Cdn-Firearms Digest Saturday, January 14 2012 Volume 14 : Number 883 In this issue: Your gonads are on the Sun "Bumbling Bureaucrats"-SunnewsTV RE: Cdn-Firearms Digest V14 #880 Re: Solomon Friedman discusses the RCMP's attempt to RE: Gun barrel explodes on firing range RE: VOICE OF THE OUTDOORS by Murray Martin Re:The Classification/Re Classification of Canadian firearms NDP's François Pilon worried about end of long gun registry LETTER: Gun licence provides necessary detail Russian finds stockpile of Kalashnikov assault rifles ... WPG FREE PRESS: Rising deer population: to cull or let crash? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2012 02:01:05 -0400 From: Al Muir Subject: Your gonads are on the Sun > Date: Fri, January 13, 2012 9:46 am > From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" > > TORONTO SUN - JANUARY 13, 2012 > Bureaucrats gunning for rifle owners > It's time for the Harper government to wake up and fix this mess > BY BRIAN LILLEY, PARLIAMENTARY BUREAU > http://www.torontosun.com/2012/01/12/bureaucrats-gunning-for-rifle-owners > > When Bill C-68, the gun registry bill, > Public Safety Minister Vic Toews was asked about this > gun registry mess on Sun News Network and defended the current situation. > "It is not a decision that I make as a politician, it's something that the > police and classification experts make," Toews said. I'm guessing people > who backed the Conservatives over their promise to scrap the gun registry > would have problems with this. It's time for Toews and the rest of the > Harper government to wake up and fix this mess. You have to give Mr Lilley credit for getting "the gun registry bill" totally wrong. This is at the heart of why we are in the position we are in. The "gun registry" tag is so widespread, few, even on this forum, recognized the danger of the Conservative's focus on it. On the other hand you have to give Mr Lilley and the Sun News Network credit for doing what most gun owners have been unable or afraid to do. That is directly attack the Conservatives over this issue. Their televised assault was refreshingly frank. The NFA, in their overly polite way, have taken a stab at it but for the most part the "feet to the fire/ more later" crowd remains characteristically silent. Al ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:26:17 -0600 From: Larry James Fillo Subject: "Bumbling Bureaucrats"-SunnewsTV Sunnews TV's John Robson outlines Canada's problem with overly powerful, unconstrained power within government, at the civil service level. One example being the RCMP, deciding, in effect, what the law will be that they then administer. A violation of the normal separation of powers in a democracy principle. He argues that much of government ends up being this sort of problem. http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/search/BUMBLING%20BUREAUCRATS/bumbling-bureaucrats/1389825983001 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:56:23 -0800 From: "Clive Edwards" <45clive@telus.net> Subject: RE: Cdn-Firearms Digest V14 #880 "Disgusting video of US Marines urinating on Afghan corpses goes viral and has become a recruitment tool for the Taliban" The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan described the acts as 'highly reprehensible and disgusting'. ISAF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Cummings said: 'The behaviour depicted in this video is reprehensible and is not in keeping with the values of U.S. Armed Forces.' Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain John Kirby said the video was deeply troubling: 'Whoever it is, and whatever the circumstances, which we know is under investigation, it is egregious behaviour.' And the Council on Islamic-American Relations, a prominent Muslim civil rights and advocacy group based in Washington, also quickly condemned the video. The group wrote in a letter faxed to Defence Secretary Leon Panetta: 'We condemn this apparent desecration of the dead as a violation of our nation's military regulations and of international laws of war prohibiting such disgusting and immoral actions. 'If verified as authentic, the video shows behaviour that is totally unbecoming Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2085872/Urination-video-4-US-Marines-charged-hours.html#ixzz1jQElc2Ij Todd said: "Like all soldiers (including ours), they are not fighting for the government that sent them to Afghanistan and Iraq, but for each other. That is the honour of being a soldier ..." I say: That is what small and conventional minds believe. It is the creed of the jackboots and the jailers. I have a great deal of admiration and respect for those who defend their families and their homes, including foreigners. I have nothing but disgust for those who allow themselves to be manipulated and then say, "It wasn't my fault. I was only following orders." I am not one of those, "my country right or wrong" types. They are the most