The Sporting Clubs of Niagara

 Newsletter

Volume 18, Number 3

September 2012

President’s Message

Welcome back.  I hope you have all have a good summer, survived the heat and are looking forward to hunting season.

Since the April newsletter, guns have been in the headlines quite a bit and not in a good way. Toronto is experiencing another “Summer of the Gun” and the shootings at the theatre in Aurora, Colorado and the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin have, as expected, got the anti-gun crowd dancing in the blood once again.

As details of these tragic incidents start to emerge some  commonalities are obvious, most notable of which is that  none were committed by what would be considered ‘law-abiding’ gun owners.  The Eaton Centre shooter was a convicted felon and gang member who was supposed to be under house arrest.  He recently had several gun charges against him dropped by the Crown prosecutor (yet the Crown continues to harass Ian Thompson who is NOT a known felon or gang-banger).  The  theatre shooter appears to have serious mental issues.  Perhaps worse is that it  has just been revealed that his behaviour was bizarre enough that  the psychiatrist who was treating him was alarmed by something he said or did, prompting her to contact members of the university threat‑assessment team and ask the campus police for a background check but there is no evidence that this was ever done.  The Sikh temple shooter had ties to white supremacist groups and had been discharged from the U.S. army for getting drunk on duty and going AWOL.  And of course none of them had permits to carry firearms.

Another similarity is that all the locations where the shootings took place were ‘gun free zones’, meaning that the victims were totally at the mercy of the perpetrators.  Colorado and Wisconsin are ‘concealed carry’ states but company policy prohibited  anyone with a permit from having a firearm in the theatre.  And while one would think a gun is not necessary in church, previous church shootings have dispelled that myth.  The Sikh temple incident was especially sad in that one individual fell victim to the “don’t bring a knife to a gun fight” scenario and actually bravely attempted to fend off the shooter with a butter knife but was fatally shot.

After Toronto’s  last “Summer of the Gun”, then Mayor David Miller’s brilliant solution was to shut down several legitimate gun clubs because, of course, that’s where the gang members were practicing.  We can now see how well that strategy worked out.  Fortunately, new Mayor Rob Ford is not so blind as to believe that persecuting law-abiding gun owners is going to solve Toronto’s drug and gang problems.

On the international front things are just about as silly.  A United Nations conference in July attempted to hammer out a global arms trade treaty to control the world movement and sale of firearms.  At first blush that sounds like an admirable goal.  No one wants terrorists or rogue states to have guns.  As usual, however, the devil was in the details.  Turns out they weren’t just talking about controlling AK-47s,  UZIs and RPGs.  They also wanted to include Remington 870s, Ruger 10/22s , single shot Cooeys and every other civilian firearm.  They also wanted to control the movement and sale of ammunition.  Hey, I never knew my box of Federal .22s was so highly prized by terrorists.

Of course the irony in this whole feeble excuse for diplomacy is that the countries that want such agreements are usually 3^rd world dictatorships which don’t want their citizens armed for fear they might turn against them or countries like North Korea, Iran and China who just ignore the agreements anyway.

Fortunately, like a bunch of grade two kids at recess, these clown states couldn’t agree on anything and the whole exercise collapsed.  It should be noted that the Canadian government wanted nothing included which involved control of ‘sporting arms’ and the American Senate had already indicated it would not ratify any deal that infringed on the 2^nd Amendment.

We know the UN gun grabbers will be back but at least this latest failure has dealt them another setback. Interesting times, indeed.

Gerry Gamble

Bill C-19 Shenanigans

Let’s face it, bureaucrats hate giving up control.  It doesn’t matter if it’s the Prime Minister or the dog catcher, they all want to retain power and it appears that the CFO’s (Chief Firearms Office) of most of the provinces are no different.  Despite Bill C-19 clearly stating that purchase records of non-restricted firearms sales were not to be retained and existing records were to be destroyed, most CFOs continued to insist that dealers keep records on who was purchasing non-restricteds from them.

Aside from their egos taking a hit we are somewhat mystified by their stubborn refusal to follow the law (ironic considering they are police officers).  Even if they could require stores to keep records of who made purchases, the moment the gun left the store and was resold to a private individual the paper trail would go cold.  There is no requirement for individuals to record who they sell to or buy guns from.  As noted in the previous newsletter,

the  sole responsibility of the seller is to verify that the purchaser possesses a valid PAL for that class of firearm and has no reason to believe the buyer is not authorized to acquire the firearm.

Still, it took over three months and two sternly written letters from Safety Minister Vic Toews before the Ontario CFO finally caved in and notified Ontario dealers that they no longer were required to keep records of non-restricted sales.

It should be noted that we have heard that some gun shops are still recording personal information from purchasers.  That is their right and they can run their business any way they want.  However, they are not required to do so.  If a shop claims they need to record the information for warranty purposes, remember that is what your bill of sale is for.  Furthermore, virtually all new guns are sold with warranty cards that are sent in to the manufacturer and they would contact you if there is a warranty issue.

While we aren’t advocating actively boycotting gun businesses that collect personal information we do suggest that you might want to patronize shops that are more eager to be gun owner friendly and less eager to be government friendly.

