From: owner-cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V15 #787 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 Saturday, June 29 2013 Volume 15 : Number 787 In this issue: Re: Cdn-Firearms Digest V15 #783 Judge orders speed cameras confiscated Photo radar going up in highway work zones Fwd: Mounted Police Break Into Peoples Homes to Steal ... TEAM CSSA: RCMP's high-handedness in High River reveals gun ... Re: Australia's Prime Minister ousted- Digest V15 #783 Re: Cdn-Firearms Digest V15 #783 PMO says the RCMP should have better things to do ?iso-8859-1?Q?we're_powered_by_our_grassroots.? high handed in High River Transcript: High River press conference on floods, guns and ... Redford ordered RCMP to enter and take High River resident firearms RCMP promises return of guns removed from High River homes ... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 11:20:40 -0600 From: Larry James Fillo Subject: Re: Cdn-Firearms Digest V15 #783 On 2013-06-28, at 6:10 AM, Cdn-Firearms Digest wrote: > > Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 09:42:45 -0700 > From: j davies > Subject: Quebec's plan to create own gun registry takes blow > > Quebec's plan to create own gun registry takes blow > > http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2013/06/27/20933716.html > > Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk. None of the media have reported on whether there were any dissenting judges in this decision. That is important when trying to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. If there wasn't, the S.C.C. may simply dismiss the Quebec governments appeal attempt. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 11:38:29 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: Judge orders speed cameras confiscated http://www.wlwt.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/judge-orders-elmwood-place-speed-cameras-confiscated/-/13550662/20737258/-/y6u110z/-/index.html Judge orders Elmwood Place speed cameras confiscated Village, camera maker found in contempt Jun 28, 2013 CINCINNATI -Drivers in Elmwood Place can say goodbye to the speed cameras. Not only have they been shut down for good by Judge Robert Ruehlman, but he's ordered them to be hauled off the street and impounded. Both sides in the contentious legal battle over the speed cameras were back before Ruehlman for a contempt hearing Thursday, where the judge ruled that Elmwood Place and the speed camera contractor Optotraffic were in contempt of court. Back in March, Ruehlman found the speed cameras unconstitutional. He essentially ordered the cameras shut down, the speed camera ticketing program shut down, and ordered that the outstanding tickets did not have to be paid. On Thursday, Ruehlman found that his order was violated in several ways. First, the cameras were turned back on, although Elmwood Place Police Chief Bill Peskin testified that they were only used to collect speed and traffic data -- not to collect license plate information or issue new tickets. Peskin also testified that he told people that they did not have to pay their tickets when they came to the police station. "Many people did show up, trying to pay their citation to us," Peskin said, "and we told them that the program was to be suspended and they didn't have to pay the citation." But tickets were never meant to be paid to the village. The traffic camera company collected the citations, and apparently continued to collect money sent in after the judge's March order. There was testimony in court that some $48,000 was collected, with a percentage of that money passed on to the village per the speed camera contract. Optotraffic did not have a representative in court Thursday. Attorney Mike Allen, who is part of the team fighting the speed cameras, called the cameras a "money grab." "This offends me as a citizen, it offends me as a lawyer, it offends me on behalf of my clients," said Allen. To make sure his order was not violated further, Ruehlman ordered the Hamilton County Sheriff to seize the traffic cameras and all equipment that is part of the program and store it at the village's expense. The equipment will be released when the $48,000 in improperly collected ticket money is returned. Another victory in court for the lawyers fighting the cameras came when the topic moved to a class action lawsuit. The judge allowed the lawyers to move forward with a class action suit that Mike Allen says would involve anyone who was given a ticket by the speed cameras back to the first day of operations in Elmwood Place. "We're going to do everything in our power to get some money back in those people's pockets because it's just not right," Allen said. The class action suit could take quite a bit of time to move through the courts. Hearings were scheduled out several months from now during today's hearing. But with the Ohio House approving a ban on speed cameras earlier this week, Allen says, "I think the days of speed cameras in the village of Elmwood and in the state of Ohio are numbered." ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 11:51:39 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: Photo radar going up in highway work zones http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Photo+radar+going+highway+work+zones/8590812/story.html Photo radar going up in highway work zones The StarPhoenix June 28, 2013 Photo radar will soon be watching for speeders in construction zones on Saskatchewan highways. ACS Public Sector Solutions was chosen to supply photo radar units to the province and expects to have them out and running within a few weeks. "The use of these mobile photo radar units is an important step in our campaign to improve work zone safety," Don McMorris, Saskatchewan's minister of highways and infrastructure, said in a government release. The speed limit in work zones is 60 kilometres an hour. Speeding tickets in these areas will cost a minimum of $300, after an increase in fines brought into effect earlier this spring. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 10:59:39 -0700 From: Len Miller Subject: Fwd: Mounted Police Break Into Peoples Homes to Steal ... ...Firearms in High River Gun control killed Bob and Bonnie Dagenais . . Ray Michealson . What a terrible . . dangerous 'law' which makes all firearms illegal. See Senator Ray Haynes' DANGEROUS LAWS' Orange County Register See Carsten Stroud's 'Contempt of Court . . The Betrayal of Justice in Canada' Begin forwarded message: > From: Gordon Bader > Date: June 28, 2013 8:00:32 AM PDT > To: > Subject: Mounted Police Break Into Peoples Homes to Steal Firearms in High River > > > > Subject: Mounted Police Break Into Peoples Homes to Steal Firearms in High River >> >> >> Subject: Mounted Police Break Into Peoples Homes to Steal Firearms in High River >> >> The question has to be asked, how did they know which homes to break into, to find firearms, as we no longer have a Firearms Registry? Another one would be did they break into every home in the flood zone and just seize firearms when the “found” them? >> >> There is going to be hell to pay over this, and the “higher ups” mentioned won’t be able to shrug this one off. And, I’m fully aware of how poorly firearms are stored at Detachments. Some fine firearms are going to be damaged and covered in rust. >> >> http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/alberta/RCMP+seized+High+River+firearms+from+homes+control/8588851/story.html sent by Len 144 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, June 28, 2013 12:05 pm From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: TEAM CSSA: RCMP's high-handedness in High River reveals gun ... ...confiscation agenda From: cssa-cila-e-news-bounces@lists.cssa-cila.org Sent: June-28-13 10:14 AM To: Team CSSA E-NEWS 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 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. ------- THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! The CSSA is the voice of the sport shooter and firearms enthusiast in Canada. Our national membership supports and promotes Canada's firearms heritage, traditional target shooting competition, modern action shooting sports, hunting, and archery. We support and sponsor competitions and youth programs that promote these Canadian heritage activities. To join or donate to the CSSA, visit: http://www.cdnshootingsports.org/membership.html ------ To subscribe to the CSSA-CILA E-NEWS, send email to: cssa-cila-e-news-subscribe@lists.cssa-cila.org or visit http://lists.cssa-cila.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/cssa-cila-e-news . ------- CANADIAN SHOOTING SPORTS ASSOCIATION / CANADIAN INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION 116 Galaxy Blvd, Etobicoke ON M9W 4Y6 Phone 416-679-9959, Fax: 416-679-9910 Toll Free: 1-888-873-4339 E-Mail: info@cdnshootingsports.org Website www.cdnshootingsports.org ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 12:27:07 -0600 From: Larry James Fillo Subject: Re: Australia's Prime Minister ousted- Digest V15 #783 This procedure allows the governing parties Members of Parliament to change leaders if they think that will help them avoid defeat. Or if they truly don't believe in the direction the leader is taking them. In the U.S. system there are many checks and balances that prevent the executive the President from getting what he wants if there is enough opposition by a more independent roster of elected representatives. (e.i. Pres. G.W. Bush was unable to reform Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae, too much embedded interests). Under the Parliamentary system, there is a huge amount of power in the P.M.s office. And in it's Canadian version, the entire Party pretty much has to go down to defeat. But without an activist citizenry, will there actually be a different outcome? Maybe, with a leader like Margaret Thatcher who came to power in a crisis when England was becoming like Greece/Spain (et al) is today. Harper is the strongest leader on the government benches. He's beaten the Media Party twice. And the activists are disorganized and sidelined even in their heartland of the prairies. On 2013-06-28, at 6:10 AM, Cdn-Firearms Digest wrote: > --------------------------- > > Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 10:48:27 -0600 > From: Edward Hudson > Subject: Re: Australia's prime minister ousted/Need this Procedure in ... > > ...Canada > > > Re: Australia's prime minister ousted/Need this Procedure in Canada > > We need this leadership replacement procedure in Canada. > > It is time for Mr. Harper to depart gracefully from his current job. > > Sincerely, > > Eduardo > > On 27-Jun-13, at 10:18 AM, Joe Gingrich wrote: > >> http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/26/julia-gillard-australia-prime-minister-kevin-rudd >> >> Julia Gillard ousted as Australia prime minister > ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 12:32:09 -0600 From: Larry James Fillo Subject: Re: Cdn-Firearms Digest V15 #783 On 2013-06-28, at 6:10 AM, Cdn-Firearms Digest wrote: > Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 10:34:59 -0600 > From: "Joe Gingrich" > Subject: Settlement In Roadside Cavity Search lawsuit > > http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/06/26/dps-reaches-settlement-in-roadside-cavi ty-search-lawsuit/ > > DPS Reaches Settlement in Roadside Cavity Search Lawsuit > > CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. > > June 26, 2013 Only in the U.S. of A. , I doubt if anything similar happened to the OPP who rousted and cavity searched the lawful hunter in Ontario a few years ago on his own property in front of his family. As for the federales, only if it's caught on video. Buddy Traveres got lucky with the passerby. A dash cam on a swivel might produce a video that could come in handy in court. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 13:24:46 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: PMO says the RCMP should have better things to do 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/ 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- What does Danielle Smith mean by 'loose guns?' It seems her 'staunch' libertarian values may have precipitated more toward those of a Bilderberger. The problem is Harper has refused to repeal the Chretien' Liberals' civil rights abusing Bill C-68 as promised and as the Conservative Party's firearms policy of 2005 dictates. He's made his own policy after a trusting Cdn. firearms community helped him gain power in 2006. Harper and Redford are pointing fingers (both intent on firearms confiscations) while Smith's not far behind them. Yours in Tyranny, Joe Gingrich White Fox ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 14:01:07 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: ?iso-8859-1?Q?we're_powered_by_our_grassroots.? Fred DeLorey, Conservative Party of Canada fred.delorey@conservative.ca If you're wondering why we send you so many e-mails, here's why: Mulcair's NDP, Trudeau's Liberals, and their friends in the media are teaming up to smear Prime Minister Harper and the Conservative Party - and the only way you'll hear the truth is directly from us. In a truly ridiculous e-mail sent to their left-wing supporters, Mulcair's NDP insulted every person who has helped us build this party, the Conservative Party, from the ground up. They say our party is made up of "well-connected, corporate insiders" - but as you know, nothing could be further from the truth. Prime Minister Harper banned corporate and union donations to reduce their influence on politicians - while Mulcair's NDP got caught taking more than $300,000 in illegal donations from big union bosses. Here's the truth: we're powered by our grassroots. In the first quarter of 2013, the Conservative Party received generous donations from over 38,000 Canadians - way more than any other political party. With another important fundraising deadline this weekend, Conservatives need to fight back to maintain our advantage. We're not going to stand by and let Mulcair's NDP smear hard-working Canadians like you - who just want to make this great country a better place to live, work, and raise a family. Can you chip in $600 today and help us fight back against their smears? Sincerely, Fred DeLorey Director, Communications Conservative Party of Canada ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 17:47:14 -0700 From: j davies Subject: high handed in High River high handed in High River Email sent to Cathy Mcleod, my Conservative MP: Dear Ms. Mcleod As an older Canadian I well remember the creeping Liberalization of our RCMP during those long, dark years of endless Liberal majority governments. Now our beloved force is often labelled as "troubled" and is humiliated seemingly weekly in the media. I have been privileged to know quite a few members over the decades, and the "troubles" are a managerial not an individual issue. Upon hearing of the gross and excessive seizure of law abiding Albertan's guns in High River I find myself outraged. Do not our fellow citizens have enough on their plates, being flooded then ejected from their own homes? What can the possible justification be for the RCMP to go behind their own roadblocks, into a criminal free zone and break into houses and seize private property? How did they know which individual homes to target? This is an outrage. I suspect that the "values" of the Liberal Party remain deeply embedded in the upper reaches of RCMP management, and are valued and acted on by many who wish to rise in the organization. These "values" have been shown in High River. These same "values" have served to bring our RCMP down from it's well earned, lofty historic position in our history and daily life. Please do what you can to promote restoration of the RCMP's good name and equality among Canadians, including legal gun owning Canadians. It also appears that more cleanup of the often persecutory legislation around Liberal era "gun control" needs to be done. I trust you will forward this email to our Prime Minister and to Mr. Toews. