An Epic Fail, Our Firearms Control Program

We will soon see the first step in dismantling of the Long Gun Registry. I among others are working towards the end of the firearms control program.

Bill C-68 which became our firearms control program was created out of hype and hysteria; furthermore it was an overt act of fraud when it was put through Parliament to ensure passage. It divided the Country along geographic and urban/rural lines. In short everyone took leave of their senses.

The net end result of the Firearms Control program; it is a criminal offence in Canada to possess a firearm bottom line; regardless whether you have owned them for years. Like all criminal offences in Canada the statute must provide a defence to the charge; it does so in the form of a licence; you must have a licence to possess firearms in Canada lest you face the full force of the statute. What is not commonly known though is that this defence provided must be available to the accused. Which presents an interesting proposition.

Say that I was a career criminal with a lengthy criminal record including assault. I am found in possession of a firearm; I would be undoubtedly be charged under section 91 and 92 of the criminal code of Canada. This would be the bare minimum the Crown usually uses a scatter gun approach to prosecution(pardon the pun) lay as many charges as possible in hopes of intimidating the accused into a plea bargain. Be that as it may however the main charge could be beaten and the net end result would be that section 91 and 92 become of no force or effect because they are unconstitutional (R. v. Morgentaler) provided that there was not a pre-existing court ordered prohibition for possession. I would wager that any charge where an authorization of some form that is dependant upon having a valid licence would be considered null and void. I believe it will be only a matter of time before a sharp ambitious criminal lawyer hits upon this and defends one of these thugs with this defence and wins.

I say thug only because no legitimate firearms owner would ever get a fair trial in Canada. This is why I haven't challenged the Criminal Code on this basis; though hypothetically I could obtain a black market prohibited firearm either handgun or other type of prohibited firearm like a sub machine gun and invite the authorities to arrest me. Not having the magic grandfathered status to have a licence for such I could not possibly ever have a valid licence for them; since the defence is a licence that I could not obtain the defence is "illusionary" the statute is invalid. Though I would not risk such a venture solely because the "good guys" don't play by the rules of fair play. I would find myself defending 50 charges stemming from the single offence. Given my activist activities on the internet this too would be used against me. This isn't paranoia I have been witness to such activities by our "good guys" I have also studied the case law over the past 4 years it never ends well for the challenger.

All this notwithstanding I put to you a question and an appeal to logic and reason. The cost of implementing the firearms control program has cost in excess of 2 billion dollars the true costs of the program will never be known because the Chretien Government made them Cabinet secrets; further more the cost of operating the program runs in the neighbourhood of 130 million dollars per year. It has stripped all firearms owners of their constitutional rights and safeguards simply because they complied with the program; whereas your average street thug has all his intact simply because he did not comply with the firearms program and is free to obtain whatever firearm their heart desires completely illegally and authorities would have to obtain a search warrant even to find their firearms. They can't get a search warrant for known drug houses why would they be able to get one for this? 2 million firearms owners out of 7 million complied; 7 million out of 21 million firearms were registered; this does not include criminals because criminals are not troubled by such things as obeying the Criminal Code.

So I put it to: The firearms act was intended to end all gun violence it has not. People still get shot whether the firearm is registered or the shooter has a licence or not. DEAD is DEAD this is one statistic that no one can argue with. The firearms Control Program has failed to end this; it has failed to save "one life" Therefore is it not time to scrap it and start from scratch?
Is it not time to really look at the real problems like organized gangs, rather than ordinary citizens who own firearms? Is it not time to put our tax dollars into effective community programs to eliminate criminality, rather than chasing honest people for paper crimes?

The Demise of the Firearms Registry

At long last the bill to kill the long gun registry will soon be law. HIP HIP Huzzah.
It's only worth one cheer! The draconian Firearms Control Program will still be in full operation the day after C-19 becomes statutory. It will still be a criminal offence for ordinary Canadians to have lawful firearms without a licence. I would like at this time to assure all advocates of gun control that WE'RE NOT DONE YET!! We will not rest until this bad statute is finished, and become a memory.

