswoman said. She added that the family is also upset that police questioned the boy for several hours without an adult present. Kamloops Rural RCMP Staff-Sgt. Kelly Auld said the fact that the man was shot in the back suggests the boy wasn't supervised. "We're looking at the possibility of charges against the father as he was the responsible licence holder," Auld said. "He would be charged with careless use of a firearm." Kelly Dahl, a conservation officer, said the child shouldn't have been hunting to begin with. It's illegal under the Wildlife Act for anyone under age 10 to hunt even with adult supervision. Children aged 10 and over can hunt as long as a parent or guardian signs an acknowledgement of responsibility saying he or she will be responsible for the youth, Dahl said. "Even then, if a 10-year-old wanders off the trail unsupervised, the parent or guardian is breaking the law." Auld confirmed that the boy's mother wasn't part of the interview because she couldn't be located. He said that while it's common practice to have an adult present it's not required under law. "He's too young to prosecute, so he was interviewed as a witness," Auld said. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 07:20:09 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Man faces 31 charges after 50-hour standoff (Fort McMurray Today) DATE: 2005.10.20 CATEGORY: National general news PUBLICATION: cpw WORD COUNT: 161 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Man faces 31 charges after 50-hour standoff in Fort McMurray, Alta. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. (CP) _ A man who allegedly was involved in a standoff with police for three days, forcing the evacuation of some nearby residents and halting construction activity, will face more than 30 charges. Timothy Orrin Campbell, 37, appeared in provincial court Wednesday. The Crown noted a decision was made to lower the number of charges from 38 to 31. ``There were seven charges withdrawn by Crown in consultation with the investigating members in review of the file,'' RCMP Const. Steve DeRoche said. The dropped charges include two of attempted murder, three of discharging a firearm to evade arrest and two counts of mischief. The remaining 31 charges stem from the standoff with police last week in a subdivision under construction in the Timberlea area of Fort McMurray. It started when the RCMP detachment received a call from a woman saying an armed man was following her while she was driving in her vehicle. Then a man then drove into the construction site and holed up in the cab of a dump truck for more than 50 hours. The case was put over until Oct. 26 for election and plea. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 07:20:26 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: RCMP reveal property seized in Project Gunship PUBLICATION: Yellowknifer DATE: 2005.10.21 BYLINE: Roxanna Thompson Northern News Services ILLUSTRATION: Two shotguns, two handguns and ammunition were among the items seized by police during the Oct. 13 raid. WORD COUNT: 271 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Enough cocaine for one-third of the city; RCMP reveal property seized in Project Gunship - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Seven kilograms of cocaine and two kilograms of marijuana were seized during Project Gunship, RCMP revealed Wednesday. The drugs and other property seized during Oct. 13 raids were on display at a press conference. The amount of cocaine confiscated was enough to give a third of the population of Yellowknife a gram, the commonly sold unit, said Const. Erik Irani, an RCMP drug awareness co-ordinator. He estimated it is also enough to keep 117 heavy users supplied for over a month. Cocaine was found in powder and crack form. The powder was pure cocaine broken off a brick, said Irani. Crack was packaged into "spitballs." These are approximately one gram amounts tied in the corners of plastic bags and ready for street sale. According to police, the marijuana is enough for 6,000 joints. "If you are working in the drug trade, you need to understand that it is our intention to come after you," said Insp. Jim Cunningham. In addition to a new street-level drug enforcement team, a police service dog, whose skills include drug detection, is expected to arrive soon as a permanent addition to the "G" division, he said. Two shotguns, two handguns, ammunition and cash were also seized. Members of city council were told during a meeting with police on Monday that $100,000 in $5, $10 and $20 denominations and a $16,000 piano were among the items seized. If the assets are judged to be the proceeds of crime they will be disposed of and the revenues will be used by the territorial government to support policing activities, police said. On Oct. 13, the Right Spot, The Diner, Johnson's Building Supplies, and four homes were raided. Cunningham said he couldn't supply details of where the items were found. The undercover police operation took 18 months to plan and involved more than 50 police officers. - - With files from Dorothy Westerman ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 07:21:09 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: an "arsenal" of four weapons PUBLICATION: Calgary Herald DATE: 2005.10.21 EDITION: Final SECTION: City & Region PAGE: B4 BYLINE: Daryl Slade SOURCE: Calgary Herald WORD COUNT: 343 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Calgarian linked to international credit card-identity theft scheme - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Craig Steven Giroux began his foray into counterfeit credit card fraud on a small scale in August 2003 by breaking into a locker at a sports facility, stealing a credit card and using it. By the time his sophisticated illegal activity was curbed by police and he was sent to prison, the 23-year-old Calgarian was a part of a large-scale, international credit card and identification counterfeiting scheme. Giroux was sentenced on Wednesday to four years by provincial court Judge Catherine Skene after pleading guilty to 16 charges related to computers, plastic cards or electromagnetic data readers. The readers he was found with are used for forging or falsifying credit cards. There was also what was described as an "arsenal" of four weapons in his house on Southampton Green S.W. last March. "He started in the least-sophisticated manner," said Crown prosecutor Jane McClellan. "Now, Mr. Giroux is actively trafficking on the Internet for credit card dumping with a large number of illegally obtained credit card numbers." Skene, in reading