From: owner-cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V15 #786 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 owner-cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Cdn-Firearms Digest Friday, June 28 2013 Volume 15 : Number 786 In this issue: RE: High River RCMP Looters are CRIMINALS and must be ... Letter to National Post (just sent) ... Fw: [CSSA-CILA E-News] TEAM CSSA SPECIAL REPORT - June 28, 2013 Thank You for Tying up the Capitol Hill Phone Lines on the ... Charge dismissed against student who refused to remove NRA shirt Questions about the actions taken by the RCMP in High River, AB Second Colorado lawmaker faces recall effort for gun control vote U.S. Park Service loses track of weapons PMO says the RCMP should have better things to do than seize guns ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 09:06:27 -0700 From: "Clive Edwards" <45clive@telus.net> Subject: RE: High River RCMP Looters are CRIMINALS and must be ... ...treated as ... "We have seized a large quantity of firearms simply because they were left by residents in their places," said Sgt. Topham. The events of High River could certainly be more interesting. What if the RCMP, in their thieving frenzy, had encountered a resident such as myself who decides such things as whether to evacuate according to my own criteria? (Would that the Jews of the thirties and forties had relied on their own criteria before evacuating). I would certainly have a firearm "in use" under such circumstances. Just in case home invaders decided I was a prime target whether my home was occupied or not. In a reasonable and just world, the RCMP would perhaps confirm that I was secure in water, food and ammunition and thank me for being a responsible citizen. They might "deputize" me and ask me to keep an eye on neighbours' properties. I would certainly feel more secure, if I decided the danger was minimal, staying in my home and protecting myself as the law allows. For the RCMP to brag about their lawless behaviour I suspect their boots on the ground attitudes and behaviour would have led to some interesting and possibly tragic events. While I would welcome a friendly and respectful cop, I am not likely to respond in a friendly and respectful way to an arrogant storm trooper who is just "following orders". 45clve ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 12:18:50 -0400 (EDT) From: Rob Sciuk Subject: Letter to National Post (just sent) ... Gun registry data ... (fwd) Dear Sir/Madame, The federal government does indeed own the registry data, and in order to wrest property rights away from the provinces, the Liberal government of Jean Chretien ammended the criminal code to include sections 91 and 92 which criminalized simple possession of any firearm, in the absence of any wrongdoing. This sweeping measure flies in the face of Charter rights and fundamental justice, and had no effect upon the public safety, but was the subterfuge necessary to allow property to be licensed under a federal jurisdiction. The previous regulatory regime had all the effective safety features already in place while balancing the jurisdiction of the provinces, the public safety and the presumption of innocence which forms the underpinnings of our Charter. This cheap political stunt has brought about the criminalization of a scrupulously law abiding segment of the population, exposing them to penalties including up to ten years of incarceration for merely continuing to own the property they have peacefully owned for generations. Such legislation for partisan gain has brought the law into disrepute, and is not the stuff of a constitutional democracy, and harkens instead to a dictatorship. If Canadians are wondering why the Firearms Act remains contentious so many years later, this is a major part of it. Sincerely, Robert S. Sciuk ------------------------------ Date: Fri, June 28, 2013 10:31 am From: jyoung@aernet.ca Subject: Fw: [CSSA-CILA E-News] TEAM CSSA SPECIAL REPORT - June 28, 2013 - -----Original Message----- From: "CSSA-CILA E-News Bulletins." Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 12:14:06 Subject: [CSSA-CILA E-News] TEAM CSSA SPECIAL REPORT - June 28, 2013 CANADIAN SHOOTING SPORTS ASSOCIATION / CANADIAN INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION TEAM CSSA SPECIAL REPORT - June 28, 2013 RCMP's high-handedness in High River reveals gun confiscation agenda Residents leave firearms in houses during flood evacuation – so what? The RCMP in High River, Alberta have breached and sullied their contract with the public to serve and protect. When private citizens were forced to evacuate the town as flood waters threatened their safety, police and the military forcibly entered the abandoned residences and confiscated firearms. They police admit they seized "a large quantity of firearms," and claimed that public safety was at stake. They did not explain how the firearms posed a threat -- because there wasn't one. "This act of aggression is further proof that the RCMP have a not-so-hidden agenda to take guns away from responsible gun owners," says Tony Bernardo, executive director of the Canadian Institute for Legislative Action (CILA) and the Canadian Shooting Sports Association CSSA). "How is leaving your home for a flood any different than leaving to watch the kids play hockey or go on vacation? The police went rogue and operated way beyond their mandate. They spun out of control under the guise of