The Sporting Clubs of
Newsletter
Volume 16, Number 3
Sept 2010
President’s
Message
Hi everyone. Well, summer is flying by and next thing we know it will be hunting season again.
Bill C-391 (which would repeal the long gun registry) may be voted on in September and will hopefully pass Third Reading.
As for “The Sporting Clubs of Niagara” I continue to be increasingly concerned about the unwillingness of people to step forward and take a more active role in our organization. It baffles me that with a membership of over 900 persons, we cannot get more than 10 to 15 members to regularly attend our meetings. In previous newsletters we have pleaded for more participation in the club, but very few people have stepped forward.
The vast majority of the TSCON Executive has been carrying the load for a long time, a few for the full sixteen years that TSCON has existed and to be honest, some are getting close to being burned out. As we have pointed out many times in the past, TSCON is and always has been an all-volunteer organization. Not one member has ever been paid a single penny for their work despite the fact that some have donated thousands of hours of their free time to protect the rights of all Canadian gun owners.
We have seen some fine organizations (most recently the Recreational Firearm Owners Coalition of British Columbia) cease operation due to a lack of participation and I would hate to see the same thing happen to TSCON.
I am also dismayed at the large number of people, many of whom I know personally, who own thousands of dollars worth of firearms yet won’t spent $10 to join TSCON to protect them. For those of you who are not members, keep this in mind before you throw that 2011 membership card in the garbage: if TSCON folds up you won’t have a local organization you can call for help with your firearm problems and questions, you won’t have four local gun shows a year, you won’t have an organization with a direct link to our local MPs and you won’t have local representatives sitting on the federal government’s Canadian Firearm Advisory Committee or the Canadian Shooting Sports Association executive. You decide if having these benefits are worth $10 a year to you.
Think about it everybody. We are not doing this just for our own benefit. Participate now or it could be too late.
Bodo Eichhorn
Ignatieff Weasels Out
For a guy who is supposed to be so smart, Michael Ignatieff is proving to be pretty much a boob. From supporting the ill-fated coalition to false threats to bring down the government his legacy as leader of the opposition been more or less a train wreck.
Now comes his stand on the long gun registry. Despite claiming that he wants to help the Liberals make inroads in western Canada he still decided to poke a stick in the eye of western Canadians by ordering all his MPs (nearly all of whom are east of Manitoba) to vote against Bill C-391, even if they voted for it at Second Reading. If that’s his idea of wooing the west it’s going to be a long dry spell for Liberals trying to get elected west of Ontario.
Bill C-391 Update
In late May the committee hearings were held on Bill C-391. To say that they resembled a circus is putting it mildly.
First the anti-C-391 MPs tried to stack the witness list. At one point they had around thirty witnesses against the bill to only about five for it. After many complaints by the Conservatives the list ended up with more balance but there were still more on the anti side. Next, Mark Holland, the Liberal justice critic and main opponent of the bill (and along with Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair our nominees for Pompous Ass of the Year) tried to reduce bill sponsor MP Candice Hoeppner’s speaking time on the bill from 30 to ten minutes. That also was shot down.
Once the testimony actually began it ranged from humourous to sickening. One woman representing the YWCA was speaking against the bill. She was asked by a Conservative committee member to explain the difference between firearm registration and firearm licensing. Doing her best ‘deer in the headlights’ impression she was unable to say anything except a few stutters.. She was then asked what Bill C-17 (the precursor bill to Bill C-68) involved. Again she had no clue.
Perhaps the most disgusting testimony of all was from Police Chief Blair. MP Hoeppner asked him if he would rather put more police on the streets of Toronto or maintain the long gun registry. He tried to evade the question a couple of times but Hoeppner continued to press him until he finally admitted he would rather keep the long gun registry. How would you like to hear that if you were a Toronto cop. Unbelievable!
From a purely professional point of view the pro-C-391 witnesses were far superior to the anti side. Greg Farrant (OFAH), Tony Bernardo (CSSA), Murray Grismer (Saskatoon Police Service) and Professor Gary Mauser Simon Fraser University) all gave rational and informative presentations and maintained their composure despite some idiotic and insulting questions from opposition committee members.
