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Dear Reader,
Thank God I live in Alberta. Alberta is the
one rebel province in confederation. I suppose much as Texas or Alabama could be
considered to be in the good ol' US of A. The Fed's in Ottawa about five years
ago began their diabolical drive to surreptitiously disarm Canadians en
masse.
This gradual disarming has not been officially
announced as an agenda by the goverment but, hey, who are we kidding here?
Certainly not ourselves. The law in effect at this point is a gun registration
requirement. This is for each and every gun. All gun owners must register their
guns no later than Jan 1, 2003.
Recently I saw on television a government payed for
commercial that was rather intimidating to gun owners basically inferring heavy
handed police tactics, large fines, jail time and a criminal record to those who
do not comply. We all know that those who do register their guns are really
registering for gun confiscation in the end. Does anyone seriously believe a
criminal will register his weapon prior to a bank robbery?
As good fortune has it Alberta has been against
Bill C-68 since its beginings. The one beautiful thing about our Canadian
constitution is the "notwithstanding clause". There is no 2nd amendment here.
Gun ownership is a priviledge. But the notwithstanding clause allows my province
and other provinces, to tell the Fed's to screw off and the law in this province
will not stand. Period. My province has rattled that sabre before to the
Fed's. In the news article that follows, it looks like soon it might be coming
to a head.
It's not often you see the police sticking up for
the gun rights of law abiding citizens.
God bless Alberta, :o)
Mike Smith
Friday 1 September
2000
Police pull gun law support Alberta officers say Ottawa broke promises
Rank and file police officers in Calgary and Edmonton will withdraw their backing of Ottawa's gun control registry today -- a move they hope will spark opposition to the controversial law from departments across Canada. "Alberta is putting a resolution forward that is to withdraw support for Bill C-68," said Calgary Police Association president Al Koenig. "The Alberta federation feels that the gun legislation promises made by the federal government have not been kept." The provincial association will vote against the controversial registration at the Canadian Police Association's annual meeting being held in Halifax until Saturday. If a majority of provinces vote against the legislation, the Canadian association, which represents front-line officers across the country, will withdraw its support. "The gun registry as it sits right now is causing law abiding citizens to register their guns but it does nothing to take one illegal gun off the street or to increase any type of penalty for anybody that violates any part of the legislation," said Koenig. But supporters of the legislation -- which requires firearms owners to obtain licences by Jan. 1, 2003 -- say if the association pulls its support it will surely send a message to criminals that law enforcement in Canada doesn't care about gun activity. "Gun registration will provide vital safety information to police officers and be a very valuable tool in detecting stolen or smuggled firearms and prosecuting related crimes," said Emile Therien, president of the Canadian Safety Council. "We're talking public safety here." Therien is confused that the association would reconsider its gun control position after five years of support for the legislation. This isn't the first time a provincial association has challenged the legislation at a national meeting. Last year in Regina, delegates from Saskatchewan called on the federal group to withdraw its support for the gun registry, The Firearms Act, passed in 1995, requires gun owners to obtain licences by the end of this year and register each firearm by the beginning of 2003. The Quebec delegation has already stepped forward and declared its support for the registration. On Thursday, the group reaffirmed it would be voting for the legislation and feels it is an important aspect of firearms control. "Registration of firearms and licensing of their owners are essential for the protection of both public and police officers against unfortunate accidents, domestic violence and other tragedies," said Quebec's police association president Yves Prud'Homme. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police is in full support of gun registration and supports the registry fully, said Calgary police deputy Chief Rick Hanson. But Koenig said there are just too many bogus issues in the current legislation for the association to support it any longer. "When we find that nothing is being done as far as protecting citizens and protecting officers then the focus of this legislation is going the wrong way," he said. "The focus should be for stricter penalties for criminals, not targeted against average Canadians without criminal records, that will become criminals if they don't register their weapons by January 1, 2003." Koenig said he is unsure how the other provincial associations will vote, although he knows Alberta is not alone in its concerns. "It will probably be a very close vote, but I don't think it'll be a landslide either way," said Koenig. "I think a lot of the people who were supporters in the past are now considering withdrawing their support." |
