CSSA: Toronto's Project Safe City - A Witch Hunt for Paperwork Infractions

ALERT and UPDATE

2009/09/22

Toronto's Project Safe City - A Witch Hunt for Paperwork Infractions

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair has begun a crusade against legal firearms in Toronto. His much touted 'Project Safe City' is nothing more than a witch-hunt targeting lawful firearms owners, seizing their private property without compensation, and describing them as 'criminals.' Their crime? Allowing their Firearms Licenses to expire.

According to the RCMP, over 200,000 law-abiding Canadians, for one reason or another, have not renewed their firearms licenses, thereby violating the Firearms Act and are now victims due to a flawed administrative process. The Canadian Firearms Centre (CFC), in many cases, failed to notify them that their 5 year license was about to expire. In many instances, the firearms owners renewed their licenses only to have their paperwork 'disappear' in a bureaucratic maze.

The private property seized under this ruse was not 'on the streets' as claimed by the Toronto Police, but were in the possession of their owners and safely locked up, as per regulations. This ridiculous situation exists due to the incompetence of the Canadian Firearms Centre to ensure license holders are contacted. This is precisely why the Canadian Shooting Sports Association has been lobbying for years for life-time licenses as was included in the failed Bill C-301.

Chief Blair's project also begs the question - is this really the appropriate use of scarce police resources? These firearms owners are not and never have been a threat to public safety and neither are the firearms they possess. The public are being mislead by claims that these seizures of hundreds of thousands of dollars of private property would make Toronto safer. It simply is not true.

We urge all firearms owners immediately to check the dates on their firearms licenses and, if they are due to expire within the next 9 months, to begin the renewal process. If the license has expired, immediately transfer the firearms (no fee) to any friend or relative that is presently licensed (call the CFC at 1-800-731-4000 to begin the process), then re-apply for the license. Do it now! It is never too late. Else they will also become victims of overzealous police enforcement across the country.

We also call on the Canadian Firearms Center, the RCMP and the Federal Government immediately to take measures to rectify this situation and halt this unprecedented violation of our rights.

Your Security Violated

To all CSSA members and friends

We have recently had our personal security violated at the hands of the Canada Firearms Centre. As you know, they sent many firearms owner's names and contact information to EKOS Research to conduct an intrusive poll disguised as a "Customer Satisfaction Survey."

This terrible affront has made it even more imperative to kill the Registry. Candice Hoeppner's Bill C-391 is scheduled for Second Reading on Monday, Septermber 28th. The EKOS Poll allows us to cast a shadow over the Opposition's arguments to retain the Long Gun Registry by keeping this issue at the forefront of Parliament's attention until then. It allows friendly MPs to cite the toxic security issue of placing our names on easily compromised lists and in turn, endangering the safety of all Canadians.

As if by fortune, Parliament is in recess this week and most MPs are in their ridings, a place where it is easy for you to convey your feelings to them.

It is urgent that you assist the passage of Bill C-391 by calling, writing or visiting your MP, regardless of their Party affiliation (http://www.parl.gc.ca/), and telling them how this callous, insensitive compromising of you, and your family's security, has affected your constitutional right to "Security of the Person." Demand (nicely) that your MP live up to the promise made in our Constitution, vote to scrap the Long Gun Registry and fulfill this promise to Canadians.

In advance, thank you for your help. Together, we can ensure our privacy and safety and deliver the final blow needed to kill the Long Gun Registry forever.

Tony Bernardo
Executive Director
CILA

Prohibited Handgun - 12(6) Court Appeal Update

Last Thursday, September 17, the CSSA was in Ontario Superior Court appealing the CFC and CFO refusal to honour the grandfathering provisions of Bill C10A. Unfortunately, we were not successful in convincing the courts to overrule the interpretation of the CFC and the decision at the Superior Court level was against us.

Those who were part of the action now have to rid themselves of the offending firearm(s), and you have only 60 days to do so. The options are:

transfer the firearm to a person who is grandfathered

turn in the firearm to the police for destruction

de-activate in accordance with the most recent regulation

since it is only the barrel that is the prohibited device (except for .25 and .32 calibres), you could hand in the barrel and re-register the handgun as "frame only."

have the gun re-barreled by a gunsmith. Unfortunately, that would require an ATT to transport the gun. The CFO is looking into whether they can issue an ATT for an un-registered, prohibited handgun. As of this writing, we have not received an answer. If you are considering modifying the handgun to change the class, please contact us and we will find a way to do it.

If you have no option other than handing in the handgun to the police for destruction, we have a suggestion for you. As a service to you, we can make arrangements to transfer the gun to a grandfathered individual then set up a special auction to sell them. You will be sent the net proceeds of the auction or you can donate all or part of the proceeds to the CSSA legal fund, your choice.

If you wish to take advantage of this offer, please contact me immediately so we can make the arrangements before the 60 day deadline.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or need any further information.