Articles for December 2000
The CFC has given us yet another gift. Their links have changed... so that now the above page has been redirected and rolls over to http://cfc-ccaf.gc.ca/forms_assistance/Forms/Default.asp ... which in turn, at midnight December 31 2000, misleadingly listed the license application deadline as "In effect June 10, 2000" Wrong day, wrong month, wrong year. The first CFC screwup of the new Millenium - and you saw it here first! Scrolling down a bit on the same page, we see that the form "Application to record agency firearms for public service agencies under the Firearms Act" is also incorrectly listed as 'in effect January 1 2001'. This deadline has in fact been moved back twice already, apparently due to the inability of police agencies to register firearms. Yet another missed deadline by those 'implementing' this atrocity.
Just 1 in four Canadians elected the party that is now poised to mint millions of overnight criminals on the strength of those election results. As a result of the Liberal actions or inactions over the coming days, many of our fellow Canadians could be serving jail time during the next two elections. Those serving more than two years will not be able to vote. It is likely that those so afflicted will also be prohibited from possessing firearms for the next five to ten elections - or even for life, in the case of a second 'offense'. All this because the Liberals were unwilling to back off from the outrageous fixed deadlines in their harebrained licensing scheme.
One must be warned that due to the nature of this draconian legislation, it is illegal to advocate noncompliance. Then again, it's also illegal to take no action and it's going to be expensive, time consuming, and legally perilous to attempt to comply with this ineffective legislation. Which option would you choose? PS: If you're having trouble deciding: I am in compliance. I think. I applied for and received (one YEAR later!) a license - but due to bureaucratic confusion, I received an incorrect (restricted) class of license. Thanks to the screwups, a court will be sorting this one out at taxpayer expense. If you're still not sure, drop an application in the mail today (by REGISTERED mail if possible) and include payment. You can always cancel the application later on or stop payment on your cheque should you decide that it was not necessary for you to purchase a license. Neither LUFA nor the NFA are currently advocating noncompliance on licensing, but very strong sentiment to this effect remains among firearm owners. Due to the sloth and inefficiency of the current system it will be months before the government can compile a database of firearm owners who were in compliance on January 1 2001. All firearms owned by people who did not have licenses on January 1 2001 will immediately become illegal though apparently their possessors are not immediately prosecutable - and, from reports I've heard, these unregistered firearms (the bulk of firearms in Canada) will become more valuable on the underground market than they are worth today with full paperwork.
In that case, you would apparently violate Criminal Code section 92. You do not face 'only' a six month or five year jail term, as has been suggested by various incorrect media reports. (With apologies to the media, an incorrect figure in a report isn't usually the end of the world. However, if firearm owners demand strict accuracy in reporting on this law, it is only because this law is apparently designed so that if a firearm owner misses only one deadline, a blank on a form, or some other triviality his or her property can be confiscated, they can have their home searched and may well face criminal charges, fines, prohibitions and imprisonment at various points over the course of the next twenty-odd years.) The correct answer to the above question is: arbitrary and immediate confiscation without compensation ('forfeit to the crown' is the actual euphemism used) plus fines and a 10 year prohibition on owning firearms after you have served the 10 year maximum prison term. That's if it's your first offence - there are also minimum sentences and lifetime prohibitions in store for others. Talk to your lawyer before you say a word to any police officer. And shut up while you're in jail too, because that 'fellow imprisoned firearm owner' just could be a plant. Incidentally, this same punishment can also apply if your license (valid for only five years) ever expires before you do.
Whichever option you choose, tag on "organize and resist". Have you joined the National Firearms Association and the Canadian Alliance yet?
See also: Liberals vastly underestimating number of firearm owners in Canada --Garry Breitkreuz, MP Here's something that bears some thinking about: What about the wives, husbands, children, and relatives of all these people? Firearm owners have families. How will these people respect our justice system and our very government, knowing that their own relatives may at any minute be arrested and forced to defend themselves from criminal prosecution... for doing nothing?
See also: CILA's BATF warning --CILA
What problem was that again?
C-68 was sold to us as a "culture of safety". It has become apparent that our goods are not as described. For many years, the firearm homicide rate has remained relatively steady at approximately 200 per year. This relatively low rate persisted in part because there were no sharp increases in the number of fugitives from the law. The day after tomorrow, Canada will have something like five million more criminals than we have today. Do you feel safer?
A war isn't over until one side destroys the other's means and will to resist.
