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 #857 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 Saturday, December 31 2005 Volume 08 : Number 857 In this issue: Letter: Shootings related to drug wars Gun enthusiasts holster $100,000 ad campaign 'Prince of Beauce' is Tories' best shot in Quebec EDITOR (We could, but do you think the Liberals actually would?) Letter: Who needs a gun? National Post: This week in letters Boxing day shootings suspect fresh out of jail: gun violence: Editorial: Time to devote more resources to fight gangs ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 10:58:13 -0600 (CST) From: owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Majordomo User) Subject: Letter: Shootings related to drug wars PUBLICATION: The Toronto Star DATE: 2005.12.31 EDITION: ONT SECTION: National Report PAGE: B7 WORD COUNT: 204 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shootings related to drug wars - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gunfire on Yonge No doubt the coming days will see reams of newspaper type devoted to putting an end to such tragedies. Some of the commentary, such as that relating racism to the drug trade, will have an indirect bearing on the subject, but most of it, including the debate about the availability of handguns, will have little bearing on the problem because these discussions will avoid the central topic of why these shootings are occurring. I would wager that 99.9 per cent of these shootings relate to drug wars over turf. Why are drug turfs worth fighting and dying for? Because the sale of drugs is highly profitable. And why is it so lucrative? Because prices are kept artificially high by laws that make their production and sale illegal. And why should the citizenry, through its elected representatives, enact drug laws that benefit the gangs perpetrating these killings? Never mind that - the media analysis will never delve that deeply into our drug laws but will extemporize on the symptoms of the problem and nothing will change. Marc Noiseux, Sudbury ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 10:58:29 -0600 (CST) From: owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Majordomo User) Subject: Gun enthusiasts holster $100,000 ad campaign PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen DATE: 2005.12.31 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: A4 SOURCE: The Canadian Press WORD COUNT: 167 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gun enthusiasts holster $100,000 ad campaign - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lobby groups opposed to the federal Liberals' proposed crackdown on handguns have backed off plans to target Toronto with a $100,000 ad campaign in the last two weeks of the federal election campaign. The Canadian Institute for Legislative Action and the Canadian Shooting Sports Association announced the change after published reports Thursday said the drive would proceed despite the Boxing Day shooting in downtown Toronto that left a high school student dead and six other people wounded. "In light of the recent barbaric attacks in downtown Toronto ... we are very concerned that our informational advertising is being intentionally misconstrued for political purposes," said Larry Whitmore, executive director of the shooting sports association. Before the groups reversed their position, Louise Russo, who was paralysed by a stray bullet in a drive-by shooting last year, reacted angrily to news of the campaign. "Tell them to come and sit in my chair and deal with the pain I deal with every single day ... No one should be carrying a handgun. No one," she said. - ------------------------------------------ PUBLICATION: The Chronicle-Herald DATE: 2005.12.31 SECTION: Canada PAGE: A4 WORD COUNT: 199 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gun lobby groups back off from planned ad campaign - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TORONTO (CP) - Lobby groups opposed to the federal Liberals' proposed crackdown on handguns have backed off plans to target Toronto with a $100,000 ad campaign in the last two weeks of the federal election campaign. The Canadian Institute for Legislative Action and the Canadian Shooting Sports Association announced the change Thursday. Published reports earlier in the day said the drive would proceed despite the Boxing Day shooting in downtown Toronto that left a high school student dead and six other people wounded. "In light of the recent barbaric attacks in downtown Toronto . . . we are very concerned that our informational advertising is being intentionally misconstrued for political purposes," said Larry Whitmore, executive director of the shooting sports association. Before the groups reversed their position, Louise Russo, who was paralyzed by a stray bullet in a drive-by shooting last year, reacted angrily to news of the campaign. "Tell them to come and sit in my chair and deal with the pain I deal with every single day . . . No one should be carrying a handgun. No one," she said. A Liberal MP well known in the Toronto area also attacked the ad campaign. "Now is not the time for someone to come and spend $100,000 to tell us about guns. This is not America," said Minister of State Tony Ianno. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 10:59:22 -0600 (CST) From: owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Majordomo User) Subject: 'Prince of Beauce' is Tories' best shot in Quebec PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen DATE: 2005.12.31 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: A4 BYLINE: Allan Woods SOURCE: The Ottawa Citizen DATELINE: STE ILLUSTRATION: Photo: Fred Chartrand, The Canadian Press / Maxime Bernierbelieves fixing fiscal imbalances between the provinces and the federal government will fight the separatist movement in Quebec. WORD COUNT: 542 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'Prince of Beauce' is Tories' best shot in Quebec - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ STE-MARIE-DE-BEAUCE, Que. - The Conservative party tapped into a royal pedigree for a candidate who is one of their best hopes to win a breakthrough seat in Quebec. Maxime Bernier is the son of the "King of the Beauce." It is a name that was affectionately given to Gilles Bernier, Mr. Bernier's father, and it has stayed with him despite having left Parliament Hill three elections ago. Gilles Bernier was kicked out of Kim Campbell's Progressive Conservative party before the 1993 election under a cloud of corruption charges, but went on to win his riding as an independent before bowing out and throwing his support in 1997 behind Liberal candidate Claude Drouin, who stayed for three terms. And now, with his decision to contest the riding for the Conservative party, the crown has passed to Maxime Bernier. His victory is by no means a sure thing, but it would be a breakthrough for the predominately western-based Tories in the event that Canadians re-elect a Liberal government. If the election tides change to favour Stephen Harper and he is elected prime minister Jan. 23, Mr. Bernier's victory is vital. "It's important for the party to have at least one seat in Quebec because we're a national party," Mr. Bernier said. "If you don't have any seats among the Quebec electorate, that's the end of being a national party." The matter-of-fact assessment is in keeping with Mr. Bernier's outlook on politics and life. It is the same line of thinking that leads him to assert that Quebec's sovereigntist sentiment will disappear once the federal government fixes the so-called fiscal imbalance, where provincial governments complain that they pay more to Ottawa than what they receive back in services. "If you solve that in Quebec, I'm sure that the sovereigntist movement, the (Parti Quebecois) and the Bloc (Quebecois), won't be as popular. It's very simple and it's the main thing," he said. He also notes that because the Beauce is a federalist riding, all he must do for the rest of the campaign is keep stealing the Liberal vote away from the Grit candidate, former village mayor Jacques Lussier, and he will be able to defeat Patrice Moore, the popular radio host who is carrying the Bloc banner, and keep the Beauce's shutout of separatist parties alive in the parliamentary history books. "If we started with only 8,000 votes for the the Conservatives in the last election (in 2004), I need that (Liberal) vote if I want to win," said Mr. Bernier. "That's why I'm enthusiastic. Because people are telling me: 'I am a Liberal but you will have my vote.'" If it all sounds too simple coming from Mr. Bernier's mouth, that is either because it is too simple, or because it is bang-on. This is, after all, La Beauce, a vast swath of land between the provincial capital and the Canada-U.S. border that expert political observers describe as "a distinct society within Quebec." But les Beaucerons do want an advocate in Ottawa. It is the position that Mr. Bernier is pitching hard for in this campaign, but it is his last name rather than his first that gives him his best chance to land the job, he admits. "Paul Martin's dad did it for him," he said. "Paul Martin, the father, did good policy for Canada, and so you have Paul Martin Jr. So now you have Maxime Bernier, and before him Gilles." To run in this election, Mr. Bernier quit a job with the Montreal Economic Institute to move back to the land he left at 19 years of age. Gilles Bernier is working on the campaign, usually accompanying his son to one major event each week to act as a bridge between the rookie politician and area decision-makers. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 10:59:41 -0600 (CST) From: owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Majordomo User) Subject: EDITOR (We could, but do you think the Liberals actually would?) PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Sun DATE: 2005.12.31 EDITION: Final SECTION: Comment PAGE: 13 BYLINE: OTTAWA SUN COLUMN: Letters to the Editor WORD COUNT: 291 Since Paul Martin seems so adamant about spending $1 billion compensating the owners of confiscated handguns, I have come up with the perfect solution. Figuring there are less than 500 illegal handguns in Toronto, we simply set up a kiosk in Toronto and pay the crooks $2 million for each gun turned in. Toronto hoodlums will flock in for this kind of coin, take the money and move to Las Vegas. We will have no guns on the street, no crooks in the alleys and law-abiding firearms owners will be left alone. Best of all, we can do it in one day without budget overruns. Tony Bernardo EDITOR (We could, but do you think the Liberals actually would?) oped@ott.sunpub.