Lastly, we remind you once again that with registry data gone we strongly suggested you record all the possible information on every gun you own should a theft or loss (like in a fire) occur.

Amnesties Ending

In 2006 the Conservatives put several amnesties in place to take some pressure off legitimate gun owners. 

With the long gun registry gone the amnesty for possessing unregistered long guns was unnecessary.

However, there are other amnesties ending which you should be aware of.

A policy to encourage holders of expired POLs to return to compliance with the Firearms Act and firearms licensing regulations is in effect until May 16, 2013. Firearm owners whose POL expired on or after January 1, 2004, may be eligible to apply for a new POL, if they meet all of the following criteria:

· Their previously held a POL expired naturally (was not revoked or refused);

· They are in possession of at least one firearm; and

· They meet all public safety requirements in order to possess firearms.

· There is no fee for the new

· POL.  Eligible individuals should call the Canadian Firearms Program (CFP)’s toll‑free number: 1‑800‑731‑4000

· Non-restricted POL/ PAL

· A fee waiver, applicable to licences with non‑restricted firearm privileges only, is in effect until May 16, 2013.

· This fee waiver does not apply to:

o individuals obtaining their first licence, or individuals who held a minors licence and are applying for a PAL, or individuals who are obtaining a new licence after their licence was refused or revoked, or individuals obtaining a licence after the expiry of a firearms prohibition order.

· Restricted/Prohibited POL/PAL

· A fee waiver for renewals of POLs or PALs with restricted or prohibited firearm privileges is in effect until Sept. 17, 2012.*Note different date*

· Individuals who renew their restricted or prohibited class POL or PAL after Sept. 17,

· 2012, will be required to pay the renewal fee.

IMPORTANT

You do not have to wait till your POL or PAL is near expiry to renew it.  If your licence has four years left on it and you renew before the end of the amnesty you get 5 years free from the date of the renewal, or one free year.  The closer you are to your expiry date the more you save ($16/year for restricted/prohibited and $12/year for non-restricted).

We suggest everyone with four years or less left on their POL or PAL renew it before the waiver ends.

Renewal forms can be downloaded from the Canadian Firearm Centre website:

http://www.rcmp‑grc.gc.ca/cfp‑pcaf/form‑formulaire/pdfs/979‑eng.pdf

A few other tips:

1. You do not need a passport photo.  Any photo that meets the size requirements is acceptable (see the “Photo Instructions” on the application form).  We suggest you take a few head and shoulder  digital photos at different distances against a light coloured blank wall.  Digital photos are cheap so even 5 photos should cost a dollar or less.

2. Always send the application by registered mail.  That way you can prove you sent it and the Firearms Centre has to sign when they receive it.

3. Photocopy your  application in case the CFC loses yours (yes, they do).

Save some money and reapply now.  With  luck the Conservatives will loosen up the licencing regulations in the next few years and your free licence may be good for 10 or more years.  Call TSCON if you have any questions or need an application form.

End of the Long Gun Registry Celebration

To say “Thank you” for  their years of support, on Friday, June 22 TSCON held a free ‘members only’ dinner to celebrate the end of the long gun registry.  About 125 TSCON members were treated to a great meal, good conversation and a wonderful array of draw prizes.  We were also pleased to have in attendance two of our  local Conservative MPs, Rick Dykstra and Dean Allison, both of whom have staunchly supported us in our efforts to undo the harm that 17 years of Liberal gun legislation has inflicted on  Canadian gun owners.

Thanks to the efforts of a few TSCON Exec members  we were able to hand out over 25 prizes including a Savage Axis rifle, scopes, gun cases, ammo, club memberships and a host of other great gifts.  With one exception every local gun club we asked  contributed a draw prize.

Our sincere thanks go out to the following businesses and individuals who donated and helped make the event a fun night for all.

- Pinecrest Pistol Club

- Niagara Falls Revolver Club

- Niagara Regional Police Revolver Club

- Maple Leaf Gun Club

- Crowland Gun Club

- Welland Handgun Club

- Paul Kovacs

- Lorie Hetherington

- Suzie Sheehan

- Lanz Shooting Supplies

- Erie Trackers

- ADK Enterprises

- Firearms Education          School

- Home Hardware/Scott St.

- Home Hardware/Hartzel Rd.

- St. Catharines  Volkswagen

- St. Catharines New  Holland Equipment

- Sheehan & Rosie Insurance

- Niagara Saw

- Garden City Lawn & Leisure

- Bob Berg Automotive

- Minit Auto Service

NRPRC Range Closure Update

I’ll try to keep this brief and as non-confusing as possible.  On Mar. 1, 2012 Regional Council passed a motion to investigate selling the property to the club.  On April 12 Council passed a motion extending the termination date of the club’s lease to July 31 (or further if necessary) to allow staff to develop a proposal for the disposition of the leased lands.  Then on May 16 at the Corporate Services Committee some Councillors reneged and passed a motion to recommend that the club property be put out to public tender.  This put the club in a very tenuous position as there are several wealthy neighbours who want the club shut down and they could certainly come up with more money than the club which, because it is a non-profit organization, is not allowed to accumulate large sums of money.  Worse, the short time between the Corporate Services meeting and the full Council meeting gave us little time to mobilize the troops for a big turnout.