dispicable of creatures and deserve to be drowned in a pool of their own piss. If we are ever going to have sane and reasonable government we will not get it by sucking up to power. That is just what people do when they believe a royal emblem on their beret justifies any attrocity under colour of being part of the team. That is just what people do when they sport "support our troops" stickers without considering the implication that it is impossible to support any troops without supporting their mission any more than it is possible to love the criminal, hate the crime. By the way, more Afghan/Iraq war vets are commiting suicide than are being killed overseas. Most of the anti-war and freedom rhetoric is coming from Vets. Ron Paul, who wants to close the overseas bases, bring the troops home, and refuse to engage in unconstitutional wars has raised more money from vets, including those currently serving, than any other candidate running for president of the US. Yeah, I support our troops to the extent that I believe those who sent them overseas are war criminals and deserve to be tried as such. If the kids are just hot to trot to "kill gooks" or "kill ragheads" or whatever the current demon is called, they deserve to get their peckers shot off. Yes, I would shoot an armed intruder entering my home or endangering family or friends. I expect no less from our soldiers, or Afhanis, Iraqis, Iranians, Chinese, Russians, etc. I would not go looking for trouble or hunt down someone who has done me no harm. In hindsight the "Cold War" balance of power was a good thing. The Americans have proven they can't handle the responsibility of being the only remaining super power. One can only hope the other kids in the playground gang up on the bully amongst them and put him in his place. Does any of this have anything to do with our firearms rights? Every last bit of it does. It also applies to all the natural rights listed in the American Bill of Rights which applies to foreigners as well. Cordially, Clive Edwards "Just because I don't believe in being a victim doesn't mean I believe in being a bully." "Just because I believe in non-aggression doesn't mean I believe in non-violence." ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2012 05:19:50 -0700 From: 10x@telus.net Subject: Re: Solomon Friedman discusses the RCMP's attempt to At , you wrote: > >... the AP-80 rifle > > Solomon Friedman's January 12, 2012 appearance on the Alberta talk radio > program The Rutherford Show. > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?vœZdS3DtLYE&featureplayer_embedded > > Solomon discussed gun control, the gun registry and specifically, the > RCMP's>attempt to confiscate the AP-80, > a .22 caliber rifle that bears some external resemblance to the AK-47, > from law-abiding citizens. www.firearmslaw.ca It is not an attempt. It has and is happening. The letter of notice was sent on December 20, 2011, to those who have - safely and without criminal intent - held and used the AP80 as if it were a non restricted firearm as per the registration certificate the Canadian Firearms Centre issued. Those owners have 30 days to surrender (or otherwise dispose) of these firearms as their registration certificates have been revoked. The mistake is that these folks were in possession of these guns legally, had a registration certificate issued, did not get the proper 12(5) license and now are given the choice of either loosing their property or facing criminal charges under section 92 (knowingly in possession of a prohibited firearm) of the criminal code. On conviction they get at minimum a criminal record and a maximum of ten years in jail. Keep in mind folks that there is no threat to anyone but the folks in possession of these guns, no intimidation to anyone but the folks in possession of these guns, no violence, no injury, no robbery, no rape, no murder, and most importantly the only victim who looses anything is the person threatened by the RCMP. If I were in possession of one of these firearms I would dismantle it, heat the receiver until it melted or was cherry red, then turn on the oxygen. That would turn the ``Gun ` part of the action to slag or ash, then inform the RCMP the firearm was destroyed. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2012 05:41:15 -0700 From: 10x@telus.net Subject: RE: Gun barrel explodes on firing range At 07:55 PM 13/01/2012 -0800, you wrote: >A few comments I found while googling 12 guage/20 guage bang: > >A 20g shell will sit just nicely in the forcing cone of a 12g. You can then >load a 12g shell. Should you fire the gun there would be catastrophic >consequences. > >One gun mixed a 16 ga shell in with his 12 ga ammo on the trap range. His >gun blew-up and he took a trip to the hospital ER > >the whole 20 gauge shell will slip into the 12 gauge chamber, if you load >another shell behind it and fire, your gun will explode like a bomb. > >Mixing 20ga shotgun shells with 12ga shells is the cause for what is known >as a "twelve twenty bang", which can be deadly. I have sacrificed a Cooey single shot shotgun to the 20 gauge in the bore, 12 gauge in the chamber theory. The ancient Cooey survived 5 (five) shots with a loaded 20 gauge dropped into the bore and a 12 gaube 3` shotshell placed in the chamber and fired. The gun did not `blow up`. The only thing that did happen is that the barrel latch bolt would allow the barrel to drop open. This was also done with two model 10 remington 12 gauges. Neither of them had the barrel fail either. Surprisingly there was NO BULGE where the 20 gauge shell was lodged in the bore. I found that there had to be a solid bore obstruction at least ten inches or more from the breech in order to make the barrel fail and the shotgun barrel would only fail at the point where the obstruction was. During the 5 attempts with a 20 gauge shell in the remington model 10 shotguns (2 of them) the actions and lock up became very loose and the action would open during firing. Both remington 12 gauge pumps were later fired with 25 16 gauge (paper) shotshells each with no damage to the gun, a much reduced report and the shot and wadd barely leaving the barrel. It is very rare that a firearm will fail catastrophically. It takes a great deal of ingenuity and deliberate abuse to make a firearm fail - even a pump action shotgun made 90 years ago. That being said, I tested several old shotguns with damascus barrels and although they shot loose very quickly with over loads - the 100 year old barrels. I did not test with 20 gauge bore obstruction - I believe they would have failed. The bottom line - a shot gun will fail catastrophically some of the time with a bore obstruction but the closer the bore obstruction to the chamber, the less likely the gun is to fail. BTW: a shotshell wadd lodged in the bore or at the muzzle of a full choke 12 gauge may not be nearly as dangerous as some believe. It took several inches of clay packed into the muzzle to make a bore obstruction that would cause the barrel to fail at the obstruction. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2012 06:05:26 -0700 From: 10x@telus.net Subject: RE: VOICE OF THE OUTDOORS by Murray Martin At 09:03 PM 13/01/2012 -0800, you wrote: > >-----Original Message----- >From: Dennis & HazelYoung >Sent: Friday, January 13, 2012 4:24 AM >To: cfdmod@bogend.ca >Subject: FW: VOICE OF THE OUTDOORS by Murray Martin > >Forwarded with the permission of the author. > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: Canadian Outdoor Specialists-Murray & Lisa Martin > >murraywritesforu@northwestel.net >Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2012 9:36 PM >Subject: Voice of the Outdoors for January 13 > >VOICE OF THE OUTDOORS by Murray Martin > > > >MOUNTY BRASS MAKE FORMER LEGAL FIREARMS ILLEGAL. snip> >Another firearm on the prohibited list is a 22 calibre Zoraki Mod 914,925 >starter pistol. This is also now on the prohibited list . You are advised to >immediately turn such firearms over to the RCMP local office for disposal. >The starter picture shown along with this column is one I have had for >years and was made in Italy. This starter pistol along with the one >mentioned above could actually be drilled out to fire a real 22 calibre >bullet. Doing so would be dangerous to the person firing the starter pistol. >My advice is to not take the chance of doing so. Before this column goes to >press I will have turned the starter pistol over to the RCMP and strongly >advise others to do also. The particular starter pistol is not the same >model mentioned. snip The Zoraki Starter Pistol is a `signaling device`. Only the `Governor in Council` can declare a non firearm to be a prohibited device. Apparently a public servant in the RCMP has assumed the power granted to the `Governor in Council` under Section 117 of the firearms act and has declared the Zoraki a prohibited device. The claime is that the starter pistol shares a frame with a `real` firearm. The real firearm in this claim has never been disclosed. Likely because it does not exist. The rumor that these guns have been converted to fire real ammo (9mm and 22 rimfire) may be true however the zinc alloy (pot metal) frame of the gun would self destruct with the pressure generated by 9mm ammo. There is information about using 9 mm P.A.K. blank ammo with a 22 air rifle pellet however it seems that the maximum velocity generated is about 150 to 160 metres per second and that is well below the 500 fps that defines a real firearm. The real issue is that a public servant in the RCMP has assumed the power of the Governor in Council to name an object prohibited. And that the RCMP are using that assumption to extort these non guns from their owners. It would be interesting to see the testimony of the police explaining how charges laid under section 91 (or 92) of the Criminal code for folks found in possession of these non firearm can be justified under the firearms act. Bottom line, the Governor in Council did not prohibit these blank fireing devices - a civil servant did - and that causes very interesting legal quesitons... ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2012 10:34:02 -0500 From: Bill Subject: Re:The Classification/Re Classification of Canadian firearms My post on the Sun Website: - ------------------------ What most people don't understand. There is only _ONE_ possible study/result combination responsible for the way they classify/reclassify firearms in this country. The technique involves recruiting the help of an average urban, left wing bureaucrat. They then insert a medical anal probe and show the bureaucrat the firearm in question. They then measure, and record the the clinch pressure exerted on the probe. The higher the pressure, the further the firearm moves up the "scary gun scale', and the more likely it will proceed from the non-restricted, to restricted or prohibited class. There is _NO OTHER_ possible way they could have come to the conclusion that the Armi Jager AP-80, 22 calibre rimfire rifle, is a "variant" of the military AK-47. Bill On 1/13/2012 10:27 PM, Cdn-Firearms Digest wrote: > Date: Fri, January 13, 2012 9:46 am > From: "Dennis& Hazel Young" > Subject: TORONTO SUN: Bureaucrats gunning for rifle owners by Brian Lilley > > TORONTO SUN - JANUARY 13, 2012 > Bureaucrats gunning for rifle owners > It's time for the Harper government to wake up and fix this mess > BY BRIAN LILLEY, PARLIAMENTARY BUREAU > http://www.torontosun.com/2012/01/12/bureaucrats-gunning-for-rifle-owners > > When Bill C-68, the gun registry bill, was being debated, opponents said > registration of firearms would lead to their eventual confiscation. Now that > is happening. Just before Christmas, owners of certain firearms were > informed by letter that their rifles had been reclassified as prohibited > weapons in Canada and they must be turned over to police officials. Failure > to comply would mean the weapons would be taken by force and the owners > thrown in jail. The reason for the change: The rifle looks scary. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, January 14, 2012 10:21 am From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: NDP's François Pilon worried about end of long gun registry LAVAL NEWS - FRI, 01/13/2012 - 17:10 NDP’s François Pilon worried about end of long gun registry http://lavalnews.ca/article/Francois-Pilon-worried-about-end-of-long-gun-registry-200104 Laval-les Îles NDP MP François Pilon met recently with Jean-Pierre Gariépy, the head of Laval’s police department, to discuss the impact that the abolition of the long gun registry could have on the work of Laval’s police officers. Police use registry According to Gariépy, Laval’s police department has between 600 and 700 firearms at all times, and each year the department destroys from 150 to 200 guns which are obtained through confiscation or seizure during police interventions. When answering a call for suicidal behavior or conjugal violence, police officers regularly consult the long gun registry to know if there are firearms in the residence. They will then proceed to a preventive confiscation of these weapons. Vital tool threatened “The adoption of C-19 will mean police officers will no longer have any means to know where they can find long guns,” says Pilon. “It is a vital tool for preserving Canadians’ safety – often women and children living in a conjugal violence context – but also to fight firearms contraband. The planned destruction of all the registry data will instantly deprive police officers of the much needed information they use to trace these firearms.” Pilon maintains that the safety of police officers will also be greatly compromised by the loss of the firearms registry, since the police often use the information provided by the registry to plan tactical interventions. He says that by doing away with a registry of these high-powered weapons, the Conservative government is ignoring the pleas of police chiefs, crime specialists and crime victims. Pleas ignored Pilon says the government is also ignoring provincial leaders who want to help police forces keep the public safe. Some provinces, including Quebec, have stated that they are prepared to take over and maintain the existing gun registry information, although the Conservative government plans to destroy it. "You have every right to feel safe in your community and wherever you go in this country,” Pilon said in a statement. “And if the Conservatives won’t make your safety a priority, New Democrats certainly will. You’ve got my strongest commitment, as your Member of Parliament. - ------------------------- QUOTE FROM A LETTER TO THE INFORMATION COMMISSIONER OF CANADA - JANUARY 2, 2012 Statistically, licensed gun owners are between three and five times less likely to commit murder than the average citizen