July - August 2013 CANADIANW FIREARMS JOURNAL Fully Committed On All Fronts: CANADA’s NATIONAL FIREARMS ASSOCIATION Presentation Of the NFA’s 2013 Meritorious Service Awards In recognition of his dedicated service as a NFA volunteer field officer, Mr. Gary Ramsay is presented with a Life Membership. Sheldon Clare presents NFA Executive Vice-President, Shawn Long-serving NFA exec, Henry Atkinson, accepts the David A. Bevins, with the Ted Simmermon Memorial Award. Tomlinson Award in recognition of his many decades of loyal service. Sheldon Clare presents the Des Keddie Memorial Award, Sheldon Clare presents the Des Keddie Memorial Award, which which recognizes “Rights in Reporting,” to Sun News recognizes “Rights in Reporting,” to Andrew Craig and Canadian journalist Brian Lilley. Reload Radio team. 2 July - August www.nfa.ca Inside This Issue REGULARS From the Editor’s Desk ...................................................4 Sean G. Penney From The NFA Bookshelf............................................... 5 Gun Digest Book of the REMINGTON 870 Wm. R. Rantz President’s Message .................................................... 6-7 Canada’s Gun Politics: Building a New Paradigm. On The Cover Sheldon Clare Vice President’s Column ............................................... 8-9 Solving the Political Stagnation Conundrum. Blair Hagen Kids are the future of our shooting sports. However, each of us need to ask ourselves what sort of legacy will be left for them to Letters to the Editor ................................................ 10-11 inherit if we allow the RCMP, and their allies within Ottawa’s Preserving Our Firearms Heritage 12-15 gun control bureaucracy, to continue to wage their undeclared ....................... Gary K. Kangas war upon legitimate firearms ownership? Politics and Guns ...................................................... 16-20 Pictured on this issue’s cover is Canadian Firearms Journal co- Killing the Registry: Gun Owners Become Collateral Damage? editor Grayson Penney, with grandson Caleb. Sean G. Penney While already an ardent outdoorsman, skilled marksman, Team NFA Update ..........................................................21 hunter, and trapper-in-training, - I fear for Caleb’s future. When Grayson Penney he comes of age, I wonder if he will still enjoy the same gun rights that we do now. Legal Corner .............................................................. 22-25 Bullpups in Canada At the moment, it is the semi-automatic “black” gun types Sean G. Penney who are in the crosshairs, but you can bet the gun-grabbers The International Front 36-38 will never content themselves with banning just the “ugly” .......................................... The UN General Assembly Approves the ATT or “scary” guns. We must stand together to ensure that young Gary Mauser Caleb, and all the other “Calebs” across our great country, will inherit a future where our gun rights are both protected and The Western Lawmen:............................................ 40-45 preserved. Harry Morse: Manhunter Part I Jesse “Wolf” Hardin Canada’s National Firearms Association cannot do this alone. We need your support. If you haven’t already done so, please consider becoming a card-carrying member of Canada’s official FEATURES “gun lobby” today, renew your membership early, or perhaps 2013 Meritorious Service Awards ................................2 pick-up a gift membership for someone special. NFA Directors By the way, if you’re wondering, Caleb’s absolute favourite SHOT Show: Part III - Hunting Guns.................... 26-30 guns are currently manufactured by Nerf® & Daisy®. ☺ Al Voth Report From AGM 2013 .......................................... 34-35 Jeff Helsdon Les raisons d’être de l’opposition à un registre québécois des armes d’épaule ............................. 46-47 Mission Statement Guy Lavergne Canada’s National Firearms Association exists to promote, support and protect all safe firearms activities, including the right of self defence; firearms education for all Canadians; freedom and justice for Canada’s firearms community, and to advocate for legislative change to ensure the right of all Canadians to own and use firearms is protected. The contents of the Canadian Firearms Journal are copyrighted and may be reproduced only when written permission is obtained from the publisher. www.nfa.ca July - August 3 From The Editor’s Desk My folks always taught me that part of followed up with long-time CFJ contributor As an ethical hunter and sportsman I never being a responsible adult is accepting Oleg Volk to get more background on the harvest an animal that I cannot personally responsibility for your mistakes and taking image he shot. It was my hope that he could use or one whose death does not serve a action to correct them. And that is the better help me to put it into a fuller context. useful conservation purpose, such as in the position I find myself