The Sporting Clubs of
Newsletter
Volume 16, Number 1
February 2010
President’s
Message
Hi everybody. Let me start first by expressing my thanks to our outgoing President, Gerry Gamble. Without his hard work and dedication much of what we have accomplished as an organization would not have happened.
2010 presents us with a new year, a new TSCON president and an excellent chance to get private member's Bill C 391 passed through Parliament. It has already gone though second reading and will be going to committee when Parliament starts up again in March.
Our biggest enemy right now is time. There appears to be enough support in Parliament for the bill to pass and with five new Conservatives appointed to the Senate it should mean the bill will not be held up there. Let's hope that the long gun registry will be a thing of the past before the next election is called.
TSCON has had a busy year. Our gun shows continue to draw good crowds and our membership is as high as it has ever been. Many thanks to the Executive members who donate their time and hard work and thank you to all the members in general who continue to support us with their membership dues and donations. Without the assistance of all these people TSCON could never have experienced the success that we have.
Bodo Eichhorn
Bill C-391 Update
We received a bit of a scare when Stephen Harper announced he was going to prorogue Parliament until March 2010.
Normally when Parliament is prorogued all legislation currently before the House dies so we were afraid that would put Bill C-391back to square one.
However, it turns out that the exception to this rule are private member's bills which are not affected by prorogation. Since Bill C-391 is a private member's bill it will continue on from its current position in committee prior to coming up for third reading.
The bill can be held up in committee for a maximum of ninety days although we are hopeful that it will be less than that and that it will come up for third reading before the summer recess.
Letters, E-mails, Phone Calls - We Need 'Em
In the last issue we provided the names of the MPs who voted for Bill C-391 and asked you to contact them and thank them for their support. Some people did and the response has been quite amazing. Several MPs actually returned the phone calls in person while others sent personal letters and e-mails. They are listening to us and we have to keep contacting them to let them know we appreciate their efforts. We know of at least three MPs who have already committed to supporting Bill C-391 at third reading but we need
at least ten to guarantee passage of the bill. In addition, last week Stephen Harper appointed five senators which gives the Conservatives enough votes in the Senate to pass the bill. Having now gained enough votes in both houses it is critical that we retain them If you have never written, called or e-mailed an MP before, NOW IS THE TIME.
Contact as many MPs as you can. Thank them for their vote and ask them to continue their support. Please take a few minutes to send some e-mails or make some phone calls to solidify support for the bill. Many of these MPs are under intense pressure from the anti-gun factions to change their vote and we have to make sure that doesn't happen. Let them know we appreciate their courage in standing up for their constituents. If you can't make this small effort to protect your firearms YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM.
Don't wait - write, call or e-mail them NOW!
Contact information is as follows:
Liberals:
Scott Andrews
Andrews.S@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 992 4133
Riding Office (709) 834 3424
Larry Bagnell
BagneLL@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 995 9368
Riding Office (867)668 6565
Wayne Easter
EasteW@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 992 2406
Riding Office (902) 964 2428
Keith Martin
MartiK@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 996 2625
Riding Office (250) 474 6505
Anthony Rota
RotaA@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 995 6255
Riding Office (705) 474 3700
Todd Russell
RusseT@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 996 4630
Riding Office (709) 896 2483
Scott Simms
SimmsSc@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 996 3935
Riding Office (709) 256 3130
NDP:
Malcolm Allen
Allen.Ma@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 995 0988
Riding Office (905) 788-2204
Charlie Angus
AngusC@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 992 2919
Riding Office (705) 567 2747
Niki Ashton
Ashton.N@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 992 3018
RidingOffice (866) 785 0522
Dennis Bevington
BevinD@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 992 4587
Riding Office (867) 873 6995
Nathan Cullen
CulleN@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 993 6654
Riding Office (250) 877 4140
Claude Gravelle
Gravelle.C@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 995 9107
Riding Office (705) 753 3760
Carol Hughes
Hughes.C@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 996 5376
Riding Office (705) 848 8080
Bruce Hyer
Hyer.B@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 996 4792
Riding Office (888) 266 8004
Jim Maloway
Maloway.J@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 995 6339
Riding Office (204) 984 2499
John Rafferty
Rafferty.J@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 992 3061
Riding Office (807) 623 6000
Peter Stoffer
StoffP@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 995 5822
Riding Office (902) 861 2311
Glenn Thibeault
Thibeault.G@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 996 8962
Riding Office (705) 673 7107
Independent:
Andre Arthur
ArthuA@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 992 2798
Riding Office (418) 285 0018
And One More Letter/Phone Call
Besides time, the biggest obstacle to passing C-391 is the committee stage which the bill is entering now. It is here that the opposition members can propose amendments to the bill (pretty hard to do with a one item bill but they can still try). Unfortunately, the opposition members on the committee were all staunch anti-gun types and they outnumbered the Conservatives 6-5. This means they could recommend to Parliament that the bill not proceed to third reading. Since the bill is bi-partisan (supported by members of three parties) this is unlikely. However, the committee could stall the bill, hoping that a fall election will kill it.