Then in a surprise move, Holland moved a motion that the committee recommend the bill not go forward to Third Reading. With the anti-gun MPs holding a majority on the committee the motion passed.
So where does this leave the bill? There will be a vote on the motion in Parliament on Sept. 22. If it passes the bill is dead. If it fails the bill is still alive. The good news is that if the motion fails in all likelihood the bill will pass Third Reading and have an excellent chance of becoming law.
At the moment it appears that the motion (and bill) will pass or fail by no more than two or three votes so now is the time to get off your backside and do something.
Hoeppner Visits Niagara
As part of her effort to get C-391 passed, MP Candice Hoeppner is spending much of her summer break traveling across the country drumming up support for the bill by visiting ridings of opposition MPs who might be convinced to support it. On Aug. 2 she made two stops in Niagara, one in Welland and one in Beamsville where she outlined her reasons for sponsoring the bill and encouraged people to do what they could to ensure it’s passage. Despite short notice and the fact that it was the holiday Monday approximately fifty people attended each function. MP Hoeppner impressed the attendees with her friendly, down to earth manner and obvious commitment to getting the bill passed. She has endured a lot of flak professionally and even sustained personal attacks for her stand and gun owners should appreciate the effort she has been making on our behalf.
C-391 Scorecard
When she was here, MP Hoeppner stressed how close the votes on the motion and bill were going to be. At the moment, six opposition MPs (all NDP) have stated that they will support her bill. Six other NDP MPs who voted for it at Second Reading are still sitting on the fence. While the eight Liberal MPs who voted for it have now been ordered by Ignatieff to vote against it at least two or three are in ridings where a vote against the bill could cost them their seats so they could break ranks and vote for the bill or at least ‘get the flu’ the day of the vote and reduce the “no” vote total. The bill needs 155 votes to pass so it is clear to see how close it is going to be.
What To Do
We are literally just weeks away from these crucial votes. This is a rare opportunity to actually reverse some of the damage done by the Liberals to the rights of gun owners. If the long gun registry can be scrapped it will be the first crucial step towards dismantling Bill C-68 so now is the time to do something about it.
The most effective way to contact an MP is by phone. When you phone them they can’t hit they delete button, and they can’t throw it in the garbage. Someone has to listen to what you have to say. Phone calls are cheap, your rights and guns are not. CALL TODAY and thank them for their support. If you have already done so, DO IT AGAIN. We must keep the pressure on them.
Don’t wait - call the following MPs NOW and tell them they owe it to their constituents to support Bill C-391.
Liberals:
Larry Bagnell -
Ottawa (613) 995-9368
Riding Office (867)668-6565
Keith Martin -
Ottawa (613) 996-2625
Riding Office (250) 474-6505
Anthony Rota -
Ottawa (613) 995-6255
Riding Office (705) 474-3700
NDP:
Malcolm Allen-
Ottawa (613) 995-0988
Riding Office (905) 788-2204
Charlie Angus -
Ottawa (613) 992-2919
Riding Office (705) 567-2747
Niki Ashton -
Ottawa (613) 992-3018
RidingOffice (866) 785-0522
Claude Gravelle -
Ottawa (613) 995-9107
Riding Office (705) 753-3760
Carol Hughes -
Ottawa (613) 996-5376
Riding Office (705) 848-8080
Glenn Thibeault -
Ottawa (613) 996-8962
Riding Office (705) 673-7107
Independent:
Andre Arthur -
Ottawa (613) 992-2798
Riding Office (418) 285-0018
While you are making your calls the following NDP MPs have publicly stated that they will support the bill. Spend a couple of extra dollars to call and thank them for standing up for your rights.