Decoys
Not going to get a license? Consider handing your worst gun (or guns, if you have many) in to the police for destruction. This can have the effect of putting your name on a list of 'cooperating' citizens who surrendered their property for destruction without compensation. Firearms can be stored for several years by separating the wood from the metal, greasing the metal heavily, waxing the wood, then sealing the works in a plastic bag or the like, inside a standard piece of sewer pipe with sealed endcaps. You might want to add some ammo and the tools required to assemble and clean the outfit in another sealed bag inside the container. Dessicant would be nice. If you left this until now, you've got a problem: the ground is frozen. Not to worry: so are the snowbanks, at least until spring. Store your firearms safely, away from all likely thieves.
C-68 --Larter, Calgary Sun (expired link)
The December 30 2000 depicted a lineup of gangsters and street criminals next to a sign. The deadline indicated in that cartoon was incorrect. December 31 2000 is the last day for making a licensing application, not for registration of your firearms. You aren't legally required to register your existing firearms until December 31, 2002. Don't register 'til you see the whites of their eyes. Loaded ammunition will be heavily regulated and tracked starting January 1 2001. It's time for that last-call ammo purchase you've been putting off for awhile.
Some people have privately expressed regret to me over displaying Liberal lawn signs during last month's election...
The reporter was apparently confused by our new firearm law. In fact, bullet purchases require no license at all. Bullets you will recall are only the projectile, usually lead alloy and often copper jacketed, which is fired from a gun or firearm. Only 'ammunition' is subject to licensing requirements. The CFC recently issued a 'clarification' on what is 'ammunition' but it fell far short of the mark IMHO. Not sure what falls under the heading of 'ammunition'? Call the Canadian Firearms Center at 1 800 400 1447 to hear your tax dollars at work.
A picture, it is said, is worth a thousand words. Isn't it.
From the same issue of "on target" (From the Editor's Desk dept): "This first year of the new millennium has been extremely busy, challenging and rewarding." Um... actually, it's not the end of the first year of the new millenium yet - that honor would be more accurately bestowed on December 2001. By which time, the challenged individual and his fellow quislings could well be unemployed.
Even the government doubts their own compliance figures, which are based on reduced estimates of the total number of firearm owners. The true number of firearm owners is closer to 7 million. And we refuse to live under this unjust law.
If you ever wanted to become a firearm owner, now's the time. Few legally qualified buyers + plenty of firearms for sale = many good deals to be had. Consider getting a reloading setup while you're at it - you can begin reloading for about $100, or get a full setup and do it 'properly' for about $500.
The article notes that "Shooting an unidentified figure near an urban environment contravenes standard hunting safety rules." It's also impossible to do accidentally if you're following the standard rules of firearm safety such as "Be sure of your target and what lies beyond". Accidentally or on purpose, there apparently is no law allowing the arrest of such youngsters whether they're only in possession of firearms prior to reaching the age at which they may receive government permission, or whether they kill people. Culture of safety courtesy of Jean Chretien & co, who evidently valued an early election more than the formerly pending reforms to the Young Offenders Act. The bill amending the YOA died on the order paper when the election was called.
Just a reminder: You'll need a firearm license to purchase "ammunition" from a government-approved source after Jan 1 2001
...or the only place you'll be able to purchase ammunition is from um well criminals for example. Or, you could roll your own. Or, you could just stockpile plenty in rugged sealed containers out in the back 40. The law appears to state that it's illegal to sell ammunition to a person who has no current and valid firearm license, but that it is not illegal for you to purchase or possess ammunition if you have no current and valid license. That prohibition doesn't apply to components, at least until our Governor in Council falls into a foul mood one day and bans toasters (their nichrome wires can be used to manufacture blasting caps) pillow stuffing (wads for retaining powder) toilet paper (when appropriately treated, turns into nitrocellulose) hand lotions (when appropriately treated, turns into nitroglycerin) and all other 'non-sporting' sporting equipment such as baseball clubs 'short-bladed' bread knives and the bolts for Nerf crossbows. Don't have a license, don't feel up to rolling your own and still don't want to purchase ammunition through a quite legal (on your end) transaction? Grab that pen, apply for a license and join the million-gunowner backlog.
As expected, at this time we have more applications in bureaucratic limbo than have been processed in the entire sordid history of the Firearms Act. Most of these applicants will not be able to purchase firearms legally anytime soon, thanks in large part to the expensive snail's pace bureaucracy inherent in the poorly written Firearms Act. The Canadian Firearms Center had announced that 800,000 firearm owners would be 'disposing' of their firearms by the end of this year. Any bets on whether those government-identified sellers sold their average 3 firearms each (which, as you will recall, they were selling BECAUSE of the Firearms Act) mainly to a) the less than 1 million government-approved purchasers or b) one of the 29+ million Canadians who have either not received licenses or are simply not cooperating with this boondoggle? Regardless, if you plan to apply for a license before Jan 1 2001, TAKE AND RETAIN ONE OR MORE PHOTOCOPIES OF YOUR ENTIRE APPLICATION, THEN SEND THE APPLICATION EXPRESS AND GET CONFIRMATION OF DELIVERY. If you don't, your application could arrive after Jan 1 2001 or "not arrive" - and according to the Liberal bureaucracy that is now sitting on more than a million applications 'in process', that's a crime.