When Parliament was prorogued all the committees were dissolved and have to be reappointed.
We are joining the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (which supports C-391) in asking people to
contact Michael Ignatieff and Jack Layton and urge them to appoint at least one
pro-gun member to the committee. This would tip the balance in favour of sending the bill to third reading unaltered and greatly speed its passage. Remember that 12 NDP MPs (almost 1/3rd of their caucus) and 8 Liberals (over 10% of their caucus) supported the bill so appointing a pro-gun MP to committee is something each of these leaders should seriously consider.
They can be reached as follows:
Micheal Ignatieff
IgnatM@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 995 9364
Ottawa Fax (613) 992 5880
Riding Office(416) 251 5510
Jack Layton
LaytoJ@parl.gc.ca
Ottawa (613) 995 7224
Ottawa Fax (613) 995 4565
Riding Office (416) 405 8914
New Safety Minister
The most recent cabinet shuffle in mid-January gave us yet another Minister of Public Safety. Peter Van Loan was moved out of that
portfolio and Vic Toews was moved into it.
This shifting of ministers is proving to be rather frustrating, especially for the members of the Canadian Firearms Advisory Committee, two of whom also sit on the TSCON Executive.
Each time the minister is changed the committee has to reestablish contact with their office and restate our goals and expectations.
The last two ministers (Stockwell Day and Peter Van Loan) proved to be very cooperative with the CFAC. Van Loan's assistant, Liam O'Brien, was particularly supportive of our position.
We are hoping that Mr. Toews will be of a similar mind but we will have to wait and see. The CFAC has requested a meeting with the new minister and his staff ASAP. We hope to have an update by the next newsletter.
Maybe CUFOA is Right
CUFOA (Canadian Unlicenced Firearms Owners) has long advocated that the biggest danger in Bill C-68 is not the long gun registry but rather the licencing provisions which forces all gun owners, no matter how long they had safely owned their firearms, to get a licence which has to be renewed every five years and subjects them to arbitrary decisions by police and government bureaucrats as to whether a licence should be granted.
This should not be confused with the old FAC (Firearms Acquisition Certificate) which simply required a police background check on the applicant and only necessitated renewal if the holder wanted to acquire more firearms after the initial five year time period had expired.
The new licencing requirements also enacted some very serous penalties (up to five years in prison) for failing to renew a licence.
It now appears that CUFOA's dire warnings were not so radical after all.
The latest abuse of the licencing system is being perpetrated by the Toronto Gun Gestapo, laughingly referred to as "Project Safe City". It seems that the Toronto police have no real criminals to chase so they are now spending time and money pouring over records of gun licencees, visiting people whose licences have expired and confiscating their firearms.
These are not drug dealers, gang-bangers or bank robbers but typical law-abiding citizens whose only crime was not to fill in a government form.
The latest person to feel the sting of licencing is Toronto Star columnist Joe Fiorito, who got a not-so-pleasant visit from Toronto cops who confiscated his single shot shotgun because his licence had expired.
His column about this can be read at: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/757440 fiorito the cops came and to-comments.
We found this darkly humourous only because Joe works at the most anti-gun newspaper in Canada. We're not sure where Joe was the past fifteen years
while the Star was slagging law-abiding gun owners but this is a bit of delicious irony and a classic case of not complaining till it's your ox that gets gored. Maybe Joe will have a revised perspective next time his paper trots out more anti-gun tripe.