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 10:59:53 -0600 (CST) From: owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Majordomo User) Subject: Letter: Who needs a gun? PUBLICATION: Edmonton Journal DATE: 2005.12.31 EDITION: Final SECTION: Opinion PAGE: A14 BYLINE: M.K. Reid SOURCE: The Edmonton Journal WORD COUNT: 85 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Who needs a gun? - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Paul Martin says he is going to ban handguns. I am interested to know how he plans to do this and why he has waited so long to mention it. Oh, that's right -- there is an election coming and he is pulling out all the stops. I would also like to know why any law-abiding citizen needs to have a handgun anyway. What purpose would a person have to own one? For target practice? I just don't get it. M.K. Reid, Edmonton ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 11:01:37 -0600 (CST) From: owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Majordomo User) Subject: National Post: This week in letters PUBLICATION: National Post DATE: 2005.12.31 EDITION: Toronto SECTION: Editorials PAGE: A14 BYLINE: Paul Russell SOURCE: National Post NOTE: prussell@nationalpost.com WORD COUNT: 749 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This week in letters - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ After Monday's shooting in Toronto's downtown core, letter writers overwhelmed our mailbox with their thoughts on a tragedy that cost one girl her life, and the city its sense of security. And many pointed the finger of blame at the federal government. "This is yet another disastrous result of Liberal criminal-coddling and failed gun control policies," wrote Bruce N. Mills. "Do you really think that Martin's handgun ban proposal would have prevented this crime?" "The Prime Minister can make all the noises that he wants to urban voters about banning handguns," added Adrian Telizyn. "Cast all the legal nets that you like, the wrong fish will still swim through the holes." Another favourite target for criticism was Toronto Mayor David Miller. Many writers decried his support of the Liberal's proposal to ban handguns, some questioned his belief that lax U.S. guns are to blame for Toronto's problems and others lambasted him for his absence -- he's in Spain on a conference -- during this week of crisis . "Why didn't the Mayor cancel his vacation and fly back to Toronto upon learning the news?" asked Rob McEwan. "At a time when our city needs leadership and action, our mayor is sunning himself on a beach." New York State resident Ralph C. Forte advised Miller to stop blaming U.S. guns and to take full responsibility for the issue. "Toronto needs to look in the mirror and say it has a problem of its own making," he wrote. "Stop blaming that great Satan to the south." Many readers offered suggestions on how Toronto could resolve its crime problems, but none as radical as Pat Proulx. "I would put armed soldiers on the streets, in the most gang-controlled areas. Yes, I am suggesting we turn Toronto into an armed camp, allowing the military to search without warrant any person, vehicle or residence they see fit," he wrote, "You want to get their guns? That is the only way. Right now, the gangs rule the streets of Toronto." The shooting hit close to home for many people, especially friends and family of shooting victim Jane Creba. In a letter, a friend of Jane's elder sister questioned our coverage of the event. "Sensitivity is what you guys lack," she wrote. "Way to wound Toronto's wounded even more." - - By coincidence, the Post published a column on that fateful Monday by Jeff White, supporting the concept of gun control. His premise was roundly condemned by dozens of letter writers. "Mr. White failed to mention that guns do much good and provide many valuable services," said Bill Whatcott. "Guns save lives ... and can be used to stop rape, robbery, or murder ... A friend of mine saved his wife from a bear attack by using a gun." A few letters supported White's call for gun control. "All guns should be banned except those few that we as a society designate to carry them, e.g., policemen and armed forces personnel," said John Worsley Simpson, before flippantly adding, "and anyone who introduces the specious argument that 'criminals will always find a way to get guns' should be taken out and shot." - - The Supreme Court's decision favouring swinger clubs continues to rile many readers. Alex Hercaniuk suggested that it is a misnomer to refer to those involved in group sex acts as lovers. "These people are looking for selfish genital stimulation rather than a shared love." But others, such as Julie O'Brien, suggested everyone should relax. "The ruling will not destroy the moral fabric of