Cdn-Firearms Digest Thursday, October 20 2011 Volume 14 : Number 725 In this issue: U.S. Rep to U.N. says Obama wants Senate to ratify arms treaty George Soros and your guns. Law-abiding gun owners are partners in public safety too RCMP raids searching for potentially dangerous BB guns CBC - Replica AK-47 BB guns allowed into Canada Winnipeg Grocer accused of killing shoplifter goes free Toronto guns, London's fear; 441 guns seized ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, October 19, 2011 10:23 pm From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: U.S. Rep to U.N. says Obama wants Senate to ratify arms treaty CANADA FREE PRESS - OCTOBER 19, 2011 International small arms treaty U.S. Rep to U.N. says Obama wants Senate to ratify arms treaty By CCRKBA Wednesday, October 19, 2011 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/41478 BELLEVUE, WA - The Obama administration "is seeking advice and consent" for Senate ratification of an international small arms treaty, and also supports the inclusion of small arms in the UN Register of Conventional Arms, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms learned today. The disclosure is found in the text of a statement to the First Committee of the 66th session of the UN General Assembly, delivered by Laura E. Kennedy, the permanent United States representative to the Conference on Disarmament. CCRKBA obtained a copy of the statement. In her statement, Kennedy recalls that the United States in 1997, under the Clinton administration, signed the Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials. However, the Senate never ratified the document, and there was no interest in pushing the treaty during the Bush administration. American firearms rights activists have steadfastly fought against inclusion of small arms in any such treaty. "More than half the members of the Senate have already advised Barack Obama that they will not ratify any treaty that threatens the Second Amendment rights of American citizens," noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, "so it's not clear why he is - according to Kennedy's revealing statement - suddenly seeking Senate ratification of this measure. "If the Obama administration is this eager to push adoption of a treaty that's been gathering dust for eleven years," he added, "one can only imagine how fast this president will want to see action on the proposed global Arms Trade Treaty. "This suggests that Obama fears he may be a one-term president," Gottlieb stated, "and he feels a compelling need to finally bring his anti-gun agenda to the surface and push it through. We have known all along about his desire to bind this country to an international gun control scheme, and now Kennedy's statement confirms that." - ----------------------------- CCRKBA: With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is one of the nation's premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States. The Citizens Committee can be reached by phone at (425) 454-4911, on the Internet at www.ccrkba.org or by email to InformationRequest@ccrkba.org ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2011 00:09:17 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: George Soros and your guns. http://jpfo.org/rabbi/rabbi-soros-nra.htm George Soros and your guns. by Rabbi Dovid Bendory, Rabbinic Director, Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership. Copyright 2011 JPFO George Soros is a known supporter of "gun control", both here in America and around the globe. He is also a billionaire . and he is also Jewish. Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership therefore has a more than usual interest in this man and his immense and potentially dangerous power. An UNSUBSTANTIATED rumor is going around the internet of late. The Talmud says that for any lie to be believable, it must be interwoven with truth, and this rumor is no different. The rumor first claims that "The Freedom Group" owns a significant slice of American gun manufacturing and ammunition manufacturing. This is TRUE, and it's public information. No one argues this. The next declaration contained in the internet rumor is that "The Freedom Group" is owned by an even bigger entity called "Cerberus Capital Management". This is also TRUE. Cerberus Capital is an investment fund with stakes in many, many companies. No one knows better than us gun owners that investing in American gun and ammunition manufacturing is a sound business decision. However, at this point, this internet rumor takes a leap: The rumor claims that anti-gun billionaire George Soros actually controls "Cerberus Capitol Management", and therefore exercises a stunning amount of control over the American gun industry. IMPORTANT: We have done some research and found no evidence that this is true. The NRA has come out even more strongly against this rumor; they put out this "end-of-subject" declaration: http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?IDq36 Now Biblical Law is very clear about this sort of unsubstantiated rumor: "Do not be a gossipmonger among your people," we are told in Leviticus 19:16. (Interestingly, the other half of this verse commands us to defend the innocent: "Do not stand idly while your brother's blood is shed. I am the L-rd.") In Jewish Law, this verse is understood to mean that you cannot believe an unsubstantiated rumor. But the NRA has gone further than articulate the healthy skepticism