Current Amnesty Extended to May 16, 2010
The expiry date for current amnesties for unregistered
long guns and expired POLs
and PALs has been extended May 16, 2010.
We have printed the content of the amnesties in the past couple of newsletters and they are available on our website. However, if you have any questions you can always call TSCON for further information.
REMEMBER that even though Bill C-391 is working its way through Parliament it is not yet the law and you are required to at least be in the process of registering currently unregistered long guns.
Bruce Montague Update
By the time you read this Bruce may have already had his day in court which is set for Feb. 18, 2010 in Toronto.
TSCON is planning to charter a bus to take people to Toronto to attend a rally before the case is heard and then to pack the courtroom with Bruce's supporters.
Unfortunately the newsletter timing for this did not work out as well as we would have liked and we are not sure if the newsletters will arrive before the 18th. If you get yours before then and
would like to attend the rally call 905-685-4480 ASAP for details.
Let's get out and show Bruce we appreciate the personal sacrifice he is making on our behalf.
As always you can also help Bruce with a donation in whatever amount you can spare. Make cheques payable as follows:
"Bruce Montague Scrap C-68 Fund" c/o Roger Nordlund, Trustee
RR#2 Site 211 Box 7 Dryden, ON P8N 2Y5
More information on Bruce=s court case and
constitutional challenge is available at:
http://www.brucemontague.ca
Bruce is always thankful for
the support he receives. If you want to drop him a note to let him know you appreciate what he is doing
for gun owners he can be reached at:
Bruce Montague
RR2 Site 216 Box 46 Dryden, ON P8N 2Y5
New Secretary
Unfortunately our current Secretary, Verna LeGrand has stepped down from that position because of a scheduling conflict with some of her other activities. Verna has done a great job as the TSCON Secretary for a number of years and, to be honest, she deserves a break. Thankfully she is not leaving us completely,
however, and will continue to work the club table at our gun shows. Thank you Verna, for your hard work
and dedication to the club and for being a voice of reason when the testosterone levels at the meetings got too high.
Our new Secretary is Vlad Bjel who (along with John Orth) is one of TSCON's two computer whizzes. Vlad has hard act to follow but we are confident he will do a fine job.
UN Marking Regs Deferred
We have previously commented about the pending United Nations marking regulations that would have a serious negative affect on the ease and cost of importing firearms into Canada.
The bottom line is that it is It is just another layer of bureaucracy which will accomplish absolutely nothing in terms of public safety, provide no more information than is currently available but will
add substantial cost and aggravation to gun importers and retail buyers.
Fortunately the protests raised by the CFAC, representatives of the industry and others in the firearms community have caused the government to rethink their position on this issue and the existing draft Firearms Marking regulations have been deferred until December 2010. The deferral is made on the basis that new and important critical evidence must be considered and a new and better set of regulations developed to address the concerns that have been raised.
2010 Memberships
If you received a 2010 membership card in this mailing or if your mailing label has no date or reads "09" or earlier you are NOT A PAID UP MEMBER OF TSCON
Non-members receive only one newsletter a year. Can you afford to be uninformed about the firearm issue? Not if you care about your guns, you can't!
Please take the time to renew right now. Maybe even throw in a few extra dollars as a donation if you can spare them.
Your Rights are in
the Cards!
Our laminated wallet-sized printed cards declaring your right to remain silent and ask for a lawyer when it appears that the police are overstepping their authority when questioning you in dubious circumstances are proving extremely popular (which is a little scary when you think of it).
We are only asking for $1 per card to defray the cost of production. If you want cards mailed to you please send a stamped, self-addressed envelope with your request.
More info on this is on our
website in archived copies
of newsletter Vol. 11 #4 and Vol. 12 #1.
T-Shirts/Sweat Shirts/Hats
We have received a new supply of "The Sporting Clubs of Niagara" t-shirts, sweat shirts and hats (hats
available in 4 colours including hunter orange).
They are good quality and
available in a variety of sizes and designs. Get them while the supply lasts. Prices as follows:
T-shirts M-XL$16,XXL$18
Sweats - M-XL$25, XXL$27
Hats w/TSCON crest $15
Buy them at the gun show or from any member of the
Executive.