Despite the massive media coverage surrounding workplace violence, transportation incidents are actually the leading cause of workplace fatalities in the US according to the AFL-CIO. The occupations with the highest rates of on the job fatalities are not office workers, but rather (in order of fatality rates) timber cutters (141.6/100,000), fishers (137.3/100,000) and structural metal workers (82.5/100,000). I can't recall the last time I heard of a well publicized incident involving lumberjack fatalities. Perhaps some people just don't have political points to gain by exploiting such incidents. See also: US authorities able to trace 3 out of 4 guns without using a registry --CNN (Since when did a 460 WM become the world's most powerful shoulder fired cartridge? It's a bigun alright, but that just plain ain't so.), This man wasn't mad about guns - he was simply mad --The Daily Telegraph via The Report, Fuses, blasting caps, gallons of HNO3(aq) etc found at suspect's home; suspect was a 'quirky' ex-Navy psychiatric patient on medication --Fox News, Wakefield firearm permits require photos in triplicate, fingerprinting, safety course or equivalent grandfathering --Wakefield PD HNO3 data sheet --European Fertilizer Manufacturers Association
What is with the kooky numbers being peddled by the media these days? A "300,000" backlog? A 30 second check with my trusty web browser reveals a CFC-claimed backlog of 1,065,850 applications "in process". It's difficult to ignore over 765,850 stalled applications. Then again, that number wouldn't jibe well with the CFC's old claim (repeated by various media outlets who were in turn greased with plenty of publicly funded CFC advertisements) that there were only 1.8 million firearm owners in this country. The true number of firearm owners is more like 7 million - and with just four days to go before the licensing deadline, millions are flat out refusing to cooperate with this unjust law. UPDATE: On December 29, the Winnipeg Sun noted that the CFC now tells them that the backlog is 'only' 200,000. The Sun didn't note that the CFC is also telling the rest of the world (via the "program propaganda & statistics" link above) that there are actually more than a million 'in process' applications, and that the CFC is apparently feeding newspapers claimed statistics that are off by more than 800,000 applications processed.
Written from a US perspective, but globally relevant nontheless. "False is the idea of utility that sacrifices a thousand real advantages for one imaginary or trifling inconvenience; that would take fire from men because it burns, and water because one may drown in it; that has no remedy for evils, except destruction. The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws of such a nature." --Thomas Jefferson et al.
Hilarious! I don't know how this article comes across in New York, but viewed from Winnipeg this article smacks more of either satire or propaganda than as a relevant depiction of 'compliance' or 'news'. In one article, the NY Times dismisses all of Alberta as "an anti-gun-control western province", misstates registration as licensing, castigates groups against the draconian provisions of C-68 as being "anti-control" (a term which implies a lack of control should these groups succeed in achieving workable and fair regulations), ignores the Practical Firearms Control System which has been proposed to replace C-68, and generally repeats virtually every firearm related talking point of the Coalition for Yet More Firearm Regulation, the CFC spindoctors, and their employers. Incidentally, the CFC 'program statistics' link directly contradicts the NY Times' figures. According to the CFC's own figures, over a million applications have been received but remain unprocessed - the NY Times article neatly understated this bungled bureaucratic backlog by more than 300,000 legislated criminals-in-waiting. Until the CFC employees get off their duffs and open their mail, we cannot know what proportion of these unprocessed license applications might actually be duplicates in the name of Mick E. Mouse or Wilbur the talking pig of Charlotte's Web fame. The most on-target part of this article was the apparently unconscious ridicule of our dollar by pricing the $10 possession-only licenses at ... US$6.50.
The amnesty was set to expire just days from now, on Jan 1 2001. Ms McLellan, tear down your shifting lines in the sand.
Hunting is under attack in Britain too. Fortunately, the bobbies there can't tell the difference between hunters and journalists.
Yep, this should make society MUCH safer. And hey, here's an bright idea provided by one of the ever-helpful CFC mouthpieces: Why don't cops ask us for our firearm licenses during routine traffic stops? That way, we can randomly and systematically harass all the made-in-Ottawa overnight indictable criminals who happen to own guns. In fact, we can harass everybody, legal or non-legal, firearm owner or not, because it's impossible to tell the criminal bastards who insist on retaining their property and their rights apart from the rest of the population until you kick in the door on every storehouse, lockbox, underground pipe and snowman to which they have access. I wonder why the guy who suggested this is a 'communications expert' and not a cop?