who does not have a firearms license. This statistic would indicate the officers should be more cautious about entering the home of a person who doesn’t have a registered firearm. Logically, police officers should approach ALL domestic violence situations with an equal amount of caution and not place priority on whether a computer tells them there is a registered gun at that location or not. http://www.nfa.ca/sites/default/files/RCMP%20ATI%20-%20Registered%20Firearms%20%20Domestic%20Violence%20Calls.pdf Canada’s National Firearms Association Media Release - November 21, 2011 GUN REGISTRY MISSES THE REAL TARGET “324,723 firearm prohibition orders issued and the gun registry doesn’t keep track of their addresses.” http://www.nfa.ca/news/gun-registry-misses-real-target RCMP: NUMBER OF PERSONS CONSIDERED TOO DANGEROUS TO OWN FIREARMS http://nfa.ca/sites/default/files/RCMP-ATI-Too-Dangerous-to-Own-Guns.pdf ------------------------------ Date: Sat, January 14, 2012 10:26 am From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: LETTER: Gun licence provides necessary detail NANAIMO NEWS BULLETIN - JANUARY 13, 2012 LETTER: Gun licence provides necessary detail http://www.nanaimobulletin.com/opinion/letters/137298763.html To the Editor, Re: Gun registry is about people's rights as well, Letters, Jan. 5. There is none so blind as he who will not see. After having numerous times been interviewed by the media and responded to articles such as this by Klaus Nenn, utter frustration eventually sets in as a result of the lack of knowledge pertaining to the Firearms Act by the public. To clarify, the police were able to attend the incident on Departure Bay Road not because the firearms were registered, but because the individual was in possession of a valid firearms licence and as such, his name was in the Canadian Police Information Centre. In the event the registering of individual firearms is abolished (this is evidently where the most of the purported $2 billion was spent), the police forces across Canada, will, as at present, still be able to determine if firearms are present at a location they might attend. This is due to the fact that law-abiding individuals who wish to purchase firearms, will, as in the past, have to take the Canadian Firearms Safety Course and if successful, be issued a possession and acquisition licence. Following this, their names will be entered in the CPIC system. Case closed. I personally take affront to, and would like Nenn to explain, his statement regarding firearms owners' "laziness and contempt of law". Where is our contempt of law when we have abided by all that is required (by law) to purchase firearms? Joseph Michaels Nanaimo Fish and Game Protective Association Firearms Legislation Officer ------------------------------ Date: Sat, January 14, 2012 10:31 am From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: Russian finds stockpile of Kalashnikov assault rifles ... ... in wooden crates purchased to heat home NATIONAL POST - JANUARY 14, 2012 Russian finds stockpile of Kalashnikov assault rifles in wooden crates purchased to heat home Reuters Jan 13, 2012 - 3:42 PM ET http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/13/russian-finds-stockpile-of-kalashnikov-assault-rifles-in-wooden-crates-purchased-to-heat-home/ A Russian villager discovered a stockpile of Kalashnikov assault rifles hidden in the wooden crates he bought for $15 from a stranger to use as fuel for his winter stove. A total of 79 guns and 253 cartridges were stuffed in more than 60 wooden boxes bought by a resident of the village of Sovkhozny in Udmurtia, a region some 1,300 km South-East of Moscow, Interfax news agency reported on Friday. The 57-year old local resident said he bought them from a random truck driver for 500 roubles ($15.81) to heat his home. The fully functional rifles, produced in 1959-1960, were on their way to a recycling plant from Izhmash, one of the country's oldest arms manufacturing plants, the company said, when they wound up in the man's possession. Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, appointed last December by President Dmitry Medvedev to oversee the country's defense industry, said he will launch a probe into the mysterious appearance of automatic rifles. "Wow! I will hold a meeting with Izhmash about its firearms next week and we will deal with this miracle," he wrote on his Facebook page www.facebook.com/dmitry.rogozin A deadly mixture of corner cutting and negligence continues to plague Russia's defense industry 20 years after the fall of the Soviet Union, with Russia still the world's second-largest arms exporter. "I imagine how scared the West is of our nuclear arms," a Facebook user Oleg Zabara wrote in a comment on Rogozin's post. "Not because they exist, but because they could accidentally fall on them (by mistake), just like those rifles got to that old man." It was not immediately clear if the driver was aware that he was carrying firearms in the boxes he rushed to cash in on, but investigators said a probe will look into the incident. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, January 14, 2012 11:33 am From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: WPG FREE PRESS: Rising deer population: to cull or let crash? WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - JANUARY 14, 2012 Rising deer population: to cull or let crash? Rise in number of costly highway crashes with wildlife stirs debate By: Jen Skerritt http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/cull-or-crash-137339648.html When Beth Neville saw something move it was already too late. The 25-year-old was behind the wheel of her family's van last Easter weekend as she and her mother drove home to Notre Dame de Lourdes from church in the dark. Neville said she had her high beams on when she noticed something on the roadway. A split second later, the van slammed into two deer, killing them instantly. "I hit my brakes so fast I left tread marks on the road," Neville said. "I felt sorry for them because they're beautiful animals. It happened so fast, you're not even expecting it." A new city report says the number of wildlife collisions reported in Manitoba has increased by 50 per cent in the last decade, and the bulk of these accidents involve deer. While no study has been undertaken to determine whether the deer population has grown, residents in some of the province's hot spots have little doubt it has. Areas such as Birds Hill Park and Charleswood have been identified as areas of concern and Manitoba Public Insurance data show the annual cost of wildlife collisions is approaching that of impaired-driving accidents. Wildlife collisions cost the public insurer $31 million each year, compared to $33 million for drunk driving. While efforts are underway to reduce damage and injuries from these crashes by educating drivers to slow down and pay attention, there are no plans to study whether these collisions are on the rise due to a simultaneous jump in the number of deer. Part of the problem, some say, is a split in public opinion: For every person who thinks greater wildlife control is required to reduce the number of accidents, someone else thinks nature should simply be left alone. "Some people say, 'We feed them, we welcome them in our yard.' Others say, 'We need a culling program' because they feel the numbers have grown and there's been so many accidents," said Charleswood-area Coun. Paula Havixbeck. Provincial data found wildlife contributed to 37 per cent of all collisions on provincial highways between 1994 and 2007 -- a significant number that includes instances where vehicles swerve off the road and into ditches to avoid an animal. Preliminary figures contained in a City of Winnipeg report released this week show the number of deer collisions has steadily risen in Manitoba in recent years -- from 6,330 in 2005 to 7,475 in 2010. MPI spokesman Brian Smiley said the numbers have increased, and the costs associated with these crashes add up quickly. Big deer cause big damage, Smiley said, and it can cost thousands to repair the front end of a vehicle or a windshield damaged by deer. Unlike other collisions where driver behaviour -- speed, alcohol and lack of seatbelt use -- plays a major role in determining the severity of the crash, wildlife collisions are unpredictable. Smiley said drivers who see a deer on the road should stay in their lane and hit the brakes. Animals are most active at dusk and dawn, and Smiley said drivers and their passengers need to watch out for any signs of activity and be aware that if they spot one deer, two more could be right behind them. Even then, Smiley said animals can dart out from nowhere. His Dodge Caravan was totalled when a buck ran into the passenger side of his van in Minnesota. "Literally the animal can be standing idle on the shoulder of the road or a ditch and within the blink of a second, they're jumping across the road in the path of a vehicle," he said. That's been a problem on a stretch of Highway 59 near Birds Hill Park, where deer collisions cost MPI about $230,000 every year. The public insurer examined whether a fence could be built to keep deer off the highway, but found it would cost $700,000 to build a 10-kilometre perimeter. Smiley said fencing would not prevent deer from crossing at another point along the road, and the idea was abandoned. Instead, Manitoba Conservation launched a program to track the carcasses of deer killed by vehicles. Brian Joynt, regional wildlife co-ordinator, said Birds Hill Park has recorded a large number of deer collisions over the years, and the province partnered with the municipality and park staff to map where they have been hit. Vehicles that respond to collect dead animals are now outfitted with GPS devices, Joynt said, so they can track where and see if this changes over time. Between November 