Cdn-Firearms Digest Sunday, July 20 2008 Volume 11 : Number 765 In this issue: letter to Toronto Star (just sent) ... Re: Skill Set: "Fighting Safely" - The Tactical Wire Re: Signs Bear attack puts hikers on alert- National Post The Conservatives' Promises to Firearms Owners ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2008 12:57:48 -0400 (EDT) From: Rob Sciuk Subject: letter to Toronto Star (just sent) ... Politicians can't resist being 'tough on crime' (fwd) Dear Sir/Madame, It seems somewhat contradictory that the Star Editorial board would deplore mandatory minimum sentences for criminals, and yet they would support Mayor Miller's condemnation of law abiding target shooters. The Liberal flipflop on mandatory minimums is not surprising, as miniums are generally popular with the public at large, owning largely to the politics of fear which is the stock in trade of the media. The problem remains that regardless of sentence duration, we do a lousy job of rehabilitation, and we have consistently seen a recividism rates in excess of 73% (Stats Can). The solution lies not in closing gun clubs, but rather a complete and total remake of our custodial justice program. Sincerely Robert S. Sciuk ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:25:01 -0700 (PDT) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Re: Skill Set: "Fighting Safely" - The Tactical Wire "Safety" is a state of mind. Yours in LIBERTY! Bruce "It is not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself." - From The Declaration of Arbroath, 1320. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2008 10:13:31 -0700 (PDT) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Re: Signs - --- On Sat, 7/19/08, Willy Floyd wrote: > To Mike Ackerman I respond, "No, I am not frustrated > at the political > process. > > I am just doing something positive. > > Always have. And you?" Thanks for the recap, and the admonition, Willy - both are badly needed! "We" all need to ask ourselves "What can I do to advance our gun rights today" each and every day. Yours in LIBERTY! Bruce __________________________________________________________________ Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr! http://www.flickr.com/gift/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2008 11:43:10 -0600 From: "David R.G. Jordan" Subject: Bear attack puts hikers on alert- National Post Bear attack puts hikers on alert http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=664420 Amanda Follett and Sherri Zickefoose, Canwest News Service Published: Friday, July 18, 2008 A trail runner attacked and bitten up to eight times by a black bear near Lake Louise serves as a chilling reminder of the dangers the public face at this time of year when sharing space with wildlife in the mountain parks. Ripening buffalo berries are attracting bears to valleys with hiking trails, increasing the risk of run-ins with hungry bears. Parks Canada has closed the trail in Banff National Park where Charisse D'hamers suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the attack Wednesday evening. "It appeared to me by the bite wounds she was bitten between six and eight times," said Hal Morrison, wildlife-human conflict specialist for Yoho, Kootenay and Lake Louise. "Certainly, the surprise factor started the whole encounter." Ms. D'hamers, a Belgian who has been living and working in the Lake Louise area for more than a year, was no stranger to the 10-kilometre Great Divide Trail, regularly running on the decommissioned stretch of road. She was running alone on the closed stretch of Highway 1A between Lake Louise Drive and the Trans-Canada Highway when she came face-to-face with the animal around 6 p.m. The 23-year-old initially began backing up, but when the bear followed her for about 100 metres, she decided instead to lay face down on the ground, according to Morrison. The attack is unusual, he said, with the last bear mauling in the Lake Louise area taking place in 1995. The plan to play dead backfired as the bear continued to approach her, sniffing and licking the back of her legs and eventually biting her multiple times on her upper legs and back. "The young lady showed considerable wherewithal in that she realized her strategy wasn't working early in the game," Mr. Morrison said. "Playing dead is not recommended in most situations." Ms. D'hamers jumped back to her feet, yelling aggressively at the bear and continuing to back away. After nearly 30 minutes of Ms. D'hamers reversing, yelling and waving her arms, the bear finally retreated. Ms. D'hamers continued the final few kilometres back to the main road, where she flagged down a Parks Canada warden. She was taken to Banff Mineral Springs Hospital shortly after 7 p.m. and released the same evening with deep puncture wounds to her upper thigh and back, Mr. Morrison said. There is currently one collared black bear roaming the Lake Louise area, but a telemetry search of the area revealed it was not the collared animal. Increased bear sightings have also prompted Parks Canada to close the Aylmer Pass area Lm8 campground until September and temporarily require hikers to travel in groups of four or more at the Aylmer trail area. Hikers must stay within three metres of one another and less when sight or hearing is reduced by the physical surroundings. It is also recommended hikers carry bear spray with them at all times. The Lake Minnewanka lakeshore trail to Devil's Gap remains open. In 2005, Isabelle Dube died after being mauled by a grizzly bear while running on a Canmore trail. She was the first person to be killed by a bear in Alberta since 1998. Since then, two more Albertans have been killed. In the wake of Ms. Dube's death, Web sites to publicize bear sightings in the Canadian Rockies have cropped up. Information received from the public, biologists and Parks Canada staff is posted on trailex.org and wildsmart.ca. Three traps are currently in place along the closed Great Divide Trail. When a bear is caught, many factors will determine its fate, Mr. Morrison said. Ms. D'hamers wasn't ready to speak with the media Thursday, but a Parks Canada spokesperson said she was "in good spirits," if a little sore. Related Topics Culture and Lifestyle http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/index.html?subject=Culture+and+Lifestyle&type=Topic Hiking and Backpacking http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/index.html?subject=Hiking+and+Backpacking&type=Topic Banff Mineral Springs Hospital http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/index.html?subject=Banff+Mineral+Springs+Hospital&type=Organization