From: owner-cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V15 #227 Reply-To: cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Sender: owner-cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Errors-To: owner-cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Precedence: normal Cdn-Firearms Digest Friday, August 24 2012 Volume 15 : Number 227 In this issue: Congratulations Lorne !! SMALL ARMS SURVEY: Assessing Transparency in Small Arms Exports Self defence ruled in Calgary home invasion death; CBC - RCMP forensic delays not a problem, says Toews HILL TIMES: Opposition MPs criticize PM Harper for riding ... QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Sometimes the law defends plunder and ... THE OUTDOOR WIRE: Unintended Consequences? Retreat aims to soothe soldiers' battle scars ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2012 00:10:08 -0700 From: Len Miller Subject: Congratulations Lorne !! Date: Thu, August 23, 2012 10:09 am From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: Lorne Gunter awarded Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal Sun columnist Lorne Gunter awarded By Matt Dykstra, Edmonton Sun - Updated: Wednesday, August 22, 2012 09:18 PM MDT http://www.edmontonsun.com/2012/08/22/sun-columnist-lorne-gunter-awarded Let me add my congratulations . . Sir . . But I would add your much appreciated input on firearms . . Len ------------------------------ Date: Fri, August 24, 2012 9:15 am From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: SMALL ARMS SURVEY: Assessing Transparency in Small Arms Exports From: Small Arms Survey [mailto:news@smallarmssurvey.org] Sent: Friday, August 24, 2012 6:58 AM To: dhyoung@shaw.ca Subject: Assessing Transparency in Small Arms Exports: The Small Arms Trade Transparency Barometer Assessing Transparency in Small Arms Exports The Small Arms Survey’s annual Transparency Barometer is designed to encourage individual states to make public information about their transfers of small arms and light weapons, their parts, accessories, and ammunition. It has been published as part of the annual flagship Small Arms Survey since 2004, capturing information on producers and countries that sell or donate significant surpluses. It examines 52 countries that have declared—or are believed to have approved—small arms exports worth at least USD 10 million during at least one calendar year since 2001. In order to assess countries’ transparency in their small arms exports, the Transparency Barometer evaluates: • national arms export reports; • reporting to the EU Report; • submissions to the UN Commodity Trade Statistics Database (UN Comtrade); and • information provided to the UN Register of Conventional Arms. A new Research Note—'Assessing Transparency in Small Arms Exports: The Small Arms Trade Transparency Barometer'—has been released to explain and expand upon this year’s findings. Detailed findings of the Barometer will be published on 27 August as a chapter of the Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets. ________________________________________ • Download Research Note 20, ‘Assessing Transparency in Small Arms Exports: The Small Arms Trade Transparency Barometer’: www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-20.pdf • More information on the individual editions of the Transparency Barometer (2003–11) and the Barometer Guidelines: www.smallarmssurvey.org/weapons-and-markets/tools/the-transparency-barometer.html • More information on the annual Small Arms Survey www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook.html Small Arms Survey | Avenue Blanc 47 | Geneva, GE 1202, Switzerland ------------------------------ Date: Fri, August 24, 2012 9:26 am From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: Self defence ruled in Calgary home invasion death; police deem use of firearm "more reasonable" Self defence ruled in Calgary home invasion death By Jenna McMurray, Calgary Sun - Updated: Thursday, August 23, 2012 07:17 PM MDT http://www.calgarysun.com/2012/08/23/self-defence-ruled-in-calgary-home-invasion-death No charges will be laid in the fatal shooting of a Calgary man after his death was deemed the result of self defence. About 9 a.m. on Jan. 14 of this year, cops were called to a possible break-in in the 100 block of Erin Circle S.E. Several people were in the home at the time, and as officers were removing them, they found the body of 35-year-old Joseph Lesley Talbot, who had been shot to death. One person was arrested and questioned, but later released, said homicide Staff Sgt. Doug Andrus. On Thursday, police said no one will be charged in Talbot's death after the Crown prosecutor's office deemed the incident a non-culpable homicide, meaning there was no legal wrongdoing, such as in the case of self defence. "The determination is made in conjunction with the Crown prosecutor's office, which speaks to whether the amount of force is reasonable given the situation," said Andrus. Police say on the day of Talbot's death, he went into the home with a knife and was shot with a long rifle after cornering a friend. "In this case we had a male who forcibly entered a residence through the front door, he confronted an occupant inside residence in his bedroom brandishing a knife," said Andrus. "The occupant of the home had no means of