2009 and August 2011, the GPS system recorded 112 collisions in the Birds Hill Park area, including 15 along the park's boundary on Highway 58 and another 11 near the turnoff for Highway 44. The project is slated to continue to the end of 2012, and Joynt said he's interested to see whether the number of collisions drops now that part of the floodway has been revegetated with plants deer don't like to eat. At the same time, he said it's difficult to tell whether the deer population has increased or decreased since the province has not done a recent wildlife survey in the area or in Winnipeg. "We don't have a real good handle on the deer population," Joynt said. "If we had funds to do it, we would be very interested in monitoring a lot more of our populations, but we have a finite amount of resources." RM of Springfield Reeve Jim McCarthy has lived in the area since the mid-1970s and said there are definitely more deer. McCarthy said 30 years ago people did not need to fence off their gardens and watch out for the animals on area roadways as much. Today, he said most people he knows are concerned about the problem since they have either had close calls or hit a deer. "There's been a noticeable increase in the deer population. I see them in the field, in the yards; it's really difficult to have a garden without the deer destroying your garden," McCarthy said. "I think most residents, myself included, have hit deer." Winnipeg does not track the GPS co-ordinates of dead animals, but the city's 311 hotline has seen a slight increase in the number of requests to pick up dead deer. Last year, there were 570 requests to pick up dead deer, up from 502 the previous year. Most calls came from residents in Charleswood, followed by Winnipeggers in St. Boniface and St. Vital. So far in 2012, there have been 11 requests to pick up dead deer -- almost one every day. Data from 2009, the latest available, show 464 deer collisions were reported in Winnipeg, with the largest number in Charleswood. Winnipeg police cracked down on speeders in Charleswood last October, the month when deer collisions are the most frequent. Winnipeg police traffic unit Sgt. Mark Hodgson said the number of people caught driving over the speed limit dropped over the span of a few weeks. Police data show about 18 per cent of vehicles were clocked speeding on westbound Shaftesbury Boulevard at Corydon Avenue before enforcement began. Several weeks later, that figure dropped to 10 per cent. Police ticketed 130 drivers out of a total of 733 who were stopped. Hodgson said reducing the speed helps to reduce the number of collisions and the severity of a potential crash. Police can't measure whether the number of collisions dropped, Hodgson said, since that would depend on whether the deer population increased or decreased. Havixbeck said she thinks the province should initiate a study to examine the deer population and its movements. She said researchers undertook similar studies in the 1970s and 1980s, and it would be good to have new guidelines on how the city and its residents could mitigate problems with the animals. Havixbeck said she sometimes receives calls from residents who complain a dead deer hasn't been picked up, noting this occurred last year next to a school. A resident went to cover the animal, she said, so children wouldn't see. "I think there needs to be some study and some tracking," Havixbeck said. "The deer are posing some interesting challenges." jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca BY THE NUMBERS . More than 10,000 wildlife collisions are reported in Manitoba every year, up from about 6,600 a decade ago. The bulk of these collisions involves deer. . Last year, the City of Winnipeg received 570 requests to pick up dead deer, up from 502 the previous year. Most calls came from residents in Charleswood, followed by Winnipeggers in St. Boniface and St. Vital. So far in 2012, there have been 11 requests to pick up dead deer -- almost one every day. . Wildlife collisions cost Manitoba Public Insurance $31 million annually. By comparison, impaired driving costs $33 million in claims annually; speeding costs $40 million; non-use of seatbelts results in $23 million in claims. . Provincial data found wildlife contributed to 37 per cent of all collisions on provincial highways between 1994 and 2007 -- a significant number that includes instances where vehicles swerve off the road and into ditches to avoid an animal. . Preliminary figures contained in a City of Winnipeg report released this week show the number of deer collisions has steadily risen in Manitoba in recent years -- from 6,330 in 2005 to 7,475 in 2010. - -- source: City of Winnipeg, Manitoba Public Insurance Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 14, 2012 B1 ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V14 #883 *********************************** 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".)