We have a new Board of Directors. As elected for 2010, the Board of Directors is as follows:

Does any of this sound familiar to you, and from our own community?

• Is it over yet? Did we win? What are we fighting? Why are we still fighting?
• I thought it was over in 2006! No one will come after my hunting rifle, I only shoot moose (etc.) with it!
• My race gun is safe, not like the Saturday night specials, I only practice combat at matches!
• I don't shoot anyone!
• Those damn handgun shooters and collectors cause all the problems! If they were banned, my shotgun would be left alone.
• Those "long range sniper rifles/handguns/black guns" cause us problems, ban them and we will be left alone!
• I don‚t own any semi-autos, only a Browning Auto 5, it shoots one shot at a time! They should ban all those semis that shoot so many bullets at the same time!
• Are they still after guns? I thought the Conservatives stopped this nonsense.
• When the Conservatives came in, they scrapped the gun laws, I tore up my license and registrations papers, why are they asking me to renew? I voted for them to get rid of this, anyways I sold my rifle to my friend last year so I don't have to do anything!
• The CBC announced this fall that Parliament scrapped the Registry! What's the big deal?
• No municipality will close my gun club with zoning changes, we were here first!
• These things only happen in large cities with drug problems and real criminals, not here, they won't touch my stuff
• I only own 3 guns, I am under the limit of what you can own so they won't touch me.
• I hid my guns so they can come and never find them.
• Why are we still in this mess?

We have all heard these and variations on such words too often to count. Each tragic shooting brings back all the old arguments and gets them started again. Why is this still happening?

The antis are relentless, look at how they fight scrapping the long gun registry or any reasonable changes to their original repressive and ineffective C-68. Look how they drag out all the old and incorrect "facts" to back up their emotional tirades, even if this has done nothing to prevent any crime. Look at how they managed to win their offensive against the very reasonable Bill C-301 provisions to streamline some very burdensome/ineffective rules.

The antis are united and well funded, we are neither. Results can't be expected when the scales are so out of balance.

Firearm owners are put through all sorts of tests and checks, courses, investigations, etc., to be able to obtain firearms to participate in our sport/lifestyle. Yet these laws have not prevented one single crime, nor will they.

History shows that every minority that succeeded in getting its rights recognized stopped bickering, became united and used its resources to take the battle to the arena of public opinion, not as their personal cause, but as a basic right of freedom of choice.

So, why are our rights always under attack? How did we go from being involved in a highly respected activity to where we are today? Why is firearm ownership considered a "questionable activity"? Why are firearm owners still considered by many as a potential danger to society, a supplier to the criminal element by merely owning firearms, or a potential killing spree waiting to happen? Why do many firearms owners fear the authorities more than they fear criminals?

Why are firearm owners still accepting this kind of treatment, or being labelled as undesirables, and this sport/lifestyle as potentially dangerous to society? Why are firearm owners not uniting to use their two million plus strong voice to let the lawmakers know what we want and how we want to be treated?

Because we are still hiding our involvement in firearms use from society, even from our friends and neighbours, when all other repressed minorities have come out and publicly proclaimed their particular cause to the general public. I know there is the fear if someone finds out we have firearms, we may be targets for criminals and maybe shunned by our neighbours.

Because our community has not pooled its resources and spoken out for basic rights. Because we continue to discriminate against each other's choice of firearms. Because we do not get involved in society as much as we should so that we are recognized as the same as any other Canadian with a sport/lifestyle preference.

Unless and until, we collectively get together, and put aside petty internal differences and move forward into mainstream society as one community, we will not be able to defeat the antis.

Time and the Internet have brought us much information and permitted the truth to be revealed. However the majority of Canadians are unaware of our situation, and many believe what they see on television and read in media publications. Many of these sources extol the virtues of more gun control aimed at legitimate firearm owners as the proper solution to the exceptional tragedies that befall our society brought on by criminals.

We are part of the solution, not part of the problem. But we do not sell ourselves as such, we still hide and say, let someone else do the work.

When we stop being afraid and come together, then we will have taken the major step needed to regain the respect we need to have society accept legitimate firearms ownership as it accepts any other lifestyle choice. Other minorities have done what was necessary to legitimize themselves, why can't we do the same? The path is there for us. Gun owners merely need the will to get informed and get together in support of whatever it takes to accomplish this goal.

If the firearms community does nothing, we will fall backwards and be prey to the next political move based on knee-jerk reaction to the next tragedy, the inevitable result of which will be complete loss of our rights, and our firearms.

Personally, I don't want to continue hearing those familiar words as listed in the beginning. I want to see firearms owners as respected members of society, as we were years ago, before we succumbed to the lies of those who would impose their will on us and their fellow Canadians.

Let's become more understanding of our fellow firearm owners, more accepting of each discipline in firearm ownership and use, more informed about what is going on, more active in promoting our lifestyle and more supportive of those who are on the front lines fighting for our rights and our continued ownership of all those firearms we as a community, wish to own and use without being told they are bad for us and Canada.

The firearms community must empower itself in order to move forward, and come together to speak in a united voice. We must say "This must stop, give us reasonable, effective laws aimed at the criminal misuse of firearms, not at the the legitimate users of firearms". Let us also demand understanding and acceptance of our sport and lifestyle, as with any other sport and lifestyle. The legislator does not have absolute power over our persons and property. The existence of these predates the existence of the legislator, and his function is only to guarantee their safety. This principle seems to have been turned around somehow.

If we fail in this most basic need, history will likely note that we were wrong and should have given up our lifestyle to help reduce crime, or worse, note that we were part of the problem. I prefer we be remembered as legitimate firearm owners who demanded and obtained equal rights, not privileges.

CSSA/CILA are at the forefront of this movement to retake our basic rights. With your support we will obtain reasonable and effective firearm laws aimed at those who commit criminal acts. Currently, less than 1% of firearm owners belong to an organization that supports and struggles for our rights. Imagine if 10% belonged, what an influence that would be! Please sign up some members and become part of team CSSA. Help us take back our pride and respect.

A united firearms community will be a winning community, guaranteed.