that we should all express when we receive anonymous internet e-mails like this one. The NRA has declared: "NRA has had contact with officials from Cerberus and Freedom Group for some time. The owners and investors involved are strong supporters of the Second Amendment and are avid hunters and shooters. In reality, at no time has George Soros ever been a part of the ownership group of Freedom Group or Cerberus, and as a privately traded corporation, there is no possibility that he will be in the future." We at Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership would like to ask the NRA to share with JPFO (and with all American gun owners) how they researched the rumor and were then able to so emphatically "debunk" it. This issue is far too important to remain a "trade secret" within the NRA. Independent investigators for other pro-gun groups (and the media) can then follow the identical path of investigation the NRA took, and thusly put this inflammatory rumor in the "categorically debunked" file. George Soros might be a dangerously powerful anti-gunner, but unlike the enemies of freedom, we patriots must nonetheless be factual in our analysis and statements. The NRA apparently has facts here that would be helpful for all firearms owners to know; I would like to see those facts subject to public scrutiny. With blessings of Shalom, Rabbi Dovid Bendory Rabbinic Director Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (http://jpfo.org) Rabbi Bendory is an NRA Certified Firearms Instructor. The Rabbi's Archive page. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, October 20, 2011 6:59 am From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: Law-abiding gun owners are partners in public safety too Response from Timothy M. Smith, Government Relations and Strategic Communications, Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. - -----Original Message----- From: Timothy M. Smith [mailto:timsmith2000@rogers.com] Sent: October-20-11 4:16 AM To: Dennis & Hazel Young Subject: Re: Law-abiding gun owners are partners in public safety too All citizens are partners as well! I appreciate your message. Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network. - -----Original Message----- From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:09:55 To: Subject: Law-abiding gun owners are partners in public safety too Dear Mr. Smith: Please remind Waterloo Regional Police Chief Matt Torigan that law-abiding gun owners are your partners in public safety too. Remember Sir Robert Peel's Nine Principles of Policing especially: "Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence." http://www.nwpolice.org/peel.html Dennis R. Young Calgary - -----Original Message----- From: Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police cacp@cacp.ca Date: 2011/10/19 Subject: CACP Position on Federal Government Plans to Remove the Requirement to Register a Non-restricted Weapon (Long Gun) CACP Position on Federal Governments Plans to Remove the Requirement to Register a Non-restricted Weapon (Long-Gun) Throughout Canada, Chiefs of Police have clearly communicated, from a public safety perspective, the need to maintain this important law enforcement utility - based on our on-going responsibility to ensure the safety of our communities, our officers and the most vulnerable among us. The CACP continues to support maintaining the long-gun registry as a valuable tool used extensively by law enforcement. Our view has, and continues to be, that the long-gun registry: contributes to community and police officer safety and provides preventative and investigative value to law enforcement and the communities in which we serve; operates in a very cost-effective and efficient manner; promotes responsibility and accountability by firearm owners; and provides a reasonable balance between the exercise of an individual privilege and the broader right of the society to be safe. We do, however, recognize the Government's intention to amend the Firearms Act and Criminal Code to remove the requirement to obtain a Registration Certificate for a non-restricted firearm (long-gun). This position was made clearly known during the 2011 election campaign. Chief Dale McFee, President of the CACP, recently stated: "We must respect the will of Parliament and recognize the mandate given to the Government. Our focus will now move forward in offering suggestions to help mitigate the impact of the anticipated repeal of the long-gun registry. With this issue, it is time to build bridges and work towards a 'win-win' resolution that benefits all while ensuring the safety of our citizens.This one issue, however, should not overshadow the fact that our relationship with the Government is extremely positive and we are very supportive on a wide-range of Justice and Public Safety initiatives." In May, 2011 the CACP Special Purpose Committee on Firearms provided a number of recommendations which were communicated to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews (Link). Our intention is to continue to work collaboratively with the government on this issue and to strive towards a more balanced approach should the LGR be dismantled. Waterloo Regional Police Chief Matt Torigan stated on this issue: "We need to work together in order to achieve success. Chiefs of police, members of Parliament, elected officials at all levels of government, and partnering agencies need to listen to one another, learn from each