Despite those obstacles we were still able to get about 100 people to attend.  Fortunately the club also had Councillors Bruce Timms and Andy Petrowski  working for us and they managed to get the Corporate Services Committee motion voted down.  With that out of the way a motion to sell the property to the club was  introduced and passed.

The details are now being worked out but it appears that by the end of October the club will own the property and this whole affair can be put to bed.

Thanks again to all who attended.  We are convinced that the big crowds who have shown up to support the club have led to this positive outcome.

Ian Thompson Case

We hoped the case against Ian Thompson would be resolved at his May 2 court appearance but things got sidetracked when Thompson’s lawyer, Ed Burlew, introduced a constitutional challenge claiming the Charter of Rights and Freedoms are infringed upon by the vague and unclear wording of the firearm Storage Regulations.  Mr. Burlew contended that the standing safe firearm storage regulations impede the  ability of a person under threat to effectively defend themselves with a defensive firearm when they are faced with unexpected imminent danger because the firearm and ammunition cannot be ‘readily accessible’ under law. As such, the right of ‘security of person’ is compromised. The motion asks the court to declare the regulations invalid and of no force and effect.

As a result of this  challenge  another court date was set for October 25, 2012 when formal evidence and testimony will be presented.

Ian Thompson still needs financial support and you can provide it by cheque, money order, VISA, MasterCard or AMEX. 

Send donations “IN TRUST” to: “EDWARD BURLEW IN TRUST” (add a note that it's for Ian Thomson - file# 2667.10).

Edward L. Burlew

16 John Street

Thornhill, ON L3T 1X8

1‑888‑486-5677

Bruce Montague Update

A recent court decision was rendered in which the court ordered all the goods seized when Bruce as arrested be forfeited.  This was not a surprise given that the same judge who sentenced Bruce also made this decision.  However, Bruce is contesting the ruling and because of the challenge the procedure to have his home also seized is on hold till the challenge is heard.

It is obvious that the intent is to grind Bruce down but he is determined to fight this to the end and we applaud him for his courage.  This case has now dragged on longer than World War II and obviously  has depleted Bruce’s legal fund.  The Montagues could really use some financial assistance.  Remember that Bruce fought his battle to benefit us all so let’s not forget him.  You can help by  donating online at:

http://www.brucemontague.ca/html/0006.html#donate

or make cheques payable in whatever amount you can spare to:

"Bruce Montague Scrap C-68 Fund" c/o Roger Nordlund, Trustee

RR#2, Site 211, Box 7,

Dryden, ON P8N 2Y5

Red Fridays

Please remember to wear red on Fridays to show your support for our troops.

2013 Memberships

If you received a 2013 membership card in this mailing 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.

Gun Show Dates

Dates for our 2012 gun shows are as follows:

Dec. 14

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, they will be rented to walk-in vendors after the 6:00 p.m. cutoff.

Gun Show Location

Merritton Community Centre, 7 Park Ave., St. Catharines

If you want tables for the Sept. 7, 2012 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!

Vendors Wanted

If you or anyone you know would like to be a vendor please call 905-685-4480 for more information.  We remind our readers that anyone who has items to sell can rent tables at our show.  You don’t need to be a regular vendor or in the  shooting/hunting business.

The long gun registry is now gone and selling a gun now takes about 30 seconds with no phone call or paperwork.  Now’s your chance to turn those unwanted guns into money.  If you have surplus guns, parts, reloading components or any other items around the house that you are not using why not rent a table and convert them to cash.  The only conditions are that the majority of goods on your table must be shooting/hunting/firearm related and are legal.

Free Classified Ads

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. 18 #4 Nov. 15, 2012

>Vol. 19 #1 Feb. 1, 2013

Remember that you have to call each time you want the ad to run.  It WILL NOT be repeated without your confirmation.

Classified Ads

For Sale: Lever action hammer locks.  These easy to install and use locks fit most lever action & single hammer guns.  Fitting through the lever around the neck of the rifle and behind the hammer, these locks effectively prevent the hammer from being cocked and the lever from being cycled.  $5.00 each (wholesale quantities  available).

Remington Model 870 shotgun, 16 ga., pump  ction, 28" plain barrel, modified choke, corncob forend, manufactured in 1952, $325.00     

Stevens Model 124C shotgun, 12 ga. manual shotgun, plain barrel, improved choke, brown tenite buttstock and f

orend,  manufactured between 1947 and 1952, $275.00, Call Lorie 905‑295‑8364

Wanted: meat grinder, electric, with a .75 HP or higher engine, as well as  attachments. Call Calvin 905-938‑1776

TSCON Web Site

http://www.thesportingclubsofniagara.com

Comments or suggestions?? Call John at 905-562-7686

TSCON Inquiries?

General          905-685-4480

905-937-2301

Memberships 905-685-4480

Gun Show      905-685-4480

Mail               TSCON

          Box 21047

          St. Catharines, ON

                      L2M 7X2

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