escape. "As a result, this makes the use of a firearm more reasonable." Talbot and the person who shot him were "lifelong friends," said Andrus. "We believe that they were involved in a long-term dispute." Non-culpable homicides are unusual occurrences, said Andrus, adding the last cases were in 2010. Lorne Kvale, 55, was found unconscious outside Chelsea's Pub and Grill in the city's northeast in March of that year and later died. Police told his sister that Kvale saw a man driving erratically as they were leaving the pub and he opened the passenger door and pulled the man's girlfriend out, thinking the driver might be impaired. It was later learned the man was struggling with the car's standard transmission. During a fight, Kvale was punched in the face. It was determined the man was not intending to kill Kvale, but just protect his girlfriend and no charges were laid. Also in March of that year, 40-year-old Dean Wilde was stabbed during a fight in an alley in the 4200 block of 9 Ave. S.W. that may have been spawned by a drug deal gone bad. No charges were laid in that case. - -------------------------- City homicide ruled self-defence, no charges laid in death of Joseph Talbot By Stephane Massinon, Calgary Herald August 23, 2012 http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/City+homicide+ruled+self+defence+charges+laid+death+Joseph/7134960/story.html CALGARY - The city's first killing of the year was a case of self-defence, police have determined, so no charges will be laid against the man who shot his friend to death. After wrapping up an investigation into the death of Les Talbot, 35, police and Crown prosecutors have decided not to lay charges in the Jan. 14 death in the shooter's home in the 100 block of Erin Circle S.E. It's being called a case of non-culpable homicide, a relatively rare finding that police say has not happened in Calgary since March 2010. "Non-culpable homicide finds the accused had no legal wrongdoing in the death of another person, such as in the case of self defence," said homicide unit Staff Sgt. Doug Andrus. Andrus said Talbot forced his way into the house, went to the shooter's bedroom armed with a knife and confronted him. Talbot was shot with a long barrel rifle. "The occupant of the home had no means of escape. As a result, this makes the use of a firearm more reasonable," said Andrus. It was not a random crime. "These two individuals were lifelong friends. We believe they were involved in a long-term dispute culminating in this individual attending the residence," said Andrus. "As to the specific nature of the dispute, we didn't receive that information." The shooter was a groomsman at Talbot's wedding and they also both had a child with the same woman in Ontario. Andrus said the shooter was not co-operative with police, but the other people in the home were. The last two times a homicide was declared non-culpable was for two deaths in the same month. Dean Wilde and Lorne Kvale were both killed in March 2010. Wilde was killed in a drug-related homicide in Rosscarrock; Kvale died from a single punch outside a northeast bar. No charges were laid in either case. smassinon@calgaryherald.com - ------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, August 24, 2012 9:48 am From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: CBC - RCMP forensic delays not a problem, says Toews CBC - RCMP forensic delays not a problem, says Toews Public Safety minister says provinces, municipalities may need to pay more By Robert Jones, CBC News - Last Updated: Aug 21, 2012 8:07 AM AT Comments 104 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2012/08/20/nb-rcmp-lab-delays-toews-oland.html Federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews is rejecting suggestions that bottlenecks at national RCMP crime labs are slowing down important police investigations, including the Richard Oland murder investigation in Saint John. But if any improvements are needed, provinces might have to pay for them, he said. "Are there challenges? There are always challenges," Toews told CBC News. "Generally, I think the delays that were occurring say five, six, 10 years ago even are much reduced." Saint John police revealed in court documents earlier this month that their investigation into last year's murder of prominent businessman Richard Oland was being hampered by delays at national RCMP forensic labs. In an affidavit sworn this June and released in August, Const. Stephen Davidson, the lead investigator in the Oland case, said the national crime labs were only accepting a few pieces of evidence at a time and nearly a year after the murder was committed, the force still had a backlog of exhibits waiting to be sent and analyzed. Toews says to the extent problems exist for municipal forces getting evidence processed, it's really an issue for them and their provincial governments to solve, not the federal government. "It's a question of how much each level of government should be paying," said Toews, who was in Saint John on Monday to announce $300,000 in crime prevention funding for the province. "Police work, including laboratory services, is essentially a provincial or municipal responsibility. It's not a federal responsibility," he said. Oland, 69, was found dead in his Saint John office on July 7, 2011. Police have seized 378 pieces of evidence to date, ranging from Oland's financial records to the lint trap from his son's dryer, search warrants released by the court reveal. Of those, 243 require forensic analysis, according to the lead investigator. So far, only 43 exhibits have been sent, he said. The RCMP recently announced the closure of three of its labs, including one in Halifax, and the consolidation with three others, in a bid to save money and produce more efficient results. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/05/25/pol-rcmp-forensic-lab-closures.html - --------------------------- INQUIRY OF MINISTRY QUESTION: Q-53 BY: Mr. Breitkreuz (Yorkton-Melville) DATE: 17 JAN 2005 REPLY BY THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS CANADA [Original signed by Anne McLellan] QUESTION Q-53 - December 7, 2004 - Mr. Breitkreuz (Yorkton-Melville) - With regard to the DNA cases in process at the RCMP forensic laboratories and the DNA data bank, for each of the last three years: (a) how many urgent and routine DNA cases were received; (b) how many urgent and routine DNA cases were processed; (c) how many urgent and routine DNA cases were left unprocessed at the end of each year; (d) what was the average time to process urgent and routine DNA cases; (e) based on the success rate of matching DNA cases to offenders in the DNA Data Bank, for urgent and routine cases what was the average number of repeat offenders that were on the loose and the average time they remained on the loose waiting for DNA cases to be processed; and (f) how does the performance of our DNA analysis compare with other countries in areas such as case backlogs, average processing time for urgent and routine DNA cases, differences in definition of urgent and routine, and success rates for matches with repeat offenders in their DNA data banks? MINISTER'S REPLY: http://www.garrybreitkreuz.com/publications/Article529.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, August 24, 2012 10:01 am From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: HILL TIMES: Opposition MPs criticize PM Harper for riding ... ... non-Canadian ATV in rare Yukon ecosystem THE HILL TIMES - AUGUST 24, 2012 Opposition MPs criticize PM Harper for riding non-Canadian ATV in rare Yukon ecosystem By TIM NAUMETZ | Published: Thursday, 08/23/2012 12:36 pm EDT http://www.hilltimes.com/news/news/2012/08/23/opposition-mps-criticize-pm-harper-for-riding-non-canadian-atv-in-rare-yukon/31917 Deputy editor's note: This story originally incorrectly attributed quotes to NDP MP Megan Leslie. After removing the story online, The Hill Times contacted both Ms. Leslie and the reporter to determine the problem. The reporter mistakenly attributed Green Leader Elizabeth May's quotes to Ms. Leslie when writing the story. In the original story, posted last night, Ms. Leslie was misquoted in the following five quotes, which were Ms. May's. Ms. Leslie did not tell The Hill Times "What is this massive marketing machine that the PMO is driving? What do they seek? What message do they want people to see-this sort of macho guy who's not going to pay attention to the rules?" or "They loved that. There's no chance in 100 years that wasn't entirely planned. Stephen Harper doesn't do unplanned." Ms. Leslie also did not tell The Hill Times that riding an ATV is "very controversial" because it is not safe for children. She also did not say that "People gripe about the price of gas being too high, but they're prepared to buy a vehicle and fill it with gas for letting their kids ride around in ways that are unsafe," nor did she say "Definitely he cares about opening up oil and gas and mining, and there is this kind of macho thing, he likes to be seen on an ATV or a snowmobile, taking off, driving off in places he's not supposed to go." All of those quotes should be attributed to Ms. May. The Hill Times apologizes to Ms. Leslie, Ms. May and to all our loyal readers for publishing these wrongly attributed quotes. Following a tweet stating The Hill Times would correct the story, the updated story with correct quotes attributed to both Ms. Leslie and Ms. May follows. http://www.hilltimes.com/news/news/2012/08/23/opposition-mps-criticize-pm-harper-for-riding-non-canadian-atv-in-rare-yukon/31917 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, August 24, 2012 10:23 am From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Sometimes the law defends plunder and ... ... participates in it." "Sometimes the law defends plunder and participates in it. Sometimes the law places the whole apparatus of judges, police, prisons and gendarmes at the service of the plunderers, and treats the victim -- when he defends himself - -- as a criminal." -- Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850) [Claude Frederic Bastiat] French economist, statesman, and author. He did most of his writing during the years just before -- and immediately following -- the French Revolution of February 1848. Source: The Law http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote_blog/Frederic.Bastiat.Quote.6B82 NATIONAL POST - FEBRUARY 1, 2012 Lorne Gunter: Why hang Ian Thomson for the 'crime' of protecting himself? http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/02/01/lorne-gunter-why-hang-ian-thomson-for-the-crime-of-protecting-himself/ - ------------------------------------ NATIONAL FIREARMS ASSOCIATION MEDIA RELEASE - OCTOBER 11, 2011 Millions of Dollars Wasted if Firearms Destroyed "Law-abiding gun owners want a chance to buy guns planned for destruction" http://www.nfa.ca/news/millions-dollars-wasted-if-firearms-destroyed RCMP ACCESS TO INFORMATION RESPONSE GUNS REGISTERED TO POLICE AND PUBLIC AGENCIES RCMP ATI RESPONSE DATED: AUGUST 31, 2011 RCMP FILE #: GA-3951-3-04077/11 http://www.nfa.ca/sites/default/files/RCMP-ATI-Police-and-Public-Agency-Fire arms.pdf Q3 - FIREARMS REPORTED STOLEN & RETURNED TO RIGHTFUL OWNERS = 122 Total SHOTGUN = 33 OTHER = 1 RIFLE = 67 HANDGUN = 21 Q4 - FIREARMS DESTROYED = 28,370 Total RIFLE = 13,442 SHOTGUN = 8,388 HANDGUN = 6,218 COMBINATION GUN = 102 OTHER = 124 SUBMACHINE GUN = 62 MACHINE GUN = 15 COMMERCIAL VERSION = 9 CANNON = 6 (BLANK) = 2 NOT AVAILABLE = 2 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, August 24, 2012 10:30 am From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: THE OUTDOOR WIRE: Unintended Consequences? THE OUTDOOR WIRE - AUGUST 24, 2012 http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/archived/2012-08-24_tow.html FEATURE: Unintended Consequences? Four years ago, we received considerable attention for naming then-President-elect Barack Obama as the 2007/2008 Gun Salesman of the Year. We have not named another recipient since that announcement. Frankly, no one else came close to galvanizing existing and potential gun owners to the level Mr. Obama did then - and continues to do today. Judging from the all-time highs of NICS background checks and other indicators like Ruger's being on track to break their all-time sales record set last year, they've shown few signs of dropping since then. With the November 2012 Presidential election approaching, sales of guns and ammo are once again trending upward. It isn't likely we'll be naming a new recipient of the Gun Salesman of the Year honor before 2013. That having been said, here's a question: Has the administration given a boost to hunting and fishing? Most probably, if not most definitely. Since Mr. Obama's election, hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor activities have shown demonstrable participation gains. In the case of hunting, those gains have reversed years of steady declines. Granted, hunting is nowhere near the levels of its heydays, but figures released last week by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service show a nine percent increase in hunters from 2006 to 2011. That is not insignificant. It would be misleading to attribute all that growth to the current administration, but the year-over-year growth since 2008 seems to parallel gains in firearms sales. In fact, last week, National Shooting Sports Foundation president Steve Sanetti said the increase in hunters "mirrors what our members are telling us- strong sales to an expanding customer base." The NSSF's referenced customer base isn't just hunters, but you get the point. People aren't just buying guns, they're learning how to use them - that's significant. They're not being purchased as speculative investments, they're being learned - like tools. Sanetti attributes the increase to a variety of activities, from a renewed interest in recreational target shooting to hunting and personal protection. The outdoor industry has cited the increases in hunting and fishing as proof that the American public has re-focused on the outdoors. Unfortunately, that re-focusing of attention hasn't been the result of White House initiatives designed to get Americans off their couches and exercising. Here's where some of you may say I've strayed from observation to political commentary. If that's the case, don't stop here to write me a nasty-gram, keep reading. A portion of the increased participation in outdoor activities - and many economists say a large portion - over the past two years has been attributed to families feeling the pinch of an economy that has yet to show any sustained signs of recovery. Out of necessity, families have tightened their belts, and cut back discretionary spending. Lavish family vacations were among the first casualties. Consequently, their vacation focus shifted from distant locations to affordable family-friendly vacation options close to home. Some families cut the length of their vacations, taking long weekends rather than extended stays. Before the belt-tightening, camping, hunting, fishing and wildlife watching were some of the most overlooked options, especially in places located closer to home. That belt-tightening forced the travel industry to recognize the "stay-cation" as a reality. Many states refocused tourism efforts toward consumers located within the range of a single tank of gasoline. In response, traditionally strong vacation locations started offering fuel credits and incentives ranging from free nights to free meals in hopes of drawing in families. Looking at the vacancy rates in formerly hot destinations, the incentives weren't enough to offset tight budgets. Granted, outdoor "stay-cations" involved startup costs. But camping, hiking and other outdoor gear is re-usable. It has also never been higher quality across a wider range of prices or simpler to operate. The gear is also a responsible purchase. It's great for the outdoors, but equally useful during