Cdn-Firearms Digest Tuesday, April 27 2010 Volume 13 : Number 836 In this issue: CTV - Gun registry not working: Police Chief Rick Hanson Bear dead [wandered into London] Absolute PITH Sask. Government Throws Support Against Long-Gun Registry Re: [ticketable offence] idea unconstitutional? Calgary Herald: The folly of putting language above law...... Re: [ticketable offence] idea unconstitutional? CBC - Knife-related homicides rise: StatsCan Sun Media "Shopping with Guns" article BRITAIN: Starter pistol amnesty WILL OUR LIBERAL MEMBER TURN HIS BACK ON THE CONSTITUENTS? Winnipeg Sun - Letter - States crime dropping ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, April 27, 2010 9:08 am From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: CTV - Gun registry not working: Police Chief Rick Hanson CTV - Updated: Mon Apr. 26 2010 17:34:48 Gun registry not working: Police Chief Rick Hanson http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100426/CGY_gun_registry_100426/20100426/?hub=CalgaryHome Police Chief Rick Hanson says it's time to review the federal gun registry, even though most of his colleagues support keeping it. "The gun registry has done little to make the streets safer," said Police Chief Rick Hanson. Calgary is known for its gang wars that have played out on city streets. Shootouts have left a bloody trail of murder and violence. The police gang unit says handguns are the weapon of choice for Calgary gangs. But there has also been an increase in the use of heavier weapons like assault rifles, which can penetrate body armour and vehicles. Chief Hanson is one of the first chiefs in the country to say publicly that the gun registry isn't working. "For the years it's been in effect, there are more guns on the street today - handguns and prohibited weapons - than I can ever recall, and that's since the gun registry has been implemented," added Chief Hanson. The Canadian Association of Chiefs and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police support the registry. They claim it's used 11-thousand times every single day. But in Calgary, officers use the registry as an investigative tool and say it doesn't work when dealing with gangs and drug dealers. Chief Hanson says the gun registry does nothing to reduce the level of violent crime and the use of guns by criminals on the street. He says it's not about politics, it's about safety. "It's not helping. The guns these people have, they don't register, they don't care, they're probably stolen, they're probably obtained illegally, in many cases they're prohibited," commented Chief Hanson. Chief Hanson wants tougher sentences when someone is convicted of using a weapon to commit a crime. He also wants more search and seizure power when police have reasonable grounds to suspect someone may be in possession of an illegal gun. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:13:57 -0400 From: Lee Jasper Subject: Bear dead [wandered into London] [You probably heard my uproarious laughter across This Land this a.m. when I read this article. We've followed the stories about coyotes becoming problems in many areas, wolves transplanted by animal activists, annihilating elk and deer, and of course Ontario Black bear problems have grown ever since a former northern Ontarian who became Premier canceled our Spring bear hunt - to save his defeat in an upcoming election. We can sit back expecting that at some point, the huggers and rightists will come for us, clambering for us to save their weiner dogs and even maybe even little kiddies from the predators. EVERYTHING comes around. Of course many are outraged that the authorities chose to shoot the 'teddy' bear. Read some of the hokey comments in the free Press]. Bear dead Authorities tracked massive animal down By JOE BELANGER, SUN MEDIA > http://www.lfpress.com/news/2010/04/27/13732876.html A bear on the loose in London has been killed. After being shot by authorities, the wounded bear was found dead behind the CPRI grounds near Byron. Police had advised parents not to let their children walk alone in west London after several sightings of a large black bear. Authorities had shot the bear, which was reportedly wounded and on the move toward Byron. Police were in the area looking for the bear, last seen cross Oxford St. west of Commissioners Rd. shortly before 7 a.m., apparently headed south. “We’ve had four sightings that began around 4 a.m. there are officers in the area looking for it,” Const. Amy Phillipo said earlier Tuesday morning. Businesses and schools in the area were notified, said Phillipo. A police officer did see the bear, Phillipo said. A Ministry of Natural Resources official could not immediately be reached for comment. However, in the past, wildlife biologists have said young male bears will often wonder hundreds of kilometres searching for its own territory. Officials have said sightings north of London the last few years were young males coming down from the Bruce Peninsula. There have been several bear sightings this year in Huron County and, in 2008, there were also sightings in Middlesex County, including