other's experiences, and ultimately ensure our most treasured distinction is preserved - our safety." This is the philosophy inherent in the policing community and by which the CACP endeavours to put forward on all issues relating to public safety and justice. It is also important to recognize our strong working partnerships with other national, provincial and regional organizations who share in raising public awareness around this and other issues. They share our interest in protecting our communities and the most vulnerable among us and they do so selflessly. Timothy M. Smith Government Relations and Strategic Communications Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police / Association Canadienne des Chefs de Police Tel: 613 601-0692 Email: timsmith2000@rogers.com Website: www.cacp.ca @timsmith2000 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, October 20, 2011 7:51 am From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: RCMP raids searching for potentially dangerous BB guns THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS - OCT 20, 2011 RCMP raids local shop http://www.mississauga.com/news/article/1228831--rcmp-raids-local-shop A Mississauga hobby shop owner was placed in handcuffs last Friday while police searched his store for potentially dangerous replica AK-47 BB guns that have been imported into Canada from China. CBC News says RCMP officers seized two of the replica weapons from Tony Messina, the owner of the North American Blade outdoor sporting goods store located at 2200 Dundas St. E.. Messina told the CBC he believed the weapons were just harmless BB guns. "When they came in here, I did not have a clue," Messina told the CBC. "I sell BB guns and pellet guns. I don't carry any firearms. This is just BB guns and pellet guns." Meanwhile, police are now trying to find hundreds of the replica AK-47s which they say can easily be converted into an illegal weapon. Investigators told the CBC the toys are built with authentic parts from the Chinese version of the AK-47 - a semi-automatic assault rifle - and can be made into real guns simply by switching the barrel and bolt. Police have raided a number of gun stores in B.C., Ontario, and Quebec in a bid to find the dangerous toys, which were approved by Canada Border Services Agency officials. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, October 20, 2011 7:55 am From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: CBC - Replica AK-47 BB guns allowed into Canada CBC - Replica AK-47 BB guns allowed into Canada Police say they can easily be converted into a prohibited weapon By Dave Seglins and John Nicol, CBC News - Last Updated: Oct 20, 2011 7:49 AM ET Comments 173 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/10/19/bb-gun-rcmp.html The RCMP are racing to track down and seize hundreds of replica AK-47 BB guns imported from China that investigators fear can be easily reconfigured into deadly prohibited weapons. The Mounties launched raids and seizures last week on a number of gun stores in B.C., Ontario, and Quebec. Investigators believe the toys - assembled with authentic parts from the Chinese Type-56 version of the AK-47 semi-automatic assault rifle - can be transformed into weapons with a simple switch of the gun's barrel and bolt. The weapons were allowed into the country as BB guns after being inspected and approved by the Canada Border Services Agency. The RCMP and its National Weapons Enforcement Support Team (NWEST) refused to discuss details of the raids last week. In an email, media spokesman Sgt. Richard Rollings told CBC News "the RCMP does not comment during the course of an investigation. In the event that criminal charges are laid, the RCMP would confirm its investigation." Police would also not comment on whether they've seized any of the replica BB guns turned into prohibited AK-47-style weapons. However, two gun sellers visited by the RCMP said police told them they are alarmed because they found one of the replica guns at the scene of another investigation, raising the spectre criminals have figured out how to get cheap AK-47s through BB gun retailers. No explanation given about gun shipments CBC News has made repeated inquiries this week to the Canada Border Services Agency but so far has been offered no explanation as to why the shipments of guns were approved for entry into the country. Despite the RCMP investigation, a CBSA media spokesperson claimed on Wednesday that import records in the case have still not been tracked down. Gun buyer and distributor North Sylva has ordered and imported the BB gun replicas over the last 14 months. A spokesman for the Toronto-based company declined an interview, but managers insist the shipments were inspected and approved by the CBSA and that their company paid taxes on the BB guns before reselling them to army surplus stores and retailers across the country. "When they came in here, I did not have a clue," said Tony Messina, owner of North American Blade, a hobby and novelty shop based in Mississauga, Ont. "I sell BB guns and pellet guns. I don't carry any firearms. This is just BB guns and pellet guns." Messina was handcuffed by RCMP investigators last Friday during a search of his store and officers seized two of the weapons which Messina said he believed were harmless. "I think right now people have bought them for what they are - BB guns. At least my customers have. There may be somebody out there who may try" to convert them to semi-automatic assault rifles, Messina told CBC News. 