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, June 28, 2013 11:03 pm From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: Transcript: High River press conference on floods, guns and ... ...getting back home Transcript: High River press conference on floods, guns and getting back home June 28, 2013 http://www.calgaryherald.com/Transcript+High+River+press+conference+floods+guns+getting+back+home/8594914/story.html [SNIP] CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE GUN SEIZURE PLEASE. PMO OFFICE TODAY SAID YOU FOLK HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO THAN THAT. Inspector Garrett Woolsey - spokesperson for RCMP on emergency operations in High River area: "Ugh, yes I can speak on that. And as we speak on that, let's go back nine days ago during the initial emergency in the flood, the flooding situation. The RCMP responded and conducted a search and rescue operation in this community in which we entered every home in which could safely be entered and that occurred over the course of several days. "During the course of those operations, naturally, our officers do encounter firearms. In this case, these specific circumstances - remember there had been a flood - and people had tried to prepare to leave their homes in a very orderly fashion. And it appears, as best we can tell from being inside these homes, that some people removed their firearms from secure storage and left them either with the intention of removing them from the home, or putting them to higher ground where they could not be damaged or vulnerable to water. "It's almost if some of these places are frozen in time. So, our instructions to our officers, and it's no different than in Slave Lake, was to seize firearms or to secure firearms that were seen in plain view." CAN YOU SAY HOW MANY? DOZENS, THOUSANDS? Woolsey: "We're not talking thousands. I know that number is perhaps out there. The information that I have at this time is that there have been several hundred secured for public safety reasons by the RCMP. "And that's the bottom line in a case like this. We secured the firearms only for public safety reasons. In the unlikely event that we identify illegal firearm, we will then consult with the crown prosecutors with respect to what we're going to do with those. But, in the vast majority of cases - and I hope all of the cases - we are going to return those firearms to their lawful owners as soon as possible. And there is a plan in place, there is a plan that has been developed over time over the past several days since this incident began to initiate that return process and there's going to be more communication on that as the days come." WHY, IF THIS WAS A ROUTINE THING, WAS IT NEVER MENTIONED AT RCMP BRIEFINGS? Woolsey: "You know over the course of the past nine days I have been asked hundreds perhaps thousands of questions. It's never come up. "The security of these firearms occurred during the normal course of RCMP operations. It's not remarkable for us. Like I said, this similar thing occurred at Slave Lake, it's part of our operation. "Officers across the province seize dozens if not hundreds of firearms in some places." WAS ANYTHING ELSE SEIZED? Woolsey: "I'm not aware specifically of anything else." WHAT IF YOU WALKED INTO A HOME WITH A BUNCH OF MARY JANE SITTING THERE? Woolsey: "Yes we would have." ANYTHING ELSE - NO ONE THOUGHT TO ASK BECAUSE NO ONE ASSUMED ANYTHING WOULD BE TAKEN. SO WAS ANYTHING ELSE TAKEN? Woolsey: "Not that I'm aware of." [SNIP] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, June 28, 2013 11:18 pm From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: Redford ordered RCMP to enter and take High River resident firearms Redford ordered RCMP to enter and take High River residents’ firearms? June 28, 2013 — BC Blue http://bcblue.wordpress.com/2013/06/28/redford-ordered-rcmp-to-enter-and-take-high-river-residents-fire-arms/ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, June 29, 2013 7:59 am From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: RCMP promises return of guns removed from High River homes ... ...'as soon as practically possible' RCMP promises return of guns removed from High River homes 'as soon as practically possible' "We secured the firearms only for public safety reasons," said RCMP Insp. Garrett Woolsey By Jason van Rassel, Calgary Herald June 29, 2013 6:56 AM http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/alberta/RCMP+promises+return+guns+removed+from+High+River+homes+soon+practically+possible/8593564/story.html The RCMP pledged Friday to promptly return guns it removed from evacuated homes in flood-stricken High River, but questions over officers' actions and the rights of gun owners