being public safety caretakers. In these situations, the police simply secure the area and refuse admittance to non-residents. "The RCMP has much to answer for by stealing guns from private citizens," adds Bernardo. "We are advised that the Prime Minister's Office will examine whether the rights of Canadians have been ignored by the police. I am confident that the federal government will deal swiftly with those who have portrayed Canada as a police state in the eyes of the of the world. While the poor souls of High River clean up their homes, the government needs to clean up Canada's law enforcement agency. The government must run the police, not the other way round." The police have a mandate to safeguard homes from looters and criminals during a natural disaster. The RCMP prohibited the public from entering the flood zone, including residents who wanted to inspect the damage in their residences. With police and military guarding the flood perimeter and patrolling streets, there was no need to break into private homes. CSSA/CILA wants an investigation into whether houses with firearms were specifically targeted. If the homes were hand-picked, it could be evidence that the RCMP has retained and still uses the data from the federal firearms registry that Parliament ordered scrapped. Firearms owners are seeking assurance that the registry data is not available for clandestine police searches. "The residents of High River have good cause to be angry and they are making themselves heard," adds Bernardo. "Someone told a reporter it's like living in Nazi Germany, and that there is some shameful truth to that statement. There are many excellent police officers out there who recognize that responsible firearm owners obey the law. Unfortunately, sometimes they are led by police officials who issue commands like this one. If the RCMP are looking for looters, they only need a mirror" -30- ------- PMO says the RCMP should have better things to do than seize guns KELLY CRYDERMAN AND JOSH WINGROVE THE GLOBE AND MAIL - Last updated Friday, Jun. 28 2013, 11:48 AM EDT The Prime Minister’s Office is stepping into the controversy surrounding the flood response in High River, Alta., saying the RCMP should have better things to do than seize residents’ guns. The town remains under evacuation, and emergency crews have been going from home to home, searching for people and assessing damage. Earlier this week, it emerged RCMP were also seizing guns that had been left out in the open, saying they were doing it out of safety and that the guns would be returned. Many residents, however, complained that RCMP were seizing their property. Stephen Harper’s office sided with the residents. “We expect that any firearms taken will be returned to their owners as soon as possible,” PMO spokesman Carl Vallée said. “We believe the RCMP should focus on more important tasks such as protecting lives and private property.” On Thursday, RCMP Sergeant Patricia Neely said the guns will all be returned. “Firearms that were unsafely stored in plain sight were seized for safekeeping,” she said. By Friday, an RCMP spokesperson said the force was preparing a statement on the gun seizure. Canadian law requires that guns be unloaded and locked away when stored. High River, population 13,000, was worst-hit by last week’s flooding. Much of the town remains under water, and officials say it’s too dangerous for residents to be allowed back in. That has left municipal leaders under fire from residents anxious to assess the damage at their home. Danielle Smith, leader of Alberta’s Official Opposition Wildrose Party and the MLA who represents High River, said on Twitter she doesn’t have a problem with RCMP seizing loose guns. “The problem is if residents have trouble getting them back,” she said. She added that it’s unclear how many guns Mounties seized. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 10:45:30 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: Thank You for Tying up the Capitol Hill Phone Lines on the ... ...Anti-gun Amnesty Bill Gun Owners of America www.gunowners.org Friday, June 28, 2013 Thank You for Tying up the Capitol Hill Phone Lines on the Anti-gun Amnesty Bill "One thing that's not being reported about this whole immigration thing is the degree to which it's opposed by the people in this country," said Rush Limbaugh. "You try calling them, you can't get through [because] you are inundating them. You are overwhelming them." The U.S. Senate passed the anti-gun amnesty bill today on a 68-32 vote. Through this long, hard fight, you guys tied up the Capitol Hill phone lines in opposition to the bill. And your voice has resonated, much to the chagrin of the anti-gun politicos on Capitol Hill. At first blush, the final tally might seem like an overwhelming loss for our side, but the fact is, it represents the proverbial "kiss of death" for Chuck Schumer's anti-gun, amnesty forces. Senator Schumer & Co. fell far short of the goal they set for passing the amnesty bill -- a goal they HAD TO ACHIEVE if they were going to have ANY momentum at all in the House. Chuck Todd, a perennial water-carrier for the Obama administration, lamented this on MSNBC this week: "The sweet spot was 75-plus in the Senate because that number would have meant that they would have gotten half of the Republican conference [and would put pressure on House Republicans]. Instead, it looks like they are not going to get that." Several