in today as I take pen According to Oleg, the photograph was control of varmints. While we may lack the in hand to write this mea culpa. actually taken in Tennessee several years gophers and prairie dogs that are the scourge Although Canadian Firearms Journal ago during a photo shoot for S.W.A.T. of mainland farmers, Newfoundland has its is published by a dedicated group of Magazine. The young man was actually the own predator control issues thanks to our volunteers, at times circumstances dictate son of the property owner on whose land the exploding coyote problem. As such, I am that we must avail ourselves of the services photo shoot was taking place. The shotgun happy to remove such pests where and when of professionals. These services often pictured was unloaded and completely I can. Even so, I always make it a point to include sourcing appropriate photographs safe at the time of the photo and the object retain the fur and other body parts where I that enable us to better tell a story or make a sticking out of the end of the muzzle was may, so as to ensure the entire animal is used point. In order to publish such photographs a bird call. Certainly not an ideal place to in as constructive a manner as possible. we have to purchase the right to do so from lodge such an item, however temporarily, but Obviously, circumstances depicted in the the copyright holder. I was assured it was removed immediately offending photograph are a little different. thereafter and there were no questions or In this case, even the fattest blue jay Unfortunately, I goofed when putting safety issues related to said firearm. together my “Last Word” column in our most would make for a very poor meal. I cannot recent May/June issue. While several of the Whether or not the jay was harvested legally conceive of ever viewing it as a legitimate photos were taken by myself and pictured remains undetermined, as certain U.S. game bird as such; no matter even if the my own family, there were others that were jurisdictions actually allow the shooting of appropriate regulatory body ever opted to supplied by a professional contributor. It wildlife considered to be pests under some establish an open hunting season. And while was only after some readers brought it to my circumstances; primarily if the wildlife in annoying, especially to backyard bird- attention that I realized that the image of the question poses a threat to crops or livestock. feeder hobbyists, it is debatable whether or young man pictured with a semi-automatic However, a special permit is often required, not the blue jay can be properly quantified shotgun was actually holding a blue jay; a even in the case of affected landowners. as a de facto “pest” species. protected species in Canada. In the rush to Here in Canada, most Canadian Firearms As such, I cannot condone the killing of any get the issue out, I hadn’t paid that much Journal readers who contacted us over the blue jay. That the jay depicted in the photo attention to the bird, believing it to be a legal photo were under the assumption that blue published with my story was harvested in game bird of undetermined species; perhaps jays were a federally protected species. a different country is of little consequence. a dove... boy was I wrong! A little additional investigation by staff Therefore, I must offer my abject apologies After several readers raised concerns over revealed that jays are not actually one of for having published the offending photo. It the photo I went back and more closely the families of birds included under Article was a mistake that should not have happened examined it and recognized that, indeed, I of the federal Migratory Birds Convention and I will do everything in my power to it was a blue jay. Obviously, neither the Act, 1994. (Check out Article I for yourself ensure that there is no repeat. I would like Canadian Firearms Journal, nor Canada’s here: https://www.ec.gc.ca/nature/default. to thank those who wrote and provided National Firearms Association, encourages asp?lang=En&n=496E2702-1#_004 ). constructive criticism on this matter. Taking or endorses the illegal harvesting of a As it happens, the blue jay belongs to the the time to do so was quite heartening and protected species; nor do I, as a life-long Corvidae family, which also includes crows proves to me that you share my deep-felt responsible hunter. Howsoever, as Editor- and ravens. For the most part, the hunting of affection for our little magazine. Until next in-chief, the buck stops with me and I take these species is regulated at the provincial time... full responsibility for the mistake. The photo level. should never have been published. While it is legal to hunt crows in some After giving the matter some thought and Canadian jurisdictions, I am unaware of any more than a little upset over my faux pas, I that legally permit the harvesting of jays. 4 July - August www.nfa.ca NFA Book Shelf by Wm.