Strathroy and Exeter where a bear dined on several bee hives at an apiary. Bears usually flee when they hear or smell humans, unless they become used to scavenging in urban areas and associating food with humans. Black bears rarely attack humans unless cornered, threatened (especially while protecting cubs) or wounded. Any bear sighting should be reported to the 24-hour Bear Hotline at 1-866-514-BEAR or local police. PROTECTING YOURSELF - - Do not approach a bear and, if you encounter one, ensure it has an escape route. Back away slowly and, if it doesn't flee, try making loud noises, either yelling or banging and wave your arms. - - Make sure trash is kept in secure containers bears can't open. - - Keep grease traps on barbecues clean and pet food indoors. Bears will also feed on tree fruit and bird feeders. - - Farmers should keep land clear of dead animals. - - Campers and anglers should keep food away from tents and vehicles. For more bear information, visit the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources website at ontario.ca/bearwise ABOUT BLACK BEARS - - Black bears range in colour from blond to black and can stand up to seven feet tall. Males are about one-third larger than females and can weigh up to 270 kilograms while females will weigh up to 180 kilograms. - - Diet includes mostly twigs, roots, berries, nuts (acorns), young plants and buds, insects (especially bee larvae with honey), although they will feed on the carcasses of dead animals, small mammals and fish, as well as small livestock such as sheep, goats, calves and pigs. - - Bears usually flee when they hear or smell humans, unless they become used to scavenging in urban areas and associating food with humans. - - Black bears rarely attack humans unless cornered, threatened (especially protecting cubs), or wounded. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:26:07 -0400 From: Lee Jasper Subject: Absolute PITH Quick check of my mail: I believe Mike's letter qualifies as 'the beater'. You wrestled with the nuances and twists in this one, Mike, lovely. With your permission, I will be sending it on. Great piece!!! > Subject: Gun Registry queries > > Re: http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2550813 > > Dear Mr. Lafleche, ------------------------------ Date: Tue, April 27, 2010 9:34 am From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: Sask. Government Throws Support Against Long-Gun Registry CKOM RADIO - APRIL 26, 2010 Province Throws Support Against Long-Gun Registry Justice Minister calls system a "nuisance" Reported By Joe Hoover http://www.newstalk650.com/story/20100426/32873 In the last provincial election, the Sask Party promised to support getting rid of the long-gun registry. It's now making good on that pledge. "For people here, it's a nuisance factor," says Justice Minister Don Morgan. "In our province, guns are not the weapon of choice, it's knives and other items, so for us it will be a plus." Morgan says this isn't the first time the province has lobbied against the registry. He believes they have the support of most police associations in the province, but not all the police chiefs ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:33:50 -0400 From: Lee Jasper Subject: Re: [ticketable offence] idea unconstitutional? Bruce joined the fray: > From: Bruce Mills > Re: [ticketable offence] idea unconstitutional? Check the Criminal Code of Canada ( CCC) and you will have long ago found there were laws on firearms.moya@yahoo.ca> > Subject: Re: [ticketable offence] idea unconstitutional? > > I think everyone is missing the point: this is *already* available under > the Firearms Act ss 112 & 115: Then Len: > Subject: Riding the wrong pony ? > > Are people being misled ?/ ( mizzled) > > I think they are. > > Check the Criminal Code of Canada ( CCC) > and you will have long ago found there were > laws on firearms. Recent cites, Len? We'll get this figured out and lead Harps and Iggy to a reasonable outcome. Put 'er all together, Bruce, into a cogent piece. How can they get to the best policy outcome - within the existing constraints that they've mapped out? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, April 27, 2010 9:58 am From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: Calgary Herald: The folly of putting language above law...... CALGARY HERALD - APRIL 27, 2010 The folly of putting language above law BY LORNE GUNTER, THE EDMONTON JOURNAL http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/folly+putting+language+above/2954906/story.html There is almost no chance of stopping Bill C-232. It passed the House of Commons late last month with all three opposition caucuses voting for it. Only the Tories voted against, but even they didn't kick up much of a fuss, so most Canadians were unaware the bill was even being discussed. If the Senate does not defeat it, Bill C-232 will amend the Supreme Court Act to insist that all future appointees to our highest court be fluently bilingual, and not just fluent in conversational French and English, but in both official legalistic languages. It will make it a