promise to linger for some time. RCMP officials said Friday officers took the weapons during door-to-door search-and-rescue operations to prevent them from being stolen or damaged. Insp. Garth Woolsey said police took only guns that were in plain view of officers. "We secured the firearms only for public safety reasons," said RCMP Insp. Garrett Woolsey, adding police took similar action during the wildfire that destroyed much of the town of Slave Lake in 2011. "In the vast majority of cases - and I hope all of the cases - we are going to return those firearms to their lawful owners as soon as possible." Woolsey didn't have a specific number, but said police are holding onto "several hundred" guns. The move angered some local residents and critics who questioned whether the RCMP had the authority to forcibly enter vacant homes and take the guns. "We have a lot of questions about their legal mandate to do that," National Firearms Association spokesman Blair Hagen said. The provincial Emergency Management Act grants authorities additional powers during a state of emergency - including giving them the authority to enter premises without a warrant and taking property to "prevent, combat or alleviate the effects of an emergency or disaster." Legislation notwithstanding, the affair prompted comments from provincial Solicitor General Jonathan Denis and the prime minister's office. "We expect that any firearms taken will be returned to their owners as soon as possible," said Prime Minister Stephen Harper's press secretary, Carl Vallee. "We believe the RCMP should focus on more-important tasks such as protecting lives and private property." Valle's comments, in turn, prompted complaints from opposition parties that the Harper government should not be dictating how the Mounties should conduct their operations. In Alberta, Denis wrote a letter to the RCMP's provincial commander, Dep. Commissioner Dale McGowan, expressing concerns about the seizures on behalf of High River residents. "First, I would ask you to please confirm that these firearms are stored and not confiscated or seized," Denis wrote. As solicitor general, Denis and his department oversee policing in the province and have a 20-year contract with the RCMP to act as the provincial police force in small towns and rural areas. However, Denis stressed in an interview Friday the police don't take specific direction from the government on operations and tactics. "Policing is independent. There was no direction from our government to do this," he said. "I have every confidence they're going to get this right in the end, and there was no intention to step on the rights of law-abiding gun owners." But in addition to its objections to the RCMP's actions in the first place, the NFA has questions about whether gun owners will be able to easily reclaim their property. Federal regulations require guns to be unloaded and disabled by a trigger lock, cable lock or by removing the bolt while being stored. In addition to those safeguards, restricted weapons, such as handguns, must be stored and locked in a secure vault or room. Failing to follow storage regulations can result in charges under the Criminal Code or the federal Firearms Act. But the RCMP's Woolsey said police recognize that people who left their guns behind were facing an imminent threat from rising flood waters. "It appears, as best as we can tell from being inside these homes, that some people removed their firearms from secure storage and left them either with the intention of removing them from the home, or putting them to higher ground where they could not be damaged or vulnerable to water," Woolsey said. The NFA is also concerned legal firearms owners who lost their gun licences or proof of ownership in the flood will also have trouble with police. An RCMP spokesman said officers kept track of where each gun came from, and owners who are able to prove where they live and provide accurate information about their guns can get them back. "We realize a lot of people have lost everything," Cpl. Darren Turnbull said. However, it gets more complicated in the case of unlicensed gun owners or restricted firearms, which still require registration. Turnbull said the force won't re-lease firearms to people who don't hold a licence, but added police will be lenient and give people time to obtain the proper paperwork. "We want to work with the residents of High River to facilitate them complying with the law," he said. Because it may take time for residents to return home, Turnbull said the RCMP isn't imposing a deadline for people to reclaim their guns. "We will hold onto them as long as they need us to," he said. jvanrassel@calgaryherald.com -------------------------------- Firearms Storage And Other CC S. 86(1) Cases Date: Friday, February 25, 2005 NFA BRIEFING DOCUMENT 1 VERSION 4 http://nfa.ca/resource-items/storage-and-other-cc-s-861-cases Firearms Storage And Other CC S. 86(2) Cases Date: Friday, February 25, 2005 NFA BRIEFING DOCUMENT 2 VERSION 4 http://nfa.ca/storage-and-other-cc-s-862-cases ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V15 #787 *********************************** 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".)