The article notes that according to the paid flunkie, Nunavummiut "have warmly received the federal license-assistance teams everywhere they’ve gone." Coming from a CFC spindoctor, that could well mean that several license teams have been welcomed at gunpoint and their vehicles, clothes and communications gear have been set afire.
Yes, I know it's a US link. However, the study itself is also unrelated to Canada, save that a certain person in the self-styled "Canada Safety Council" keeps repeating the borrowed and erroneous '43 times' statistic. The article explains why the 43 times statistic is incorrect, but does not explain why supposedly competent people still base their arguments upon baseless assertions. To take a charitable view of the people who spout such nonsense, they remind me more of FIFO buffers than CPUs.
The press release summarizes Annie's first law of projectile regulation, to wit "Every pellet or projectile whether below or above 500fps (except those deemed to be nonsporting in the opinion of the governor-in-council) continues in its state or rest, or of uniform motion in a right line, unless it is compelled to change that state by licensing requirements impressed upon it, which at this time we are not doing though we have reserved the authority do so via Order in Council at any future date and without pretending to consult your elected representatives." This of course has a corrollary in the third law of projectile regulation: For every inept, half-witted, poorly thought out and implemented, fatally flawed distateful and counterproductive piece of jackbooted legislation there will be a corresponding, disproportionate and entirely opposite response, accompanied by a great deal of heat and friction. This latest 'clarification' totally ignores the area which was causing the most confusion: blank cartridges. In a place where it is legal for you to do so, load your gun, nailgun, blank gun, etc with a blank. Point it in a safe direction, disengage the safeties and pull the trigger. Bang. That bang may or may not have been the sound of 'ammunition' fired from a device which may or may not have been or become a 'firearm'. Depending on these definitions, you may or may not face prosecution, confiscation without compensation, years of imprisonment, a criminal record and more than a decade of prohibition. You might already have committed a criminal offence by 'adapting' your gun (by loading the blank and firing) to become a 'firearm'. You could commit another criminal offence simply by returning home afterwards with your gun if it has invisibly became a 'restricted firearm' or 'prohibited firearm' upon discharge of the blank. Take heart though - you might be able to avoid being criminalized IF you noticed that you became a criminal, (You DO have a chronograph capable of telling the difference between 'capable of inflicting serious bodily harm' and 'not capable of inflicting serious bodily harm' while measuring the velocity of whiffs of dust and clouds of mostly spent propellant - right? Oh dear... hmmn, me neither... maybe Annie has one she could lend us...) and you apply for and receive the required license and amnesty registration paperwork sometime between immediately and six months from now - thereby once again becoming a happy and productive member of society, free of the stigma of your past as an armed indictable criminal. But I digress. What is a blank, a cap, a primer, powder, or 'other' and what is ammunition? Typically, blanks have no significant bullet and are not meant for shooting things, though sometimes they are used to pop balloons and the like from extremely close range. Usually, blanks have some type of paper or plastic wadding or at least some type of sealant which protects the powder. Some blanks have wood bullets designed to be shredded at the muzzle by a special blank firing device. Most blanks can be used to propel projectiles which might be nails, bullets, or for that matter popcorn-saboted roasted peanuts, with velocities of those projectiles varying according to the charge in the blank, the weight of the projectiles and the type and dimensions of the device used to harness the energy of the blank. So, which blank cartridges are considered 'ammunition'? Nail driver blanks such as those commonly used in construction? The heads off strike-anywhere matches? Cap gun blanks? If so, does that include tape-type cap gun blanks or 8-round rings or single shot caps or zip strips? Wait, what about the antique Maynard tape cap priming system?! Plastic, metal, or paper caps? Uncontrolled ammunition cases charged with uncontrolled primers and filled with uncontrolled loose powder? Caseless cartridges (rare in Canada but apparently considered 'ammunition')? Caseless cartridges without their bullet? Caseless Pyrodex pellets without the bullet? Uncontrolled ammunition cases filled with powder and lightly misted from the case mouth with an organic solvent so as to form a 'crust' of solid powder on top of the flaked powder? How about caseless cartridges formed in the same way? With or without primers or bullets inserted? What about a conventional brass case with the same powder charge but using a tiny wad of toilet tissue or a teaspoon of cornmeal or a bore-diameter piece of playing card or frangible plastic disk or a crimped and shellaced brass cap to retain the powder instead of using a less usual 'powder crust'? What about the common method of forming rare types of cartridge cases by firing a charge of powder covered with a wad in a common case to to cause the case to fill out to fit the contours of a chamber or case forming die and thus become a less common case? What if the blank is intended to be used through the pinned barrel on a deactivated antique firearm? What about the same blank if it might fit other firearms which are not antiques and have no pinned barrel? If the CFC is paid to think of stuff like this, and they are, but they don't, why should we be legally required to?! What if the blank fits a blank firing device, or a piston action nailgun? What about assembling the same charge of blackpowder and wadding in a muzzleloader? With regulations and 'clarifications' like these, is it any wonder that legitimate firearm owners are confused, annoyed and criminalized by this tangled mess of laws?