TSCON Web Site
All our past newsletters as well as other interesting and informative information are
available on our web site:
http://www.vaxxine.com/
scon
Comments or suggestions?? Call John at 905-562-7686
Red Fridays
Please remember to wear red on Fridays to show your support for our troops.
Gun Show Location
Merritton Community Centre, 7 Park Ave., St. Catharines
If you want tables for the Feb. 26/10 show, contact Rick McConnery right away(905-227-0724).
Shows usually sell out and often we do not have tables
for all our vendors. If you want tables, call early!
Notice to Gun Show Vendors
Late arrivals - If you think you are going to be late to the gun show you should call Rick McConnery ASAP at the Merritton Community Centre (905-682-0098) so he can hold your tables.
Otherwise, he will rent them to walk-in vendors after the 6:00 p.m. cutoff.
Free Classified Ads for Members
Classified ads for shooting
related items are free for members. Please call 905-685-4480 and submit ads by the dates listed for inclusion in the next newsletter:
>Vol. 16 #2 Mar. 30, 2010
>Vol. 16 #3 Aug. 1, 2010
Remember that you have to call each time you want the ad to run. It WILL NOT be repeated without your confirmation.
Gun Show Dates
Dates for our 2010 gun shows are as follows:
Feb. 26
April 30
Sept. 10
Dec. 10
Classified Ads
For Sale:
Custom made knife & sheath, pretty burl handle, overall length 7", blade length 3 1/4", never used, paid $275, asking $150. Must see.
Daisy Lever Action BB Air Rifle, good condition, $35
Ruger Single Six (3 screw model), 22. LR, blue, 12" barrel, good condition, $375
Call Mike 905-945-1961
For Sale:
Moisin-Nagant carbine, Polish manufacture, 7.62x54, bayonet, sling, VG, $125 or best offer
Moisin Nagant carbine, Russian manufacture, 7.62x54, G-VG, $115 or best offer
Russian Baikal TOZ rifle, .22 LR, bolt action, 5 shot magazine, with small scope, EX, $125 or best offer
Winchester Model 69 rifle, .22 LR, bolt action, 5 and 10 shot magazines, sling, small scope, VG, $140 or best offer
Call Gerry 905-685-4480
TSCON
Inquiries?
General 905-685-4480 or 905-937-2301
Memberships
905-685-4480
Gun
Show 905-227-0724
FAX 905-934-8039
Mail TSCON
Box 21047
St. Catharines, ON
L2M 7X2
Trigger Locks for Sale
The Sporting Clubs of Niagara has trigger locks for sale. They aren't fancy
and they take a few seconds
to put on and take off but they are legal. Locks are only $1.00 each! Pick them up at the club table at the gun show or call any member of the Executive. Large quantities available!
Weekly Meetings
Where?St. Catharines Game and Fish Building,
next to the boat ramp on Lighthouse Road in St.
Catharines in Port Dalhousie
When? Wednesdays, 7:00 pm.
Who? Members and non members alike are welcome to attend.
Moved,
Address Changes, Etc.
To
notify us of address changes, duplicate mailings, to be removed from the
mailing list or to request a copy of the newsletter call 905‑685‑4480.
" It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds. Samuel Adams " Mahatma Gandhi
DRAW PRIZE WINNERS
The
following members are winners in our latest draw. Call Gerry at 905-685-4480 to arrange to
claim your prize.
Winner Prize Donated By
Ron Carre (Thorold) TSCON T-shirt The Sporting Clubs of
Niagara
Rosemary Scott (Fort Erie) Gun
Cleaning Kit The Sporting Clubs of Niagara
Carlyle Pinney (London) Pocket
Knife The Sporting Clubs of Niagara
Henry Wutzke (Fenwick) Free PAL Test (transferrable) Firearms
Education School (John Kellaway)
>>>GUN
SHOW<<<
Friday, Feb. 26, 2010, 6:00-10:00 pm
Merritton Community
Centre
7 Park Ave., St.
Catharines
ADMISSION $5
Buy, Sell or Trade, 100+
tables of Antique and Modern Firearms, Knives, Hunting Accessories and Gun
Parts
For tables or
information call Gerry @ 905‑685‑4480
“Remember Bill C-68 When
You Vote”