Bill C-391, An amendment to the Criminal Code (repeal of the long gun registry), passed a major hurdle in the legislative process earlier today when it was approved at Second Reading in the House of Commons.
For 14 years, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (O.F.A.H.) has been determinedly fighting to scrap the long gun registry through media campaigns, rallies, presentations and meetings with public officials and politicians, and most recently, a national online petition.
The bill, a simple and straightforward piece of legislation was introduced earlier this year by Candice Hoeppner, Conservation M.P. for Portage-Lisgar, Manitoba. Once passed, the bill will provide for the repeal of the ill fated and much maligned long gun registry, created by the former Liberal government as part of Bill C-68 in 1995. The requirement to take firearms safety training, obtain a license and practice safe storage and transportation of legal firearms will not be impacted upon by the legislation.
“This is an important moment for law-abiding firearms owners across Canada. Since 1995, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, our provincial and territorial affiliates, recreational shooting organizations, hunters and farmers have been calling on the government to abolish the long gun registry, a paper trail nightmare which has cost Canadian taxpayers almost $2 billion dollars, a far cry from the promised $2 million dollar price tag,” said O.F.A.H. Manager of Government Relations and Communications, Greg Farrant. “We appreciate the fact that several members of the New Democratic and Liberal opposition in Parliament recognized the importance of this issue to their constituents and voted their conscience. Over the last few years, every major public opinion poll has clearly indicated that Canadians believe that the system has failed the test and hasn’t enhanced public safety or saved lives.”
The vote was one step in a long process that has seen law-abiding firearms owners across Canada and almost 80,000 signatories on petitions earlier this year urging the government to end the long gun registry. Two major police associations, some police chiefs and many frontline police officers across Canada have also indicated that they support elimination of the long gun registry.
“There is still much work to be done before Bill C-391 is finally passed, however this speaks to one important aspect of the government’s larger commitment to scrap Bill C-68. Ms. Hoeppner has shown a great deal of perseverance and has fulfilled a commitment to her constituents. She deserves a great deal of credit for recognizing the problem and tackling the issue head on,” said O.F.A.H. Executive Director, Mike Reader. “The bottom line is that criminals don’t register firearms. Instead of creating a paper chase for the law-abiding, the system needs to be revamped to focus on law breakers who use illegal firearms, many of them smuggled into Canada from the U.S., to commit crimes in our communities.”
With over 100,000 members, subscribers and supporters, and 660 member clubs, the O.F.A.H. is the largest nonprofit, charitable, fishing, hunting and conservation-based organization in Ontario, and the voice of anglers and hunters. For more information, visit www.ofah.org.
Contact
Greg Farrant
Manager, Government Relations and Communications
705-748-6324 ext 236
705-875-0274 (cell)
Lezlie Goodwin
O.F.A.H. Communications Coordinator
705-748-6324 ext 270
*Press Release Used With Permission
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I believe OFAH has done absolutely nothing in its entire history to fight Canada’s gun laws except try to claim credit where credit is not due.
I well rememeber an OFAH convention in London when all media showed up because gun control was a big issue. I watched a bullet salesman ( who seemed to own them) and an alleged OFAH leader exchanging hand signals to keep Burt Bush, president of the Shooting Federation of Canada from asking any tough questions.
The next issue of their magazine which was then called Angler and Hunter didn’t even mention the gun laws. Their leader wrote a column about sawbill ducks. Sawbill ducks! I could hardly believe it. Sawbill ducks! The burnig issue was the new gun laws. There wasn’t a living human being south of the North Pole who had any interest in sawbill ducks.
I believe their tactic has been to just hide in the shadows, play it safe and wait to see how the cards fall.
The progress that has been made getting rid of the long gun registry has come about mostly because of work done by people living west of the Ontario/Manitoba line and in particular Alberta. I don’t think OFAH even showed up for the fight nor did Quebec or the maritimes.
The Alberta heart of the Conservative party and Garry Breutkreuz from Manitoba made it all happen.
There have been many people in Ontario who fought the gun laws hard and long for many years such as Dan Thomey, the late Burt Bush and others but I don’t think any of these risk takers ever had anything to do with OFAH.
I believe no organization has done less for gun owners than OFAH and I also think no organization has ever spent more time trying to claim credit for the work of others than OFAH.
How could they do anything? They dropped a $I million bucks on their bear hunt law suit just a month before the last federal election paying off a lawyer Gerry Leader told me (at the SCI convention) was doing alot of free work for them.
The lawyer’s father was a well known king pin in the federal Liberal party. Why did they hire this guy? Could they not see it coming? As a result they had empty pockets just prior to the last federal election and they could not have moved a muscle even if they wanted to. They were just trying to survive.
They have been very fortunate that generous people keep bailing them out when they step off the deep end. Everyone wants them to succeed but something is wrong and I don’t know what it is.
Maybe Canadian law is such that its too risky for them to take a stand on behalf of their members? Might have to do with the law and with mailing rates. I don’t know exactly what it is but whatever the problem is it is chronic and it has to be addressed.
The loss of the spring bear hunt showed that in Canada one rich billionaire can use his money to overcome 100,000 allegedly organized hunter/voters who claim to be fighting for hunters.
It showed that Conservative MPP Gerry Ouelette was unable to get all of his ducks in a row in the last provincial elections and that Mike Harris considered OFAH to have no political power at all.
In a real democracy those 100,000 votes ought to count for more than one man with a $ billion bucks. It shows either how sick the system in Canada really is or else it shows how impotent Ontario’s organized hunters really are?
One vote versus 100,000 and the 100,000 voters lose. Doesn’t add up does it!
The Americans and in Canada the Albertans fight. The Americans have been faced with meddling billionaire Liberals for years.
The NRA has had convicted billionaire felon George Soros and bilionaire New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to deal with for many decades. These men are both billionaires and the NRA kicks them around like impotent rag dolls.
If the truth be known most billionaires make their money laundering drug money for organized crime. They are often very evil and dirty people.
Mainstream media keeps telling us Bernie Madoff had a giant Ponzi scheme going and points out that he was swindling Jews like himself to show that he was an equal opportunity swindler.
This is probably just a cover up. Madoff’s friends control the eastern media. There is really a better than even chance that he was laundering money for the deciples of the late Myer Lansky and meekly accepted his conviction to keep his family alive.
The NRA has simply humiliated Bloomberg and other billionaires time after time. They have set a good example. The same thing must happen in Canada.
All hunters and shooters have to do is fight in the political arena and not leave the decision making up to the politicians. They are just there to feather their own beds.
As far as the opinion of mainstream media and the rantings of billionaires. Who cares. It does not matter what they say, how many baubles in the form of prizes they give each other or how rich they are.
Remember the celebrated Dan Rather. He was at the peak of his career in America mainstream media when he had the rug pulled out from under him.
The American boys remembered Rather’s hatchet job film “The Guns of Autumn” and they just lay in wait until they were able to nail his butt to the wall.
Candian hunters can do exactly the thing. The NRA has set the example. Its not a matter of having to come up with any new ideas. The American have shown the way with gun laws just like they did with Conservation by creating Ducks Unlimited in 1939 which Canadians finally copied about 40 years later.
The plan is in place. But you have to fight. You can’t hide in the shadows claiming credit for the work of others and think everything will tun out alright.
Great report ……thanks