Canadian society," she said, "unless it stipulates that the Canadian people are now required to swing and engage in group sex." - - Word usage is very important for newspapers, for as George Jonas noted in yesterday's edition, one man's "freedom fighter" is another's "terrorist." In that same vein, one letter writer has asked us to avoid the use of the words "executed" when referring to those killed by Iraqi kidnappers. "The possible fate of the hostages in Iraq is not "execution"; it is premeditated murder or perhaps "murder, execution-style." We should not dignify the actions of hostage takers by the use of the almost euphemistic term "execution." Point taken. Every week, the National Post receives hundreds of letters to the editor, providing a snapshot of our readers' collective state of mind. While not all of them make it into the letters column, our letters editor highlights some of the more passionately argued letters we've received, reflecting what issues are important to readers. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 11:02:05 -0600 (CST) From: owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Majordomo User) Subject: Boxing day shootings suspect fresh out of jail: gun violence: PUBLICATION: National Post DATE: 2005.12.31 EDITION: Toronto SECTION: Toronto PAGE: A10 BYLINE: Siri Agrell, with files from Kelly Patrick SOURCE: National Post ILLUSTRATION: Black & White Photo: Kaz Ehara for National Post / Mournersattend last night's vigil for shooting victim Jane Creba at Dundas Square. Mayor David Miller promised yesterday to "redouble efforts" to curb gun crimes, although he was short on details. NOTE: sagrell@nationalpost.com WORD COUNT: 771 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Boxing day shootings suspect fresh out of jail: gun violence: Many charges dropped - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A man charged in the Boxing Day shooting that killed a 15-year-old girl was released from prison earlier this month and has had at least 12 charges against him withdrawn by Crown attorneys in the past two years. On Oct. 6, Andre Thompson, 20, pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of a North York convenience store and was sentenced to two 30-day jail terms to be served concurrently. He was sent to Maplehurst Detention Centre in Milton, Ont., on Nov. 4 and would have been released on Dec. 3. Had the judge ordered that he serve the sentences for each conviction one after the other, Mr. Thompson would not have been released until a week after the Dec. 26 shooting, in which gunfire was sprayed across a busy crowd of Yonge Street shoppers. Seven people were struck by the bullets, including Jane Creba, a Grade 10 student who had been shopping with her older sister when she was killed. Mr. Thompson and a youth who cannot be named were arrested shortly after the shooting at a downtown subway station. Police seized a stolen 9mm Ruger semi-automatic handgun. Mr. Thompson has been charged with eight weapons offences connected to the downtown shooting, including carrying a stolen gun and firing "at a large group of unknown persons" but has not been directly implicated in Ms. Creba's death. But Mr. Thompson had long been prohibited from owning weapons. On Oct. 31, 2004, he was arrested after robbing a Mac's Milk convenience store, charged with carrying an imitation firearm during the crime, wearing a mask and assaulting a police officer in his attempt to resist arrest. At the time of the charges, he was also in breach of a curfew imposed after a 2004 assault conviction that required him to remain in his home at all times except in the presence of his lawyer. But five of the charges stemming from the robbery were withdrawn by the Crown before he pleaded guilty, and he was not sentenced for carrying the fake weapon, assaulting the officer or breaching his curfew. Yesterday, the owner of the convenience store said he was shocked when Mr. Thompson was given such a short sentence and that the man who robbed him was allegedly involved in the Boxing Day shooting. "I was depressed," Joohyung Hong said. "He just walked out of the court." Court records obtained by the National Post also show that in March, 2004, Mr. Thompson was convicted of assault and given a suspended sentence after serving two days in pre-sentence custody. At that time, Section 110 of the Criminal Code was used to enforce a five-year firearms prohibition, even though Mr. Thompson had not used a weapon during the assault, which seems to have been committed against a family member. Seven additional charges were also withdrawn in that conviction, including uttering death threats to three individuals, threatening to use a gun and carrying a weapon for a dangerous purpose. This week's shooting has produced widespread shock and outrage and prompted politicians from all levels of government to call for increased sentences for gun crimes. At a news conference at City Hall yesterday, Toronto Mayor David Miller vowed to "redouble efforts" to stem the tide of gun violence in the city. "I think the Boxing Day shooting has brought certain things into very clear focus. It's very clear that we have to