prerequisite for justices to be able to hear all cases without the aid of translation. In practical terms, the bill will restrict appointment to a very small number of bilingual legal scholars and lower-court judges. It will make it difficult for Canadians outside a narrow strip from Ottawa, through Montreal and Quebec City, and into Moncton, to ever be appointed to the court that has the final say over how the Charter will be interpreted and what rights we may have. It will make it difficult for English-speaking Canadians to sit on the Supreme Court and almost impossible for western Canadians. Century-old conventions that call for one justice from British Columbia and another from the Prairies will be swamped by the Liberal, New Democratic and Bloc desire to impose a symbolic, but unnecessary level of bilingualism on future justices. The bill will place linguistic competence above legal knowledge. Just 10 per cent of English Canadians claim to be bilingual, and that number is likely high. It comes from the latest census, but is self-declared. To be counted as bilingual, one merely needs to tell Statistics Canada that one considers himself -- or herself -- to be fluent in both official languages. No vocabulary test is required. What's more, that 10 per cent claim is for conversational fluency, not for the much higher legal standard presumed by Bill C-232. It's one thing to be able to order a non-fat, no-whip, half-sweet, fair-trade mocha in the other official language, it's quite another to be able to listen to complex legal arguments, often containing arcane terminology, in one's second language. The number of English Canadians who possess the language skills necessary for selection to the highest court would be a tiny fraction of one per cent. Conversely, about 42 per cent of French Canadians claim fluency. This number, while also undoubtedly inflated, is likely closer to the truth because French Canadians are surrounded by English culture and live in parts of the country where they are able to use both official languages often enough in their daily lives to develop and maintain functional fluency. It is commendable that so many French Canadians can speak both official languages reasonably well. But this, too, is limited by geography. The further one moves outside Montreal and Quebec City (and particularly Montreal), the more unilingual francophones one encounters. So even among Quebecers, those with the language ability demanded by C-232 are confined mostly to a single city or two. It's true that on the basis of legal expertise alone, there are even now only a few thousand or perhaps even just a few hundred Canadians qualified to be Supreme Court justices at any one time. The applicant pool is currently not all that broad, and it never has been. Still, making it necessary to possess fluency in both official legal languages first, before one's legal resume can even be considered, would reduce the number further to a few dozen inside Quebec and perhaps just a dozen or two outside. Graham Fraser, Canada's official languages commissioner, has said C-232 is necessary because the Supreme Court is "the only federal court not required to be able to hear cases in either English or French without simultaneous interpretation." This is an apples-and-oranges comparison, though. In no other federal court -- not Queen's Bench or provincial courts of appeal or the Federal Court -- are all the justices required to sit as one body. Where competence to hear cases in either French or English is required, a single fluent judge can always be found. In a provincial appeal court with 20 or more justices, it is never a problem to convene a panel of three judges who can hear a case in either language. It is the same at the Federal Court, the court just below the Supreme Court. There, it is never necessary to bring all the justices together to listen to a case as a single bench, so it is always easy to find a small subset of the court that can hear in French or English. In none of the other federal courts Fraser mentions is it necessary for all the justices to be fluent in both official languages. Bill C-232 may be intended as nothing more than a seemingly meaningless attempt to make the Supreme Court look as bilingual as the rest of the federal bench, but its real-world impact will be to exclude great swaths of the country from having representation on our highest court as it increasingly makes society-altering rulings. Lorne Gunter is a columnist with the Edmonton Journal. lgunter@shaw.ca - -------------------------------------------- CALGARY HERALD - APRIL 25, 2010 EDITORIAL: Legal language No evidence unilingualism results in errors of law http://www.calgaryherald.com/opinion/editorials/Legal+language/2948757/story.html - -------------------------------------------- NATIONAL POST - APRIL 23, 2010 Karen Selick: If the Supreme Court isn't broken... http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2010/04/23/karen-selick-if-the-supreme-court-isn-t-broke.aspx - -------------------------------------------- GLOBE AND MAIL - APRIL 20, 2010 There's no justice at the Supreme Court when good linguists beat good judges By John Carpay The stakes are too high to drain the talent pool for the sake of symbolism and sentimentality English Canada's six seats on the Supreme Court will be closed to unilingual anglophones if the Senate passes Bill C-232. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/theres-no-justice-at-the-supreme-court-when-good-linguists-beat-good-judges/article1540961/ - -------------------------------------------- NATIONAL POST EDITORIAL - APRIL 20, 2010 EDITORIAL: How to ruin the Supreme Court http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/story.html?id=2926895 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 09:10:15 -0700 (PDT) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Re: [ticketable offence] idea unconstitutional? - --- On Mon, 4/26/10, Lee Jasper wrote: > From: Lee Jasper > Subject: Re: [ticketable offence] idea unconstitutional? > To: "Canadian Firearms Digest" > Received: Monday, April 26, 2010, 8:10 PM > Thanks to Al and 10x for 'teasing out' the nuisances in what - - did a > judge call the FA, the most complex, convoluted, back-ass > wards legislation, etc. Laws written by lawyers; about as > sensible as economists running the country. > > Who can recall who it was and what s/he said? Our friend, Judge Demetrick, of course! R. v. Rogan** Unedited ** Indexed as: R. v. Rogan Between Her Majesty The Queen, Applicant, and Dean Kenneth Rogan, (Respondent) [1994] A.J. No.341 DRS 94-10020 Action No.20706586H10101 Alberta Provincial Court Judicial District of Vegreville Demetrick Prov. Ct. J. April 28, 1994. (57 pp.) ¶ 92 [...] Some characteristics of Canada's present gun laws are obvious. They are very convoluted and confusing in some portions. Their complexity taxes even the analytical skills of the Nation's foremost jurists and it has created significant differences in opinion among those jurists concerning the scope and meaning of key parts in the legislation. The split decisions in Hasselwander and in Felawka evidence that. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 09:44:01 -0700 (PDT) From: Bruce Mills Subject: CBC - Knife-related homicides rise: StatsCan http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/04/27/statscan-knifing-report.html#soci=alcomments#ixzz0mJbYxLmS Knife-related homicides rise: StatsCan Last Updated: Tuesday, April 27, 2010 | 11:03 AM ET=20 CBC News The number of homicides committed with knives has risen in Canada and equals the number committed with guns for the first time since 1974, according to a new report from Statistics Canada. In 2008, 34 per cent of 611 homicides reported by police were committed with knives, a seven per cent increase from 1999 and more than double the approximately 15 per cent level of 1974, the first year for which homicide data is available. The proportion of homicides involving guns, meanwhile, dropped significantly from approximately 48 per cent in 1974 to 34 per cent in 2008. The report did not suggest why the increase has occurred. Among Canada's larger cities, Calgary and Edmonton had the highest proportions of knife-related homicides, at 40 per cent. Toronto (26.8 per cent), Ottawa (26 per cent) and Vancouver (23.4 per cent) had the lowest proportions. Almost half of knife-related homicides between 1999 and 2008 occurred between acquaintances and most commonly during an argument, the report said. Family members committed 35 per cent of stabbings, while strangers committed the remaining 16 per cent. Overall violent knife crime holds steady. Despite these increases, the use of knives to commit violent crimes generally has remained steady for a decade, the report said. In 2008, violent crimes committed with a knife accounted for 6.2 per cent of the 23,500 incidents reported by police, the report said, and were most likely to have been used in homicides and attempted murders. The level of violent crime committed with knives was highest in Western Canada, with Winnipeg, Regina and Edmonton reporting levels of about 10 per cent. Those communities are among the 32 census metropolitan areas used in the study. Youth and young adults are most likely to use knives in violent crimes, the report said. Those aged 12 to 24 years accounted for 50 per cent of the people accused of a violent crime with a knife, compared to just 39 per cent accused of non-knife-related violent crimes. This might be because it's easier for youth to access and conceal knives than it is for them to access or conceal firearms, Statistics Canada suggests. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:16:54 -0400 From: "Norman Lapierre" Subject: Sun Media "Shopping with Guns" article As a result of the article (Shopping with Guns) in the Sun Media papers, I have been invited to appear as a guest on ARMED AMERICAN RADIO next Sunday, 2nd of May, 2010 by Mark Walters. Armed American Radio, hosted by Mark Walters is Nationally Syndicated by Salem Radio Network and heard LIVE coast to coast every Sunday evening from 8-11pm Eastern, 5-8pm Pacific. The show airs from 8:00 - 11:00PM Eastern, he has scheduled me for 30 minutes. It seems we have attracted the attention of our American cousins who are quite interested in what we are doing here in Canada. The link is http://www.armedamericanradio.org with links to listen live. Mark claims his audience spans from Alaska to Florida. Norm [AsstMod-RAM: Best News I've Heard In A Long Time! If only the Americans offered an Immigration Amnesty for Oppressed Firearms Owners fleeing the Confiscations that I'm sure are coming] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, April 27, 2010 11:26 am From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: BRITAIN: Starter pistol amnesty THE STAR - APRIL 27, 2010 Starter pistol amnesty http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/Starter-pistol-amnesty-plan.6254976.jp A FIREARMS amnesty is being held for anyone with an Olympic .380 BBM blank firing revolver. Until Friday June 4 anyone with the gun, traditionally used as a starting pistol, can hand them in at South Yorkshire police stations without facing prosecution. After that date anyone found with one could face a mandatory five-year prison sentence. The nationwide amnesty was organised by the Association of Chief Police Officers because the firearm can easily be converted to fire bullets. They can be handed in at police stations at Doncaster, Barnsley Churchfields, Rotherham Main Street, Ecclesfield, Attercliffe, West Bar and Moss Way. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, April 27, 2010 11:53 am From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: WILL OUR LIBERAL MEMBER TURN HIS BACK ON THE CONSTITUENTS? EXCERPT FROM VOICE OF THE OUTDOORS FOR APRIL 30, 2010 - ----- Original Message ----- From: Canadian Outdoor Specialists-Murray & Lisa Martin To: Jim Butler Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2010 10:14 PM Subject: VOICE OF THE OUTDOORS by Murray J. Martin for April 30 [snip] WILL OUR LIBERAL MEMBER SUPPORT OR TURN HIS BACK ON THE CONSTITUENTS ON THE LONG GUN REGISTRY VOTE? It's time to walk the walk and not talk the talk for a number of Liberal MP who have been told they must vote as their leader tells them ,not as their constituents tell them. For Ignatieff if he wants to lead the flock, it's like wanting to lead the orchestra," you first have to turn your back to the paying audience". Ignatieff is using false leading words by wanting you to believe there are actually 11,000 researches directly into the registry every day. The hits are automatic if you are stopped for speeding, jay walking or any minor infraction you are given a ticket for. If the officer clicks into any of the pre mentioned information banks, it automatically makes a hit into the registry. Only a small portion are actually directed to the registry of firearms. So the information being used by the Liberal leader is misleading and to me at least, shows a distrust. Ignatieff says that he would reduce the cost of this wasteful and pointless registry with first time people registering their legal sporting long guns and would not have to pay for the registry. The registry has already reached three million wasteful dollars a year so if nobody is paying the fee, that will mean the registry will have to be picked up by the tax payers who many, do not even own a legal firearm. As to a police officer relying on the registry when he enters a building dealing with a criminal offence believing there is no illegal gun in the building because the registry claims there is no firearm in the building, Mr Ignatieff must be playing out in left field long after the game is over! The call will be made in two or three weeks. It will be interesting to see if the old political saying holds true "Elected by the people, for the people and answerable to the people will hold true" Certainly the next election will be a fire ball and I suggest there will be a few candidates get burnt! [snip] - ----------------------------- Hon. Larry Bagnell Caucus:*Liberal Constituency: Yukon Province/Territory: Yukon http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/ProfileMP.aspx?Key=128784&Lang uage=E ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:28:25 -0700 (PDT) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Winnipeg Sun - Letter - States crime dropping http://www.winnipegsun.com/comment/letters/2010/04/26/13728646.html States crime dropping Re: Can't carry cops, Letters to the editor, April 24. Talk about an uneducated opinion by the editor. In each and every state that has passed a concealed carry law, all rates of crime have dropped immediately and significantly. If law-abiding citizens were routinely in the habit of accidentally shooting innocent people why is it that as time goes on, more states choose to adopt this law and no state has ever sought to repeal it? Jeff Gardiner Wellesley, Ontario Get real. You know how hard it is to repeal laws. ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V13 #836 *********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca Moderator's email: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@scorpion.bogend.ca 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".)