"Smuggling weapons into Gaza is an adventurous business..."
The Government's own lowball figures show that their failed law will create over half a million armed criminals on January 1 2001. The actual number is much higher.
Things I learned from my flintlock
Flintlocks can be good learning tools for new shooters. In particular, flinters let the budding shooter make holes in paper or go hunting whilst his or her license is being processed. Among the lessons I learned from my flinter: Don't let the sun set on a dirty gun. Ever. Follow-through and good shooting posture counts. Use a rest if available. A 1 lb set trigger system reduces groups and makes shooting a joy. Don't shoot blackpowder upwind of or near vehicles, other guns, or equipment that can rust. Don't flinch - even when there's a small explosion six inches in front of your eye immediately before the recoil impulse hits. Make your first shot count - it's the only proper one you'll get for the next five minutes. Don't use pyrodex in a flintlock unless you're a fan of random time delay fuses. Those perfect-looking square flints don't last as long as the ragged handknapped natural flints, which in turn last for about thirty shots on average but might last for six or sixty apparently according to their whims and the phase of the moon. A nail will fit that hole at the top of your flintholder jaw adjustment screw. Keep scrubbing - it only looks clean. Clean the bore after each shot using a jag, one pass with a wet patch, another patch with the same wet patch reversed on the jag, then another pass each with a dry patch and a reversed dry patch. While loading, if the bullet doesn't go down with normal pressure, it likely can't be forced down and will need to be removed with a ball puller or similar device - clean more between shots as this is an arduous process. Clean the touchhole with a dry pick after cleaning the bore. Then wipe the pan, the frizzen face, and the flint with a clean wet patch then a dry patch before loading. Omitting this yields unreliable ignition. Soft grease is your friend. Soft pure lead is your friend. Lighweight Lee R.E.A.L bullets and Buffalo Ball-ets are the only accurate projectiles I've found (except patched round balls of course) from a 1-66" twist barrel. By 'accurate' in flintlock standards I mean hitting a pie-plate at 100 yards... from a rest, with appropriate cleaning between shots. Bore buttons (fiber/felt type wads) reduce fouling by at least half and are a Good Idea. Adding a dab of soft grease to the bore button keeps the remaining fouling soft as butter. Never put a flintlock in a carry case without first cleaning the gun - you'll contaminate the carry case with corrosive black powder residue. Keep your powder dry. Watch The Patriot - it's worth it just to see the speed of Mel's [inherently dangerous but functional if you don't mind having the odd hand blown off] reload! Premeasured charges wrapped in rolled paper cylinders with the ends twisted will speed your reloading in the field - just tear the end off and dump the charge (not the paper) down the barrel.
It's over a century old. It's got historical and financial value. Is it an antique? Nope, not in Canada. Our government in their wisdom declares that this firearm is not an antique because.... (drum roll please) the firearm is chambered for a 22 rimfire - probably 22 short, long, or long rifle. If on the other hand the firearm were chambered for a *different* 22 rimfire THEN it might be considered an antique.
Mr 3x banned killer is eligible for parole in four years. You, on the other hand, could face up to 10 winters in taxpayer-heated lodging for mere possession of a firearm which in the unchallengable and presumably always correct opinion of the Governor in Council is considered 'nonsporting'.
See also: Huntofalifetime.org The website lists their donations address as: Hunt of a Lifetime ,6297 Buffalo Road, Harborcreek, PA 16421.
Supply and demand powers the market - regulations affect only the legal trade.
Compliance Factoids stretch Credibility
According to what purported to be a recent CFC survey, 75% of Winnipeg street gang members have already registered their smuggled and/or stolen and/or homemade illegal firearms, over two full years before they are legally required to do so.
While not a firearm enthusiast, Mr Stanway shares my lack of enthusiasm for firearm regulations which expand the ranks of armed criminals by millions overnight. The very definition of success in the context of firearm regulations would seem to include not an increase but instead a reduction in the number of armed criminals.
It's probably best not to take this one literally. For those residing on the other side of the pond and wishing to partake in the hunt, The 18th March is a good way to get your feet wet.