Dennis Bevington -
Nathan Cullen -
Bruce Hyer -
Jim Maloway -
John Rafferty -
Peter Stoffer - Call Malcolm
Those of us in the Niagara Region have a unique opportunity to help get this bill passed. Welland MP Malcolm Allen pleasantly surprised us by voting for the bill at Second Reading. We suspect this was the result of a joint TSCON/OFAH phone campaign which we know generated hundreds of calls to his office. When an MP who only got elected by 300 votes gets a couple of hundred phone calls on an issue they sit up and take notice. Unfortunately, rather than strongly committing to voting for the
bill at Third Reading, Mr. Allen now seems to be backpedaling and has retreated into his “I’m weighing both sides of the argument” stance again. This is not acceptable. We have over 1000 households on the TSCON mailing list that are located in the Welland riding. One phone call to his office from each of those households will virtually guarantee that he will have no choice but to vote for the bill. His could literally be the make or break vote. Call him today and don’t take no for an answer.
Bruce Montague Case Update
Bruce is currently out on bail pending a ruling from the Supreme Court on whether or not they will hear his appeal. His lawyer has indicated that there is no time limit on this process but they expect to have a decision sometime between September and November. If the Supreme Court decides to hear the case then some timelines will be given to allow Bruce’s team to "perfect the appeal", then a date will be set to hear the appeal.
Only a small percentage of cases that apply are heard but Bruce thinks they have a good chance of being granted leave to appeal.
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
More information on Bruce’s court case and constitutional challenge is available at:
http://www.brucemontague.ca
Call for Nominations
As per The Sporting Clubs of Niagara constitution, elections for the Executive shall be held each year. The timetable to be followed is outlined below:
August Newsletter - Call for Nominations
September 15 - Election meeting held
September 22 - Elected Executive takes office.
We are issuing an invitation to all year 2010/11 members to submit nominations for the 2010-2011 Executive.
Nominations must be postmarked by Sept. 8, 2010. Nominations must be received in writing. They cannot be received verbally.
Address all nominations to: TSCON Donations
When members join or renew they often send extra money to us as a donation. These donations have ranged from a dollar or two to a thousand dollars. Because of the number of donations we receive we cannot send out a thank you to each donor but we want you to know that all donations, no matter what size, are greatly appreciated by TSCON and we would like to thank you for continuing to support us.
2011 Memberships
If you received a 2011 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.
Advertising Change
On the topic of advertising, after doing an analysis of attendance at the past several gun shows we have come to the conclusion that only a small percentage of gun show attendees were learning about the show from our newspaper ad despite fact that we spend about $500 per show on advertising.
Therefore, starting with the April ‘10 show we will be running smaller ads but in more newspapers and several times per show.
Hopefully this change will enable us to get more bang for our advertising buck. Look for the ads in the St. Catharines Standard, Niagara Falls Review, Welland Tribune and “Niagara This Week” newspapers.
Vendors Wanted
Typically all the tables at our gun shows are sold out. However, recently some of our older vendors have called it a day and have stopped renting tables. We want to continue offering gun show attendees good value for their admission so we are seeking new vendors to fill those spaces. If you or anyone you know would like to be a vendor please call 905-685-4480 for more information.
Sell Your Stuff
Speaking of gun show vendors, we would like to remind our readers that anyone who has items to sell can rent tables at our show. You do not have to be a regular vendor or in the shooting/hunting business.
If you have surplus guns, extra reloading components or any other items around the house that you are not using why not rent a table at the gun show and convert them to cash.
Tables rentals are only $1/foot for members and $15 per table for non-members. The only conditions are that the majority of goods on the table must be shooting/hunting/firearm related and legal.
Gun Show Location
Merritton Community Centre, 7 Park Ave., St. Catharines
If you want tables for the Sept. 10/10 show, contact Gerry Gamble right away (905-685-4480). 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 Gerry Gamble 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.