Hal Morrison http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/index.html?subject=Hal+Morrison&type=Person ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:20:02 -0600 From: Edward Hudson Subject: The Conservatives' Promises to Firearms Owners Sunday, 20 July 2008 Ms. Kelly Block 1221 Avenue J North Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7L 2L7 Dear Ms. Block, Re: The Conservatives' Promises to Firearms Owners I enjoyed meeting you at your fund raising Luncheon with the Honourable Rona Ambrose on Wednesday, 16 July 2008. I look forward to our being able to meet with you to discuss some of the aspects of your campaign where we might be able to offer some tangible assistance. I believe Maurice Vellacott and Josh Boyes will attest to our proven abilities in pounding campaign signs into the frozen earth. But as I mentioned in my letter to Minister Ambrose (copy enclosed), I have developed some serious doubts about the commitment of our Prime Minister to keeping his word to firearms owners. During all the years when the Conservatives (and their predecessors the Reform and the Canadian Alliance were in Opposition), all Conservative MP's deferred to Mr. Gary Breitkreuz when we asked about the firearms issue. "Whatever Gary says is what we are going to do" was the standard reply. Even your MP sponsor, The Honourable Ms. Skelton, used to answer us in that manner. And we liked what Mr. Breitkreuz said, "We will repeal the entire Firearms Act" (please see enclosed promise). However, when we awoke exhausted on 24 January 2006 after the last election, the reality very quickly began to change. For starters, Mr. Harper did not appoint Mr. Breitkreuz to any position of responsibility in any way remotely related to the firearms issue. Even more telling, on 16 May 2006 when Ms. Sheila Fraser tabled her second, and very revealing Auditor General's Report on the Firearms Act, all Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day announced was a worthless amnesty to give us "more time to come into the licensing system." Subsequently Minster Day has introduced Bills C-21 and C-24 which would delete the requirement to carry a registration certificate for each firearm, and the Conservative mantra became, "We need a Conservative majority to help you." But Mr. Day's proposal would do absolutely nothing to respect Canadian's Right to acquire and possess firearms without a federal license. In fact, if either of these bills had been passed, Mr. Day would have done more hard than good as they would have signaled the end of the fight on the firearms issue and would have left licensing - the worst part of the Firearms Act - firmly entrench as law. Ms. Block, what I hope I can impress upon you is that the members of our Association do not want "to come in to the licensing system". We do not want the 'half a loaf' that Mr. Day has proposed. We want the Conservatives to keep their promises and repeal the entire Firearms Act - - not simply firearms registration, but especially the firearms licensing system. Until the government removes the licensing mandate the government continues to hold firearms owners in contempt. Members of our Association would like to be able once again to work for the Conservatives in the next election. But we face serious jail time if this unjust law is not repealed. We need more that mere rhetoric. We need to know that the candidate that we support will, in his or her turn, stand with us. We need to know that we can depend on our elected representative to help us to preserve our most basic Right and Freedom, our Right of armed self-protection. I look forward to discussing these issues with you in person. Sincerely, Edward B. Hudson DVM, MS Secretary Encl.: (2) A/S Canadian Unlicensed Firearms Owners Association Association canadienne des propriétaires d’armes sans permis 402 Skeena Crt Saskatoon Saskatchewan S7K 4H2 (306) 242-2379 (306) 230-8929 edwardhudson@shaw.ca www.cufoa.ca ************ Mr. Harper’s Promise to Firearms Owners In a letter dated 15 December 2006, Garry Breitkreuz, MP, CPC wrote: We have been united in our 12-year fight to repeal Bill C-68. I will never give up and I hope you will stay with us until it [The Firearms Act] is dead and gone. I leave you with the promise then leadership candidate Stephen Harper made to us all in January 2002: I [Mr. Harper] was and still am in total agreement with the statement made in the House of Commons by former Reform Leader Preston Manning on 13 June 1995: Bill C-68, if passed into law will not be a good law. It will be a blight on the legislative record of the government, a law that fails the three great tests of constitutionality, of effectiveness and of democratic consent to f the governed. What should be the fate of a bad a law? It should be repealed ... .’ Bill C-68 [The Firearms Act] has proven to be a bad law and has created a bureaucratic nightmare for both gun owners and the government. As Leader of the Official Opposition, I will use all powers afforded to me as Leader and continue our party’s fight to repeal Bill C-68 and replace it with a firearms control system that is cost effective and respects the rights of Canadians to own and use firearms responsibly. Rest assured Garry Breitkreuz will never betray the firearms community. The Promise of the Conservatives while Serving as the Loyal Opposition “There is only one to fix this mess and that is to elect a Conservative government. We promise to repeal Bill C-68 and return the gun laws to the way they were before 1995. Then I personally promise that I will start the task of fixing all the flaws in federal firearm laws by requiring that they be subjected to a public safety test administered by the Auditor General of Canada. My proposal includes a sunset clause on all gun control laws that have been proven by the Auditor General not to be cost effective at reducing the criminal use of firearms and improving public safety.” Garry Breitkreuz, M.P. Yorkton-Melville (SK) Conservative Firearms Critic House of Commons 08 July 2005 ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V11 #765 *********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:drg.jordan@sasktel.net List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@scorpion.bogend.ca FAQ list: http://www.canfirearms/Skeeter/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://www.canfirearms.ca CFDigest Archives: http://www.canfirearms.ca/archives To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next four lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".)