emergencies when public utilities may be interrupted. And....if you hunted or fished on your "stay-cation", you further reduced costs by harvesting your own food. Harvesting wild game and catching fresh fish provided both entertainment - and sustenance - another two-fer other activities can't match. Both also require getting up-and going out, so there's no discounting the overall health benefits associated with the outdoors. Although financial constraints may have forced families outdoors, many of them have found - or renewed - an interest in the outdoors. That increased their frequency afield. And since we're commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, it's only appropriate to recognize fishing or hunting "stay-cations" as having provided additional funding for the continued preservation of America's wild game and public lands through licenses and taxes. As hunting and fishing continues trending upward, gun and ammunition sales remain at record highs, new anti-gun legislation fails to win passage and old anti-gun legislation is simultaneously being overturned with increasing regularity, it seems almost "snarky" to credit the administration - again- with helping with all of the above. You can call those gains unintended consequences, but however you shade it, the administration has helped, albeit unintentionally, lure people back into the outdoors. As they've gone outdoors- whatever their original motivation- many who were previously "neutral" about the preservation of hunting, fishing and shooting sports have been converted into supporters, if not outright advocates. Ditto those who were "neutral" on Second Amendment issues. That's big. It's something we in the outdoor and shooting sports haven't been able to do - or sustain- on our own, despite our best efforts. It's up to us to take the ball and run with it from here. - --Jim Shepherd http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2012 10:52:56 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: Retreat aims to soothe soldiers' battle scars http://www.thestarphoenix.com/health/Retreat+aims+soothe+soldiers+battle+scars/7137799/story.html Retreat aims to soothe soldiers' battle scars By Charles Hamilton, The StarPhoenix August 24, 2012 A group of injured soldiers, sailors and airmen of all different ages filed out of the Saskatoon airport gates with mixed emotions on their faces. One carried a guitar case, another cradled his young daughter in his arms. Some walked with a limp, others were in wheelchairs. But for these men and women, some of the most painful scars are invisible. "When you are suffering from a mental injury you always feel that you are the only one," John Tescione, a retired Canadian soldier who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 2004, said Thursday. "No matter how much you hear of other people suffering, you always think that you're alone." While on tour with the United Nations in the former Yugoslavia in 1994, Tescione and a fellow soldier were ambushed. Gunmen surrounded his vehicle and fired at point blank range. He received seven gun shots to his arms, shoulder and head. "I healed very quickly. Within a month I was back to work, but I never took care of something else that was wrong. I didn't believe there was anything wrong," Tescione said. "Literally 10 years to the day I came forward with some help from a good friends and I got the help." Tescione is one of 112 soldiers from Canada and the United States who are in Saskatchewan for Wounded Warriors Weekend - a weekend getaway in Nipawin that will include sport fishing, golfing, a country music concert and dinner events to honour the soldiers. Many of the soldiers attending have served in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Iraq, and have come home with physical and mental scars. "While we have some physically injured, the focus is on mental health. It's about getting the conversation going," said Wayne Johnston, the founder of Wounded Warriors. "Anyone that sees this will know it's OK to talk about mental health." Tescione says it was hard for him to finally admit that he had a mental health problem. He believes retreats such as this will help other soldiers who were once facing the same fears he was. "Just even arriving here, you feel like you know some of these guys. It's easier to come forward and say, 'Yes you know that there is something wrong and I need to fix it.' It's an injury just like any other injury," Tescione said. Tescione chose to attend the retreat to "pay it forward" and help out other soldiers - those who are still serving and veterans old and young. "That's the way you are trained in the military, take care of your buddies," he said. Organizers like Johnston, who has served 39 years in the Canadian Forces, say the response in Saskatchewan has been beyond their expectations. He hopes the event will help younger soldiers find the strength to come forward. "There are many forms of courage. There's courage on the battlefield. The courage to walk through the door and say, 'I need help,' is an entirely different kind of courage. I'm not sure which is more brave," Johnston said. cthamilton@thestarphoenix.com ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V15 #227 *********************************** 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".)