times, Senator Schumer tried to achieve his "sweet spot" of 70-75 votes -- which would have allowed him to claim that his bill had momentum going into the House. But several times, Schumer failed. And on the final vote, he fell almost ten votes short of what he needed. This is just the beginning of the bad news in store for Schumer. Now that his bill goes over to the House, we have a really nasty surprise for him. It's called a "blue slip," and Congressman Steve Stockman (R-TX) is pushing the House leadership to pass a blue slip resolution that would send the Senate amnesty bill into the trash heap because it raises taxes -- an initiative that, under the Constitution, must begin in the House of Representatives. This is not the only problem the Senate bill has. In addition to the blue slip problem, both liberal and conservative media are declaring the bill is "Dead on Arrival" in the House for various reasons: * We have revived the "Hastert Rule," and Boehner is now saying that he won't bring up the Senate-passed immigration bill for a vote. * Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) was quoted in The Washington Post yesterday as saying that the House won't seriously debate any immigration reform until mid-Fall. * And in the Senate, we will filibuster any effort to stick it onto a new House-initiated vehicle. Trust us that the media would have used a 70-80 vote margin to try to create the impression of massive bipartisan momentum. They can't do that easily now. Now that the Senate has finished its consideration of the amnesty bill, the battle moves to the House -- probably in a few months. So now's a good time for everyone to send a parting, closing shot to their Senators. You can see how your Senators voted here. http://cqrcengage.com/gunowners/app/thru?communicationId1295&edrId20401&urlhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.senate.gov%2Flegislative%2FLIS%2Froll_call_lists%2Froll_call_vote_cfm.cfm%3Fcongress%3D113%26session%3D1%26vote%3D00168 Every Democrat voted for the bill, including the following 14 Republicans: Alexander (TN), Ayotte (NH), Chiesa (NJ), Collins (ME), Corker (TN), Flake (AZ), Graham (SC), Hatch (UT), Heller (NV), Hoeven (ND), Kirk (IL), McCain (AZ), Murkowski (AK) and Rubio (FL). ACTION: Contact your Senators http://cqrcengage.com/gunowners/app/take-action?engagementId633&communicationId1295&edrId20401Please thank those Senators who voted against the anti-gun amnesty bill andreprimand those who voted for it.NOTE: Please note that there are two different action responses for you tosend, and the system will automatically send that response, depending uponwhether your Senator voted for or against the anti-gun amnesty bill. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 10:58:36 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: Charge dismissed against student who refused to remove NRA shirt http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/06/28/charge-dropped-against-student-who-refused-to-remove-nra-shirt/ Charge dismissed against student who refused to remove NRA shirt Published June 28, 2013 FoxNews.com The West Virginia eighth-grader arrested after refusing a teacher's demand he remove a National Rifle Association T-shirt he wore to school won't face criminal charges after all. Jared Marcum, 14, was charged with obstruction following the April 18 incident after police who were called to Logan Middle School school said he refused to stop talking. The case generated national headlines, as Marcum's family and attorney, Ben White, claimed the demand that he remove the NRA shirt violated his right to freedom of speech. On Thursday, Logan County Circuit Judge Eric O'Briant signed an order dismissing the charge. Marcum's mother, Tanya Lardieri, told WOWK that she was overcome with emotion after signing a dismissal order relating to the charge. The boy's father, Allen Lardieri, said the couple is just glad Eric's legal troubles are behind him. "It should have come sooner but it's done and we don't have to have that concern anymore about him having a criminal record," Allen Lardieri told WOWK. "I'm just glad that it's over. His mother is glad it's over." After he was charged, Marcum faced up to a year in jail and a $500 fine. Although the charge related to the boy's behavior after the incident began, White said the school's unreasonable demand that he take off the shirt caused the situation to get out of control. "We at this point believe that Jared acted as mature as a 14-year-old child can act with the pressure that was put on him," White told The Associated Press. The school's dress code gives wide enforcement discretion to educators. "If in the judgment of the administration, a student is dressed inappropriately, the student will be required to change clothes or cover up inappropriate clothing before returning to classes," the code reads. After Marcum was arrested, students throughout Logan County wore similar NRA shirts in a show of solidarity. And on Monday, the boy was summoned back to court as prosecutors sought to have a gag order imposed on him and his family. They claimed Jared and his father talking to the press about the case was not in the boy's interest, a rationale his own attorney rejected. "We were here because the prosecution filed a motion for a gag order," White said on Monday. "My opinion is because, seemingly, they want to take it out of the court of public opinion." But on Thursday, after reviewing statements from the arresting officer and the school's principal, White said he and a prosecutor agreed that creating a criminal record for Marcum wasn't a good idea. "I didn't think it would go this far because, honestly, I don't see a problem with [the shirt]," Jared Marcum told WOWK in April. "There shouldn't be a problem with this." The Associated Press contributed to this report. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, June 28, 2013 11:04 am From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: Questions about the actions taken by the RCMP in High River, AB Note: Forwarded with permission of the author. From: Kerry - AHFA [mailto: kerry.ahfa@shaw.ca ] Sent: June-27-13 11:41 PM Subject: Fwd: CSSA-CILA E-NEWS: It can't happen here? Police outrage in Alberta by out-of-control RCMP. Folks, Please take a look at the report below. I recognize that the firearms debate can be a divisive issue, even among outdoors people. However, regardless of whether or not you own firearms, I believe that you should be concerned about the actions taken by the RCMP in High River. Officers are breaking into homes in an evacuated area and are confiscating private property. There is no logic or defence to these actions. Even the Canadian Military in the area withdrew their support for this action (my understanding is that they had initially loaned the RCMP breaching tools and then took the tools back after they learned what the RCMP were using them for them for). A few questions: 1. Are the RCMP actually breaking into every house? Unlikely. So they must be using gun registry information to determine which houses have guns. I would think that this approach would be illegal given that the gun registry has been dissolved. 2. They are indicating that people will need to show proof of ownership to retrieve the firearms confiscated from them. Well, what if the proof of ownership was in the home and destroyed by the flood? Will citizens lose valuable property because of the actions of the RCMP? 3. It is likely that many people moved their firearms out of basement safes into upstairs closets to protect the property from water damage. Is the RCMP going to charge them with unsafe storage? 4. How is this action logical? If the area is evacuated and the RCMP are not letting anyone into the area (numerous road blocks and perimeter monitoring), then why would anyone assume that there is any danger to the public in leaving the firearms in the locked houses? A very weak case for forcing entry into private homes. I am interested in getting your feedback on this situation. It is clear from my comments that I believe that this is an outrageous and indefensible action by the RCMP, and should not go unchallenged. And from casual conversation with other association members, it seems that my view is consistently shared by other members. I would like to submit a concerned letter on behalf of our association to the RCMP, MLA's, etc. However, I also know that my personal views do not automatically represent those of the membership at large. One of my duties is to accurately represent the views and desires of our association. If you have a position on this issue, please respond to this email with your position. On Monday, I will tally up the results. If the majority of responses support a letter from our association, I will write it and send it. If a majority do not support a letter, I will respect that feedback and not take any action. Thanks for your time, Kerry Olsen, President Airdrie Hunting and Fishing Association http://www.airdriehfa.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 11:04:57 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: Second Colorado lawmaker faces recall effort for gun control vote http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/26/second-colorado-lawmaker-faces-recall-effort-for-gun-control-vote/ Second Colorado lawmaker faces recall effort for gun control vote Published June 26, 2013 FoxNews.com Less than a week after the Colorado secretary of state's office certified a recall effort against a Colorado lawmaker who supported gun control, a recall petition against a second Democrat who supported the strict gun measures has been deemed sufficient. Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler said Monday that opponents of Sen. Angela Giron, of Pueblo, turned in nearly 13,000 valid signatures to prompt a recall election. They only needed to submit 11,285. "We fully expected to have enough signatures verified," Victor Head, president of Pueblo Freedom and Rights, the gun rights group behind the recall, told The Denver Post. The governor will set a date for the recall election unless someone challenges the validity of the petition. Attorneys for Giron are challenging the effort. In a filing Tuesday, they argue petitioners targeting the state senator failed to expressly call for an election when they collected signatures as the state constitution requires. Gun rights advocates successfully collected enough signatures in their recall petitions for both Giron and Democratic Senate President John Morse, both of whom voted in favor of stricter firearm laws. Meanwhile, lawyers for Senate President John Morse are fighting a recall effort against him, saying petitions were improperly worded and were therefore invalid. The argument challenging Giron's recall is identical to the one filed on behalf of Morse last week. Gun rights supporters have been unhappy with new state laws that will expand background checks for gun purchases and limit the size of ammunition magazines, starting next month. A hearing on Morse's challenge is set for Thursday. New gun laws taking effect Monday expand background checks to online and private sales and limit ammunition magazine sizes. The Associated Press contributed to this report. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 11:13:05 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: U.S. Park Service loses track of weapons http://radio.foxnews.com/2013/06/28/u-s-park-police-lose-track-of-weapons/ U.S. Park Service loses track of weapons FOX News Radio's Rich Johnson reports from Washington The head of the agency, that protects national parks and monuments - the U.S. Park Police - says he's ordering immediate action, after a report on a large supply of missing weapons. Handguns. Rifles. Even machine guns. Are no where to be found, according to the report from the Interior Department's Inspector General. There's no indication the weapons are in the hands of criminals, but there's also no assurance they aren't. Investigators did find 1,400 guns that were supposed to have been melted down. Another 200 are sitting in a DC warehouse and don't show up in any records. The report blames in part, commanders who have a lackadaisical attitude towards firearms management - an indifference that's a product of years of inattention. In Washington, Rich Johnson, FOX News Radio ------------------------------ Date: Fri, June 28, 2013 11:19 am From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: PMO says the RCMP should have better things to do than seize guns PMO says the RCMP should have better things to do than seize guns KELLY CRYDERMAN AND JOSH WINGROVE, The Globe and Mail - Last updated Friday, Jun. 28 2013, 11:48 AM EDT 189 comments http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/pmo-says-the-rcmp-should-have-better-things-to-do-than-seize-guns/article12882952/ The Prime Minister’s Office is stepping into the controversy surrounding the flood response in High River, Alta., saying the RCMP should have better things to do than seize residents’ guns. The town remains under evacuation, and emergency crews have been going from home to home, searching for people and assessing damage. Earlier this week, it emerged RCMP were also seizing guns that had been left out in the open, saying they were doing it out of safety and that the guns would be returned. Many residents, however, complained that RCMP were seizing their property. Stephen Harper’s office sided with the residents. “We expect that any firearms taken will be returned to their owners as soon as possible,” PMO spokesman Carl Vallée said. “We believe the RCMP should focus on more important tasks such as protecting lives and private property.” On Thursday, RCMP Sergeant Patricia Neely said the guns will all be returned. “Firearms that were unsafely stored in plain sight were seized for safekeeping,” she said. By Friday, an RCMP spokesperson said the force was preparing a statement on the gun seizure. Canadian law requires that guns be unloaded and locked away when stored. High River, population 13,000, was worst-hit by last week’s flooding. Much of the town remains under water, and officials say it’s too dangerous for residents to be allowed back in. That has left municipal leaders under fire from residents anxious to assess the damage at their home. Danielle Smith, leader of Alberta’s Official Opposition Wildrose Party and the MLA who represents High River, said on Twitter she doesn’t have a problem with RCMP seizing loose guns. “The problem is if residents have trouble getting them back,” she said. She added that it’s unclear how many guns Mounties seized. --------------------------- PMO urges RCMP to ‘focus on more important tasks’ after High River gun seizures Postmedia News | 13/06/28 | Last Updated: 13/06/28 12:13 PM ET http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/06/28/more-important-tasks-pmo-says-it-expects-rcmp-to-return-guns-seized-from-evacuated-high-river-homes/ HIGH RIVER, Alta. — The Prime Minister’s Office says it expects any guns seized from homes in the evacuated town of High River will be returned to their owners as soon as possible. “We believe the RCMP should focus on more important tasks such as protecting lives and private property,” press secretary Carl Vallée told the National Post in an email. The RCMP revealed Thursday that officers had seized a “substantial” number of firearms from homes in flood-ravaged High River, about 37 kilometres south Calgary. “We just want to make sure that all of those things are in a spot that we control, simply because of what they are,” said Sgt. Brian Topham. “People have a significant amount of money invested in firearms … so we put them in a place that we control and that they’re safe.” That news didn’t sit well with a frustrated crowd who had planned to breach a police checkpoint as the evacuation order from the town of about 13,000, residents stretched into its ninth day. “I find that absolutely incredible” that they have the right to go into a person’s home and take their “belongings,” said resident Brenda Lackey, after learning Mounties have been securing residents’ guns. “When people find out about this there’s going to be untold hell to pay.” About 30 RCMP officers set up a blockade at a checkpoint preventing 50 residents from walking into the town Thursday. Officers