Judging by their figures, you'd only expect to find 1.7 million armed criminals (outnumbering police by 40:1) in this country within a month. The old adage of "don't believe everything you read" applies here. Contrary to the headline implication that the registration deadline is approaching rapidly, you are not legally required to register your 'ordinary' firearm until December 31 2002. And the article's optimistic assertion that half the firearms in Canada are registered is just plain silly. Here is what is happening: the government doesn't expect more than a handful of people to register, ever, and is purposely lowballing both the total number of firearm owners and the number of firearms in order to manufacture false 'compliance' figures with which to prop up their failing and unjust law. Think more along the lines of three or four million armed criminals and you'll be getting a clearer picture. Repeal and replace the unjust law.
The time for celebratory blank firing is once again upon us. Use a proper backstop and observe all local regulations. Of course, unless the law is swiftly altered, millions of firearm owners will be transmuted into armed criminals as the stroke of midnight summons in the dawn of a new year and the new millenium. So ymmv. If you don't feel like celebrating, consider it a protest. Keep the brass.
Um. A few points: 1) Responsible firearm owners have always accorded firearms with respect using the proper rules of firearm safety. 2) Anyone who did not obey Cooper's four rules of firearm safety was already a criminal under the old law. Similarly, we had a legal duty to handle and store them safely under the old laws. Handguns have been registered for almost a century. All of which begs the question, why did we spend half a billion dollars on an unpopular and unnecessary ineptly administered and downright confusing new law? 3) YOU aren't registered, and don't need to be unless someone can ram enough gunpowder down your orifices to propel a projectile which can cause serious bodily injury - you're licensed. Or not licensed, as you so choose. The firearm is registered. Or not registered, as you so choose anytime before (or after, in the case of deregistration) January 1 2003. Do you support laws which allow police to search your home and take "any thing" including the contents of your garage - all because your driver's license expired? Then why support a law which encourages this sanction for the dreadful crime of not renewing your firearms license? 4) Again, not all guns are firearms - and it often takes a lawyer and a firearm expert who has studied those particular firearms and regulations in order to tell the difference. 5) If you must give up your firearms (or guns) at least donate them to the NFA to fund the cause and repeal these harassing laws. 6) I wonder how many CFC ads you have to buy in the Toronto Star before an editorial is written to endorse your unpopular viewpoint. 7) With that said, I disagree with even more points of the editorial/propaganda - but I still say you should apply for a Possession AND ACQUISITION license before the end of this year. You can always burn it later if you choose. Besides, getting a possession and acquisition license allows you to manufacture a simple firearm (eg a muzzleloader or single-shot) from a rolled up Toronto Star that has been impregnated with fiberglass resin. Remember to register your homemade Toronto Star guns, kiddies.
But whether the Firearms Act is actively enforced or not, a simple 'anonymous' phone call may be all that is required to bring the authorities to your door looking for firearms owned without government permission slips - even if you don't own firearms. If you do own firearms, and don't plan to obtain a government permission slip, please ensure that they are properly stored away from ALL unauthorized users.
Even Globe and Mail readers oppose this law. It's time for Jean Chretien to quit flogging his dead horse Firearms Act and work with people who are familiar with firearms to construct an acceptable alternative.
Fur is phat in the Peg
I don't think it's just my imagination - Winnipeggers are wearing more fur. This resurgence seems to be attributable in roughly equal parts to fashion, a rediscovery of our fur trade heritage, a backlash against various anti-fur groups, and the bitter deep freeze temperatures in which we are now living. I bought my fur hat solely for warmth, but the little rabbit number has received at least one compliment every day for the past week. Yesterday, I was complimented while arriving at the office, after work in the elevator coming downstairs, and still a third time while purchasing cheese mix at the grocery store. I was then treated to the tale of the checkout girl's father's fur hat and her own furry garment wish list. There's just something about -56C (including windchill) that makes you look at those cute tasty warm little bunnies in a whole new light. :) See also: Fur care tips --FICA
To arrive at this figure, Annie's minions have apparently eliminated approximately 5 million firearm owners. Previous federal guesses and propaganda have included 3.3 million (from the spin doctors) 5 million (from Annie herself) and a figure which was lower than the current number of applicants. Oops.
Winter driving tips will save more lives than the Firearms Act ever could. I dedicate this link to the obviously troubled individual who suddenly and inexplicably braked his green minivan to a complete halt around 5 pm on the 12th in the icy center lane on the northbound curve coming off Confusion Corner in Winnipeg. Congratulations sir, with a less attentive driver behind you and a bit more exhaust fog you could have been a winner in the "sharply decelerate a 3/4 ton" contest.
OK, it's not specifically firearm related, but who can resist his books? Besides, I don't recall noticing any firearm related errors in his novels.