aloud a victim impact statement from Paul Tomniuk, corporate security officer for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, was stunned at the scope of such illegal activity. "Credit card fraud is a multimillion-dollar crime problem for credit card users," she said, quoting Tomniuk. "In Canada, the problem has become increasingly serious for financial institutions, which have over 35 million credit cards in circulation. . . . Losses to credit card fraud cost Canadian issuers of Visa, MasterCard and American Express more than $178.2 million (in 2002)." Tomniuk said losses involved 138,834 Canadian credit cards that found their way into the hands of thieves and fraud artists here and overseas. The loss to forged and stolen credit cards either in Giroux's possession or used by him between Dec. 14 and March 29, said McClellan, was over $136,000. She said more than $51,000 of that total can be directly attributed to his use of the cards and noted several others were involved. McClellan also said two rifles, two handguns, brass knuckles, and 36 pepper spray canisters were found in Giroux's home. dslade@theherald.canwest.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 07:23:55 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Gunman caught, freed: PUBLICATION: National Post DATE: 2005.10.21 EDITION: Toronto SECTION: Toronto PAGE: A15 / Front BYLINE: Nicholas Kohler SOURCE: National Post ILLUSTRATION: Black & White Photo: J.P. Moczulski, For National Post /Constable Gary Wright points out where he and his partner were in the Yorkdale Mall parkade when they saw a man shoot another youth. NOTE: nkohler@nationalpost.com WORD COUNT: 681 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gunman caught, freed: He held officers at gunpoint, but a technicality let him walk - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It was a split second: a handgun levelled at a police officer in crowded Yorkdale Mall, moviegoers just out of a theatre squinting into the shopping centre's bright lights. The two officers, constables Gary Wright and Dan Amyotte, had just an instant before watched as the gunman raised his right arm and fired upon another black youth. Now, the officers found themselves under that same gun. Last week, the incident earned the two officers -- partners for almost 15 years with 40 years of service between them -- a police award for bravery. But for both men it's an award tinged with frustration -- even, perhaps, regret. After firing upon a man, then aiming his 9-mm weapon at police, the gunman was released on a technicality. And more than a year after the incident, at least one of the officers wonders if he and his partner, their Glock pistols drawn and ready, shouldn't have shot that man. "You definitely think back and think, yeah, you know what, this guy is walking free now," said Const. Wright this week. "You tell the story and you listen to other guys say, 'Oh man, I would have shot him for sure.' " Then he backed himself up, changing course. "Not only are you shooting him, but for every woman, every child, every - -- anybody -- that was there, to have to witness that would be something that would traumatize them for the rest of their life." Const. Wright and his partner stopped serving together not long after the incident. Const. Amyotte was not available to comment on this story. Back on Jan. 31, 2004, at about 9 p.m., the two men were sitting in a gold Chevy Corsica in a multi-level parking lot at Yorkdale Mall. It was a Sunday. Their superiors, anxious to stop a growing robbery problem at Yorkdale (since abated), dispatched a number of plainclothes units to stake out the mall. Ensconced in the sedan in the dark, the two men were talking over their day when they saw a group of youths, maybe four or five, gather in the doorway just to the rear of the Rainforest Cafe. They saw two youths step into the January cold and begin a shoving match. They were in profile, silhouetted by the lights of the mall, when one man stepped back and raised his right arm. The officers heard the shot loud and resounding through the lot. Smoke drifted from the gun barrel. Const. Wright's eyes were fixed on the gunman: "He wasn't eyeballing us," he said. "After he fired it, he slowly just kind of stood there for a second and then turned to walk into the mall. He was pretty cold and cool about the whole thing." Their guns now drawn, the two officers rushed in pursuit, leaving the gunman's target outside. The victim has never been located. Stepping through the doors, they were presented with a long, narrow corridor leading to the mall. To the right were the washrooms. Farther along, in full view of the chase, sat dozens of Rainforest Cafe diners. The officers spotted two men, the gunman and his associate, outside the washrooms "as soon as we turned the corner," Const. Wright said. They ordered them to the floor. One dropped immediately. The other -- the man with the loaded pistol -- backed away, his arms up, his shoulder blades against the corridor wall. Then he reached his hand to the gun at the small of his back. Const. Amyotte looked into the eye of the gun. It was a split second. Both officers were shouting. "At that point the movies had just been let out," Const. Wright recalled. "So at that point there was lots of people yelling, screaming, employees of the Rainforest were crying." Just as quick as he'd aimed his pistol, the young man crouched, dropping the gun. Then he stood, still backing down the corridor, before running through the restaurant and escaping. Const. Amyotte picked up the weapon and, a gun in each hand, rushed after him down the corridor. The crowds proved too thick. The gunman was gone. Left alone to contend with the second man lying on the ground, Const. Wright asked a cook from the Rainforest Cafe to secure the handcuffs while he held him at gunpoint. Such was the confusion that, later, witnesses described the bad guy as white with a thick moustache and a shaved head. It was a description of Const. Amyotte. Last Wednesday, both officers received Merit Marks, awards given in recognition of their bravery. The gunman's charges, meanwhile, were dropped after prosecutors cited difficulties related to identifying the man, who later surrendered to police with his lawyer. The two constables, it turns out, should have been treated as witnesses in the matter and been presented with a police lineup. ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V8 #521 ********************************** 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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