redouble our efforts to get the guns off the streets in our city," he said. "But we have to ensure that anyone who has a gun is arrested, brought to justice and put in prison and stays there." Mr. Miller, who spoke earlier in the day with Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair and the family of Ms. Creba, did not specify how the city plans to beef up its anti-gun efforts. Police have also been tight-lipped about their investigation, although officers with the Guns and Gangs task force are reportedly working around the clock. A group of 10 to 15 young men are suspected to have been involved in the shootout, and at least one man who was shot on Dec. 26 is refusing to co-operate with police from his hospital bed. In the housing project where Mr. Thompson lived with his parents and siblings, a woman refused to answer the door yesterday, screaming she would call the police. The home is just north of Jane and Finch, an area of the city known for its high crime rate. The scratched blue paint of Mr. Thompson's front door and the litter-strewn courtyard of the neighbourhood are a stark contrast to the leafy Riverdale neighbourhood where Ms. Creba grew up. A vigil was held last night at Dundas Square, with community members lighting candles in memory of the 15-year-old victim of Toronto's 52nd gun-related homicide. At the vigil was Rev. Al Bowen, the pastor of 18-year-old Amon Beckles, who was shot on the steps of a church in November. Rev. Bowen, who wants the War Measures Act evoked to address the gun crime, said the previous charges and lax sentences against Mr. Thompson show the foolishness of Prime Minister Paul Martin's recent proclamation that he would ban handguns. "It was almost a psychological rape," he said. "My leader dares walk into this community that has been bereaved so many times and make the announcement that they're going to ban handguns. It is a fly swatter against a rhinoceros." Some leaders, including Mayor Miller, have supported the Liberals' proposed handgun ban. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 11:02:27 -0600 (CST) From: owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Majordomo User) Subject: Editorial: Time to devote more resources to fight gangs PUBLICATION: Belleville Intelligencer DATE: 2005.12.31 EDITION: Final SECTION: Opinion PAGE: A5 SOURCE: The Intelligencer WORD COUNT: 358 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Time to devote more resources to fight gangs - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ With the horror of the deadly Boxing Day shootings in downtown Toronto still fresh in the minds of urban residents, federal political leaders were quick to use the incident to further their political agendas. And while Prime Minister Paul Martin, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper and NDP Leader Jack Layton, all issued statements of sympathy to the family of the teenager who was killed -- Grade 10 student Jane Creba -- their suggestions for combating the escalating gun violence in our largest city, fell short of getting to the heart of the problem. Martin called the shootings a "senseless and tragic act by young people who feel marginalized by society." He is campaigning for re-election Jan. 23 on a platform that includes a ban on handguns, tougher criminal penalties and more effective law enforcement. The Conservatives and the NDP dismissed the Liberal measures as "window dressing," saying handguns are already effectively banned. Harper said the best way to attack the problem is with tougher sentencing laws, such as mandatory minimum sentences for the use of illegal guns. He vowed to provide more support for front-line policing, stop the flow of illegal guns into Canada and fortify community programs for youth. Layton also pledged tough action, saying stricter border controls, longer sentencing for weapons offences and intensifying anti-gang policing, prosecutions and sentencing. He was the only leader to mention attacking poverty outright, although Martin did make reference to "social exclusion" being a problem. What Martin, Harper and Layton all failed to focus on is the growing number of Canadian youths buying into the gang culture. While handgun bans and tougher sentencing may seem like the solution, the growing violence in urban areas such as Toronto is the cause of a deeper social issue that law enforcement is simply not equipped to deal with. The best strategy? Reaching young people early, before they join gangs or pick up their first gun. That means allocating funds to support low-income mothers and families. It means reaching out to children at risk and ensuring they get the best possible education and the support they need to make good choices. Yes, we do need to get tougher on crime, but if we ignore the root of the problem -- youths gravitating toward a gang lifestyle -- the violence will eventually rival that in major U.S. cities such as Miami or Detroit. The time to act is now. ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V8 #857 ********************************** 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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