Any bets on whether the criminal in this incident re-registers their firearm before 2003 as required by the Firearms Act? The law also requires that individuals not rob armored cars, and that one not shoot at security guards, etc. The problem with criminal laws is that criminals - by definition - don't follow them. Thus, these laws are critically useless in preventing crime and should be used only to punish truly criminal behavior. The Firearms Act punishes not only behavior which most people traditionally think of as criminal, but also harshly punishes behaviors which many persons familiar with firearms think of as harmless, natural and intuitive. Incidentally, it's interesting that one of the best leads the police have in this case is not the firearm or vehicle registration (they likely aren't registered to the criminal) but the DNA evidence which was apparently obtained through the use of the security guard's firearm. Polo Park is located just a few blocks down the road from the Manitoba CFO's office.
...and the CBC has the audacity to run 'news' programs telling me that I need to be licensed and my guns need to be registered?! My firearms have killed fewer individuals (0) than have the CBC's own negligently stored transmission towers.
A must-see for those interested in verboten firearms. (English link in upper right hand corner)
10 pound triggers, minimum size requirements, taxes on their gross sales, antigun propaganda included with new guns, agreeing to press for further regulations, agreeing to undisclosed future regulations that aren't even law and where S&W doesn't even have to be a party at the table, ...etc. It just goes on and on until you mentally promise yourself you'll never buy a S&W again. Is Tompkins PLC purposely doing this to damage S&W so as to devalue it in the marketplace and offload it to a selected buyer at a bargain price?
CFC banner allegedly captured, released at gun show
I was innocently minding my own business at the Brandon gun show, when out of the blue a CFC agent of my acquaintance appeared and asked me if I had their 3'x8' sign. Certainly I did not - I choose not to associate myself with such tacky ornaments. The CFC rep went on to explain that when her and her cohorts arrived at the show (a full ten minutes prior to showtime, or at least so she claimed... ) the banner had gone walkabout. The security guards, she said, had noted the banner at the CFC booth not twenty minutes prior to her alleged arrival. It was puzzling to both her and to myself how a large CFC sign could mysteriously vanish from a well attended gun show without anyone seeing anything unusual. The quisling threatened that police might be contacted. Thinking this a capital idea, myself and a friend immediately reported to one of the many police in attendance that the CFC had lost their banner. The officer made what was really a very strong attempt to stifle his laughter and responded that he was at the show to shop. The sign was eventually located in a refuse bin and was returned to its taxpayer-funded custodians. No improper storage charges are expected. Just out of curiosity, how badly must one screw up in order to be demoted from performing real police duties to staff the CFC table at gun shows?
Yes, but can you hunt with it?
Latest CFC claim debunked
The latest in the long line of publicly funded broadcasts from the Liberal party er I mean the Government of Canada claims that "After January 1, is not a legal option to have a firearm without a license." True perhaps in legalese - but the real truth, when it comes to the firearms act, is never quite so simple. Fact: 'Firearms' the legal term appears to include items not normally thought of as 'firearms'. Since some airguns are considered 'firearms' under the Firearms Act, you may have already broken the law simply by continuing to own your lawfully acquired airgun. No, you didn't actually DO anything - you don't have to DO anything in order to become a criminal under the Firearms Act. How did this happen? Our government is now using special lightweight pellets to increase the velocity of airguns enough to bump many up to the 'firearm' velocity level. As a result, some formerly unregulated air pistols are now considered 'prohibited firearms' - the same classification accorded to machine guns. Unlike machine guns, most airgun owners were not required to register their airguns before this change - and now the owners of 'prohibited firearm' airguns (and shortly also the owners of most smaller sized airguns) CANNOT comply with the Firearms Act and register those airguns. For those who have regulated but so-called 'non-restricted' airguns, registration is not required until January 1 2003. Don't register until you are legally required to do so. Fact: Not all things that go bang when the trigger is pulled and discharge a projectile are considered 'firearms'. Thus, your antique firearm, or another type of object which you consider to be a firearm, may not be a 'firearm' at all (in the legal sense) and may not require any license or registration. Some non-firearms are firearms sometimes, but only under certain conditions. This 'not a firearm...most of the time' classification includes a varied assortment of firearms ranging from centuries-old to brand new, from matchlocks to semiautomatic handguns. Only a legal expert working in conjunction with a true firearms expert can tell you whether your guns are or will be legal or illegal, or on what date or in what conditions they might attain a different status. Only a court of law - in some cases, only the Supreme Court - can decide the legal status of a firearm. Perhaps the real message the Liberals have delivered through their laws (if not through their taxpayer-funded propaganda) is that uncertainty and confusion is written into the Firearms Act.
Chretien Liberals + $585 million of our money + a decade to implement the program = no apparent effect except that our money has vanished and now cannot be used for better programs that might actually display some results in exchange for our patience and our money.