'Shocked' that BB guns being seized North Sylva and Messina said they were shocked and mystified to learn that a BB gun approved by CBSA for import into Canada is now being seized as a potential prohibited weapon. "Very very scary," said Messina. "I mean I've got children too, and you know what - that's the last thing we want to see." Messina said he's spent a number of sleepless nights fearing he could now be in trouble with police. "The [CBSA] should have checked things out before they actually allowed them to be sold. Somebody messed up. I'm just hoping that in the near future they can and will hire somebody who knows what's coming into the country." The RCMP also executed searches and seizures at a number of other retailers across the country, including at replicaairguns.com - an online BB and paintball gun seller based in Langley, B.C. Owner Michael Kaye would not discuss last week's visit from police and has removed numerous videos promoting the weapon from the internet. In an email, he told CBC News the general public doesn't understand his business nor his fellow BB gun enthusiasts and says his website is "for those interested and passionate about the hobby I am also just as passionate about." An investigation by CBC News revealed Kaye has been selling the replica assault rifle for about a year for between $250 and $299, promoting it as: "Excellent, with an all metal and wood construction. This gun is more like a real AK-47 than it's like a BB gun." Kaye also told an online discussion group for BB and pellet gun owners, "the [body] portion of this gun is from a real AK!!" But Kaye said he is well aware of laws prohibiting the alteration of BB guns into real firearms and in a video posted on his replicairguns.com website he cautions customers: "I answer these questions over and over again," Kaye explains in the video. "Can I use real ammo in a blank gun? Or can I convert a blank gun to shoot real ammo. First of all, this is probably highly illegal just about anywhere in the world. If you do it, you are probably breaking all kinds of laws." ------------------------------ Date: Thu, October 20, 2011 8:02 am From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: Winnipeg Grocer accused of killing shoplifter goes free NATIONAL POST - OCTOBER 20, 2011 Grocer accused of killing shoplifter goes free By Tamsin McMahon http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/10/20/grocer-accused-of-killing-shoplifter-goes-free/ In the latest in a series of high-profile court cases that has served as flashpoints for the debate over how far citizens can go to defend themselves and their property, prosecutors dropped charges against a Winnipeg grocer accused of killing a shoplifter. Prosecutor Brian Bell told a Manitoba court this week the Crown would stay the charges against Kwang Soo Kim after a key witness fled the country to avoid his own criminal charges. Mr. Kim, 64, owner of Okay Groceries in Winnipeg's impoverished north end, was accused of attacking Geraldine Beardy in 2009 as the 29-year-old tried to steal a can of Holiday luncheon meat. Ms. Beardy fled to a nearby home, lapsed into a coma and died in hospital five days later. Investigators never revealed how she was injured. Her family, who said the woman was trying to steal food to feed her homeless friends, told reporters she appeared to have been beaten with a baseball bat. Mr. Bell said prosecutors could revive the case within a year if the witness returned to Manitoba from the United States. Mr. Kim's lawyer, Evan Roitenberg, said the man was relieved the charges were stayed, but disappointed he would not be able to clear his name in court. "My client has had this charge that he took somebody's life hanging over his head for a couple of years now," Mr. Roitenberg said. "From our perspective, it would have been nice to have had the evidence finally see the light of a courtroom. But that's not happening anytime soon, if ever" The lawyer said Mr. Kim has always maintained he did not cause Ms. Beardy's fatal injuries. He would not elaborate on Mr. Kim's version of events, citing the need to protect his client in case the Crown reinstates the charges. But the case comes on the heels of similar cases that have raised the issues of self-defence and citizen's arrest. They include that of David Chen, a Toronto grocer, who was acquitted on charges he tied up a repeat shoplifter he said police had been unable to stop. "The defences are something that have been in need of overhaul for some time in terms of making them understandable to the average person, making them understandable to the average juror, making them understandable to the average lawyer," Mr. Roitenberg said. Last month, Ontario Provincial Police said they would not charge a man who fatally stabbed an intruder in Arnprior, near Ottawa. The decision came soon after an Ontario Court of Appeal ruling overturned the conviction of a Toronto drug dealer for stabbing his wife's ex-husband to death during a standoff in his home. The appellate court found Canadians are entitled to stand and fight when attacked in their homes. In New Brunswick, firearms charges were tossed out on a technicality against Lawrence Manzer, who confronted intruders on his neighbour's property with an unloaded shotgun in 2010. Alberta farmer Joseph Singleton had assault charges referred to an alternative measures program