As predicted by "we" "paranoid" "gun nuts" right on cue the Coalition For Gun Control have started their campaign of fear; they have started planting the idea that with the loss of the long gun registry it will mean "high powered" "deadly accurate up to a KM" sniper rifles will be de-registered.

Among the firearms community there is a divide those of us who figured out that if you can ban one type of firearm you can ban any type of firearm, and those who think that their firearm is safe just because they are hunters and none of their guns are a problem. We call these firearms owners "Fudds" after the Warner Brothers character Elmer Fudd. To say the least it is a very derogatory term. The Fudds have long held that their firearms are not the problem that they only hunt with them so on so forth; we have been telling the Fudds "yes you're right they won't come after your deer rifle, but they will come after your high powered sniper rifle". Well as if we had been watching a "future TV" it happens CCGC releases the fear campaign "High Powered Sniper Rifles Will Be De-registered." For the non firearms owner I will explain; any hunting rifle with a scope can be called a sniper rifle. Firearms manufacturers have spent thousands if not millions of dollars in research to develop hunting rifles that are more and more accurate for hunters, police and military. What is not commonly know by someone who has never shot a firearm is that the rifle is only one part of the equation; it might be of the perfect design and precision it still requires hundreds of hours and thousands of rounds of ammunition to become a consistent marksmen. It requires carefully controlled breathing an understanding of ballistic trajectory and the effects of wind to hit a target even at a hundred yards. No one can pick up a rifle and become an instant Hawkeye; even with the high tech rifles of today.

To put it succinctly it is pure Coalition for gun control propaganda.

Legal System 1 Rights 0

Lets be perfectly clear. We do not have a justice system, we have a legal system. That said, under such a system truth, rights, the long established common law mean nothing. The only ones safe from such a system are the common criminals themselves. Which is apparent with our current catch and release method of dealing with violent people. A ten year sentence for manslaughter can be served in less than 3 years with double and triple credit for time served awaiting trial and sentence.

This February past seen another shining example of how the cards are stacked in the favour of the powers that be and the common man it left with nothing. According to 3 of the wise of the Ontario Court of Appeal your rights mean nothing and the rights of the Parliament of Canada are supreme. They agree that we have the right to defend ourselves no question, however Parliament has the right to say with what.

If you are a peaceful Law abiding citizen you cannot simply arm yourself with a firearm and defend yourself, your family, or your property, noooooo. The firearms act specifically has made the regulation that self protection (which is a right) is not sufficient reason to be given a firearms acquisition licence nor a authorization to convey (ATC). So the only reasons that are acceptable are two hobbies (which are not rights).

I know that there are people going to read this and think so what! I don't have firearms and never will, people don't need guns. That's fine and they are free to think so. Like abortion if you don't agree with them don't get one. However I must point out that peaceful law abiding people are never the problem when it comes to firearms. It is the unlawfully obtained ones in the hands of criminals that is the problem. However the firearms act does nothing about these folk. Again the common criminal is safe from the law. If some street punk is willing to shoot someone do you really think they care if they get another 5 year sentence running concurrently with the sentence for their main offence is bothered?

If life were solely based on need our homes would be awfully empty. So I will be quite rude and dismiss that reasoning now. Why do you have a fire extinguisher then, plan on having a fire? Oh right just in case...so much for the "need" argument.

Bruce Montague from Rigby Ontario took on the firearms act and thus far he has discovered that the powers that be don't care. That the justices are little more than rubber stamps for the legislation that our Parliaments proclaim to have the force of law.

Needless to say I will be there this struggle isn't over yet. It is one that will be never over. Though my cynical side says forget it the game is rigged and we little people haven't a chance playing this game. It will be waiting for the other shoe to drop, while my idealist side still is holding out hope that this draconian piece of legislation will fall. That would go a long way in restoring some faith in that we just might still have a bit of a Justice system left.