The one pictured is probably prohibited due to its barrel length. On the other hand, a similar firearm which is not full auto and which has a regulation barrel length might be able to be legally manufactured and registered as a restricted firearm. (Restricted FPAL required, registration must be done in order to remain legal, ymmv, consult the authorities and record the call, standard disclaimers apply). Add in an electronic trigger with a keypad combination and you've got a 'smart gun' which apparently has a 'secure locking device' via its keypad actuated trigger system. Keep the cellphone innards intact and you can ring up a huge bill while talking to the CFC on and about your gun. :)
How does the Firearms Act apply to me if I apply for a POL before the end of the month?
The law says that all firearm (a term that gets more interesting every day - some bb guns are always firearms, some revolvers usually aren't) owners must continuously possess a license as of January 1 2001. Not possessing a valid license - even for a day - means that your property may be seized and criminal charges laid. If you apply for a POL - a possession ONLY license - you are not allowed to acquire any firearms, only to keep the ones that you have, and to purchase ammunition. The Firearms Act has draconian search provisions that basically revolve around 'I wanted to check out the guy's guns, so I knocked twice, suspected something was up, and kicked in the door'. Suspicion may be levelled at someone for something as trivial as applying for a POL before the deadline, but not receiving that POL before the deadline. Remember: No license on Jan 1 2001 = you're an armed criminal baddie committing an indictable criminal code offense, with apparently reduced rights against search, seizure, etc. It gets even more interesting - there is a 28 day 'waiting period', so any POL which you apply for today, apparently cannot be issued by the Jan 1 2001 deadline. Do yourself a favor and apply for a possession AND acquisition license, NOT a possession ONLY license. In short: Applying for a POL today might lead to different outcomes for different cases - but most of those outcomes lead to criminal charges and confiscation.
Step one - identify chambering: is that a 450 Adams, 450 Revolver, 476 Mk I, Mk II, or is it .455 Mk I, II, etc... or is it a 455 Colt-Eley, or um something ...different (eg 455 Mk IV converted to accept full moon clips or 45AR cases? 450 Adams with the cylinder rechambered to accept one of the longer cases?) Next, on your lathe (NOT a drill press and handheld dremel tool, unless you're willing to invest an hour per resulting imperfect case) turn down a 45 AR or 45 Colt rim (from the front please) to an almost infinitesimal thickness, size, cut and trim to length, prime (without damaging the paper thin rim) charge (lightly) and seat the (pretty rare actually) (usually)long point (variable but usually) heavy (usually) hollow base bullets... You're beginning to get the idea idea now. Some e8ght.com hints: 455 Webley MkII cases (.770") will fit most of these chamberings without further trimming or lathe work - most other chamberings are longer, while most shorter chamberings of these types are extremely difficult to find and should be easy to make through trimming the MkII cases. Inexpensive bulk bullets made for 45 Colt or 45ACP should shoot OK, provided they are of the correct size for your barrel (you did slug your barrel...?)and are approximately the same weight as the originals, and provided that your dies expand the case mouth adequately, and provided that your case walls are of the correct thickness (otherwise you might need to do some inside neck reaming). Your best bet is to ID the chambering by taking chamber measurements and slugging the bore, then contact one of the companies that specialize in new obsolete brass and give them your chamber and bore measurements and best chambering guesses. I'm sure there must be such companies in Canada, but I wasn't able to locate one. This is not inexpensive, but it is relatively quick and easy as opposed to making your own brass, or trying to find antique $100 boxes of near-nonexistent ammunition, or actually finding some of the Fiocchi loaded ammo in Canada (hah!) It's easier to find title deeds to land on Mars than it is to find new loaded ammo for these revolvers. Those considering antique handguns as shooters might wish to look for something in a 44 Russian, as brass for that chambering is much cheaper and can also be easily made by trimming .44 S&W Special or Magnum cases. Brass shipments under $100 (especially shipments for antique firearms) should be unimpeded while crossing the border - ymmv, but that's what the law said last month. Lee makes a 455 Webley die set which should work with most or all of these cartridges.
Why continue to enforce a failed firearm regulation scheme that is expensive, ineffective, and that even brings our legal system itself into disrepute? Repeal and replace an unjust law.
Skipping #1 is not a good idea...
It's a happy coincidence that the deceased apparently didn't own any pellet pistols, or his poor wife might still be languishing in prison.
"The biggest challenge is managing the logistics of multiple partners....Sometimes, this project is like a duck -- it appears to be gliding smoothly but actually we're paddling furiously underneath the surface," etc. A good laugh for all. Wendy an IS prof? Uhuh. Try 'communications' as in 'spin doctoring' not as in 'IP sniffer'.