in May. He used a hatchet on a man who had robbed his house. The cases prompted the federal government to draft legislation to make sweeping changes to the definition of self-defence, citizen's arrest and defence of property in the Criminal Code .Bill C-60 would have allowed property owners to arrest a criminal if they had "reasonable grounds" to believe a police officer could not do so, as well as removing the requirement a victim not kill an attacker unless absolutely necessary. The bill was introduced in March but died when parliament dissolved for the federal election. Much of the law on self-defence revolves around the definition of "reasonable force" given the circumstances. More often than not, courts have been left to define this vague concept, even if that means dragging a crime victim through a long and costly court proceedings only to be acquitted. David Deutscher, a University of Manitoba law professor, said limits on reasonable use of force and citizen's arrest are critical and should be left to the justice system to decide. "I'm not entitled to beat the hell out of somebody, no matter what they've done," he said. "What you do is you use whatever force is reasonable to protect your property and keep the guy there until the police come and then let the justice system deal with it. Otherwise it becomes street justice, and I don't think we really want to live in a society like that." National Post tmcmahon@nationalpost.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, October 20, 2011 8:07 am From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: Toronto guns, London's fear; 441 guns seized LONDON FREE PRESS - OCTOBER 20, 2011 Toronto guns, London's fear GUN VIOLENCE: Big Smoke's guns land here By DALE CARRUTHERS, THE LONDON FREE PRESS http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2011/10/19/18850811.html#/news/london/2011/10/19/pf-18850806.html Many come from the U.S. -- ripped off, smuggled across the border and often secreted here with the illegal drug trade. But London also pays for crime in the Big Smoke -- Toronto, with many of the illegal guns seized here by police originating in the mega-city as well. As recently as four years ago, four of every 10 guns seized by a special London squad could be traced back to the Toronto area. But the truth is, illegal weapons scooped off London streets -- 441 so far this year -- can come from just about anywhere. One was stolen from the Fulton County police in Atlanta, Ga. Another was used in an attempted homicide in London. A third was the weapon of choice of British soldiers in the Second World War. Though gun seizures are down slightly from the previous year, gun violence was thrust into the spotlight recently after two fatal shootings in four days left some Londoners questioning the city's safety. In the latest, Thi Tran, 40, was killed outside an east-end bar. A London man, 19, was arrested in Mississauga and charged with second degree murder. Four days before, David Arbuckle, 20, was shot dead near Wellington and Hill streets. There have been no arrests. Anthony Doob, a University of Toronto criminology professor, says any time police take a firearm off the streets or out of a home the community is safer. "The presence of guns in the community (is) by definition dangerous," Doob said. "They can be involved in accidents, they can be involved in suicides, they can be involved in purposeful killings." Gun violence tends to make people jittery because innocent bystanders can get caught in the crossfire, Doob said. In August, a 19-year-old woman on a Richmond Row patio was hit by a stray bullet as shots rang out in a nearby alley. Just a week earlier, a 24-year-old woman was shot in the back at a late night party at a downtown highrise. Police found two guns outside the building but no one was charged. The two latest homicides in London happened outside on busy streets. "We want to do all that we can to take these firearms off the streets," said London police Const. Dennis Rivest. Weapons seized this year includes handguns, rifles, shotguns and at least two machine guns. In June, police found a rare Second World War-era machine gun in a car carrying a suspect in a downtown shooting. Officers seized the Sten Mk. II, a submachine gun with 30-round magazine that was the weapon of choice for British troops during that war. Doob cautioned it's difficult to say whether firearm seizure statistics imply a rise in gun violence. "If the number of guns being seized is increasing that could (mean) that the police are being smarter at targeting illegal guns or that there may be more on the street -- we don't know," he said. Not all the 441 guns seized were necessarily involved in crimes, Rivest said. They include guns seized for improper storage, unregistered weapons and guns seized after an owner died. Only 65 of the confiscated weapons were returned to their owners, while 361 were destroyed. The rest remain in police storage. Unlike other seized items, police don't auction off firearms. "We're not into the arms sales," Rivest said. - --- --- --- GUNS IN LONDON BY THE NUMBERS Guns seized in 2011: 441 Guns seized in 2010: 478 Fatal shootings in 2011: 2 Fatal shootings in 2010: 2 Source: London police E-mail dale.carruthers@sunmedia.ca or follow DaleatLFPress on Twitter. ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V14 #725 *********************************** 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".)