also laid down a spike belt to stop anyone from attempting to drive past the blockade. That action sent the crowd into a rage. “What’s next? Tear gas?” shouted one resident. “This is the reason the U.S. has the right to bear arms,” said Charles Timpano, pointing to the group of Mounties. Officers were ordered to fall back about an hour into the standoff in order to defuse the situation and listen to residents’ concerns. “We don’t want our town to turn into another New Orleans,” said resident Jeff Langford. “The longer that the water stays in our houses the worse it’s going to be. We’ll either be bulldozing them or burning them down because we’ve got an incompetent government.” Langford blasted High River Mayor Emile Blokland over comments made Wednesday in which Blokland said residents would be allowed to return after businesses, such as hardware and drug stores, are opened. Langford said Premier Alison Redford should come to High River to address residents’ concerns and provide information. “This is at the highest tension,” he said. “What’s going to happen next is that people are just going to be walking across these fields, and I don’t care if they put hundreds of thousand of police officers there, they’re not going to stop me from getting in.” Sgt. Topham said he didn’t know when residents would be allowed to return to their homes. “People much higher up are going to make those decisions,” he said. He did confirm that officers relied on forced entry to get into numerous houses during the early stages of the flood because of an “urgent need.” Topham said the confiscated firearms had been inventoried and were secure at an RCMP detachment. He was not at liberty to say how many firearms had been confiscated. “We have seized a large quantity of firearms simply because they were left by residents in their places,” said Topham. The guns will be returned to owners after residents are allowed back in town and they provide proof of ownership, Topham added. Residents promised to converge on the checkpoint at noon every day until they are allowed to return to their homes. ------------------------------- Update: Redford disappointed over High River guns controversy By James Wood, Calgary Herald June 28, 2013 10:41 AM http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/urges+Mounties+focus+lives+property+Alberta+flood+zone/8592786/story.html Premier Alison Redford said Friday she’s disappointed that the RCMP’s seizure of unsecured firearms in the evacuated Town of High River has become a controversy. News that the Mounties actions in the town that has been worst-hit by southern Alberta’s unprecedented floods angered local residents and set off a reaction across Canada — including a negative comment from Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office. But Redford told reporters there are bigger issues to deal with a week after flooding hit the province. “Let’s just make it very clear — the provincial government did not take away anyone’s guns,” she said at an event in Calgary. “The RCMP went in and secured a community that has been evacuated and as part of that work ... they went into houses where there were firearms that weren’t properly secured. And as opposed to leaving them sitting on fireplace mantles in a town that has been evacuated, they secured those guns, There was no suggestion that people will not be able to have their guns back again. I really hope that we can focus on more important matters at hand, like getting 12,000 people back into High River.” Earlier, a spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the guns should be returned to their owners. “We expect that any firearms taken will be returned to their owners as soon as possible,” said press secretary Carl Vallee, who added that the Mounties should be dealing with more pressing matters. “We believe the RCMP should focus on more important tasks such as protecting lives and private property,” said Vallee. Critics were quick to complain that the Harper government should not be dictating how the Mounties should conduct their operations. Redford noted Harper toured the devastated area by air with her last week. “I think he saw the devastation and the impact in the community. I’m certain there are people in the Prime Minister’s Office who have an opinion about this. I’m not going to comment any further.” An RCMP official said any guns removed from homes were not properly stored. Police forced their way into several homes to look for flood victims, pets and any that might pose a threat to returning residents. RCMP spokeswoman Const. Francine Hennelly said when officers entered homes to search for people, “if we identified any pets or hazards, we would respond accordingly.” “We seized any firearms that were noted that were in plain view,” she said. “We seized what we saw that could potentially be a hazard.” “Anything properly stored in gun lockers were left.” When asked whether all of the guns should be returned, even if they were improperly stored or found to be illegal, Vallee referred questions to the Alberta government. “In Alberta, the RCMP operate under the provincial government’s authority,” he said. “Questions about particular operations should therefore be directed to the province.” jwood@calgaryherald.com ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V15 #786 *********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca Moderator 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".)