Gun Show Dates
Dates for our 2010 and 2011 gun shows are as follows: 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: Classified Ads
Marlin Model 60 rifle, .22LR, tubular magazine, 15 shot, like new, $180 or best offer
Lee Enfield #5 Jungle Carbine, .303 British, 10 shot magazine, good condition, excellent bore, $395 or best offer
Springfield Armory M1 Garand, 30-06, EX, $995 firm
Ruger M77 Mark II rifle, stainless, .223 cal., 22" barrel, zytel flat synthetic stock (factory), 2-9X Browning scope, bipod, excellent condition, must be seen, make me an offer I can't refuse
Ruger Single Six single action revolver, .22LR, six shot, 3 screw model, 12" barrel, G, make an offer
Call Mike 905-945-1961
For Sale: Cooey Model 84 shotgun, 12 ga., single shot, 30" barrel, EX, $120
Remington Model 812 shotgun, .410 ga., single shot, 28" barrel, EX, $120
CIL Model 171 rifle, .22 LR, bolt action, 9 shot mag & ammo, 20" barrel, Bushnell 4x scope, VG, $125
Lee Enfield No. 1 MK 3 rifle, .303 cal., 24" barrel, 2-5 shot mags, leather sling & ammo, excellent hunting rifle, G, $200
Winchester Model 94 rifle, 30-30 cal., lever action, 20" round barrel, pre-64, ammo included, VG, $450
Ruger Vaquero single action revolver, 45 Colt, with leather holster & belt, ammo included, new unfired, $500
Call Terry 905-688-1110
Ithaca Model 51 shotgun, 12 ga. semi-auto, comes with two barrels, a 28" vent rib with screw-in chokes and a 23" Deerslayer barrel with a Weaver QuikPoint scope, good condition, $500 or best offer
Call John 905-562-4814
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 remain 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 AThe 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 Red Fridays
Please remember to wear red on Fridays to show your support for our troops.
TSCON Web Site
**Note our new website address TSCON
Inquiries? General 905-685-4480 or 905-937-2301 Memberships
905-685-4480 Gun
Show 905-685-4480 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 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. " The cattle industry can locate a cow in any barnyard in Canada in seconds in a system that cost about $8 million, but the billion dollar gun registry still can't locate hundreds of thousands of gun owners and is missing millions of guns," - Garry Breitkreuz, MP
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 Wayne Zahara (St. Catharines)
TSCON T-shirt The Sporting Clubs of
Niagara Ed Rougoor (Niagara-on-the-Lake) Gun
Cleaning Kit The Sporting Clubs of Niagara David McCaldon (Burlington) Pocket
Knife The Sporting Clubs of Niagara Bob Smirle (Milton) Free PAL Test (transferrable) Firearms
Education School (John Kellaway) >>>GUN
SHOW<<< Friday, Sept 10, 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”
Ottawa (613) 992-4587
Riding Office (867) 873-6995
Ottawa (613) 993-6654
Riding Office (250) 877-4140
Ottawa (613) 996-4792
Riding Office (888) 266-8004
Ottawa (613) 995-6339
Riding Office (204) 984-2499
Ottawa (613) 992-3061
Riding Office (807) 623-6000
Ottawa (613) 995-5822
Riding Office (902) 861-2311
RR#2 Site 211 Box 7 Dryden, ON P8N 2Y5
THE SPORTING CLUBS OF NIAGARA
P.O. BOX 21047
ST. CATHARINES, ON
L2M 7X2
ATTN: EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS
Sept. 10/10
Dec. 10/10
Feb. 25/11
Feb. 25/11
April 29/11
Sept. 9/11
Dec. 9/11
>Vol. 16 #4 Nov. 1, 2010
>Vol. 17 #1 Feb. 1, 2011
Remember that you have to call each time you want the ad to run. It WILL NOT be repeated without your confirmation.
Call John 905-935-0795
Sweats - M-XL$25, XXL$27
Hats w/TSCON crest $15
Buy them at the gun show or from any member of the
Executive.
All our past newsletters as well as other interesting and informative information are
available on our web site:
http://www.thesportingclubsofniagara.com
Comments or suggestions?? Call John at 905-562-7686
When? Wednesdays, 7:00 pm.
Who? Members and non members alike are welcome to attend.