Backs to the wall: how close are Canadians to losing their gun rights?[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ONE OF THE GREATEST LESSONS that hunting teaches those who pursue it is the concept of putting back. Many waterfowlers feel that if they take birds from the sky, it is incumbent upon them to put something back. This ethic has spawned the great conservation era that was so well articulated by Leopold and Roosevelt, which formed the foundation for the North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. Model of Wildlife Conservation. This sense of responsibility toward the game defined a new role for humans in nature--one based on restoration and creativity--rather than destruction and dominance. It is a role in which hunters continue to lead, with the restoration of many game and non-game species, such as wood ducks, giant Canada geese and trumpeter swans, and with the billions of dollars hunters have contributed over the past century to habitat creation and restoration. While the ethic of putting back is essential to the continued use and enjoyment of wildlife, it is also time to include our hunting heritage as something we must nurture and sustain, if we wish to continue to hunt in our increasingly urbanized world. Our social license to hunt has come under direct attack from anti-hunters, animal rights ideologues and just plain intolerant folks who don't like the sound of a gun on Sunday morning Sunday Morning may refer to:
American hunters beware--if you want to turn the page now because you think all the bad news for shooters is reserved only for those with no constitutional right to keep and bear arms, then I would suggest you dig a little deeper. Sitting on your hands in the shadow of the Second Amendment while the world "evolves socially beyond the individual's need to own weapons" may not be enough to keep your sporting firearms ha the back closet. The world has always been a competitive place for social and political ideologies--ideas that know no borders. This doesn't only apply to the overt struggles between nations, but to the growth and retention of ideas by society. We live in an interconnected, fast-paced world. People don't wait for ideas to naturally take hold when cast on fertile ground. Social advocates move ideas forward with the weight of conviction, and a belief ha their merits. And that is the kind of organized, real-time social and political advocacy the hunter faces, ha our simple desire to own and use firearms. Recent political events in Canada and the United States The United States and Canada share a unique legal relationship. U.S. law looks northward with a mixture of optimism and cooperation, viewing Canada as an integral part of U.S. economic and environmental policy. have fast-tracked opportunities for social ideologues to further inhibit the availability of firearms and ammunition to hunters. At this writing, the Democrats have taken over the reins of government in the US and a coalition of Liberals, New Democrats In Canada, "New Democrat" means a member of the New Democratic Party. In U.S. politics, the New Democrats are an organized faction within the Democratic Party that emerged in the 1980s and came to prominence after the 1988 presidential election. and Bloc Quebecois has been proposed in Canada. The Canadian coalition is pro-gun abolition and control. If they seize power, the ineffective and inefficient federal long gun registry will remain in the least, but individuals will likely lose the ability to own all semi-automatic firearms, including your cherished semi-automatic duck gun and probably many kinds of hunting rifles. The finks between democrats, liberals and other left-of-centre political parties in the US and Canada are strong, as they are between political groups across the border on the right. Expect cooperation and coordination between the two countries to grow on issues of gun control, if the current Conservative government loses office in Canada. These threats were discussed recently in a teleconference meeting of the Outdoor Network, a coalition of the major hunting, fishing, trapping and shooting sports organizations established and coordinated by Delta Waterfowl waterfowl, common term for members of the order Anseriformes, wild, aquatic, typically freshwater birds including ducks, geese, and screamers. In Great Britain the term is also used to designate species kept for ornamental purposes on private lakes or ponds, while in in Canada. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Tony Bernardo of the Canadian Institute for Legislative Action mid Larry Whitmore of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association, the new US administration has moved quickly to suspend the export of several types of arms and ammunition. Bernardo says that the suspension is supposed to be aimed at military arms and ammo, but the fist includes several popular sporting loads, such as the .308, .223 mad "sniper rifles Sniper rifles: Regular 'sniper' rifles. Including scoped variants of regular weapons, dedicated designs, dedicated marksman variants, etc..
The export ban is not good news for hunters, as it already seems the supply and variety of basic ammunition, such as 12 gauge shotgun shells is becoming more limited over the past few years in Canada. Retailers talk about the difficulty of receiving their fall shipments of ammunition. By mid-season, supplies of the more popular waterfowling loads have dried-up across the country. I have a strong hunch this new export ban is going to make it even more difficult to obtain good quality ammunition for shotguns and rifles alike next fall. To make matters worse, the United Nations Protocol on Firearms Marking is set to take effect less than one year from now ill Canada. This protocol requires each firearm to be marked with the country of import and year of import. This information must be engraved to government specifications into the receiver of the firearm, a simple-sounding task but in reality, not one easily performed by either the original manufacturers of firearms, nor their Canadian distributors. The firearms market is so small in Canada, it isn't worth doing the marking from a business perspective. On top of that, there is no demonstrable need for the marking system, as firearms can already be traced to place of origin by other means. The Outdoor Network along with individual participant groups, firearms industry advocates and many concerned hunters and shooters campaigned hard to get a delay in implementation of the marking system. The Conservative government was supposed to set up a committee to look at ways to overcome the difficulties poised by the marking scheme to firearms manufacturers, distributors and retailers in Canada, but with barely one year left to the deadline, no committee has been struck. But firearms issues for Canadian hunters don't start or stop at the border. The long-disdained, billion-dollar Liberal boondoggle boon·dog·gle Informal n. 1. An unnecessary or wasteful project or activity. 2. a. A braided leather cord worn as a decoration especially by Boy Scouts. b. called the firearms registry remains alive mid well. The registry is constantly being propped up by police forces receiving federal funding, gun control advocates and politicians like David Miller, Mayor of Toronto, who would rather address the symptoms of crime than their causes. However, during the recent Outdoor Network teleconference, Bernardo suggests that there is yet another threat lurking for hunters and firearms owners, behind the gun registry. The "Controlled Goods Directorate" (CGD CGD Chronic granulomatous disease, see there ) in the Department of Public Works and Government Services Canada Public Works and Government Services Canada, also referred to as Department of Public Works and Government Services, is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for the government's internal servicing and administration. was established among other things to control the export and proliferation of conventional military arms and ammunition. According to Bernardo, the CGD does not control sporting arms because that task is now performed under the Firearms Act. However, should the gun registry be removed as promised by the Conservative government, we may expect the case to be made by CGD bureaucrats to have their organization assume this gun control function nationally. Although this may not happen under a Conservative government, it could be used in the future by a new Liberal government or a coalition of left-leaning parties to replace and enhance the most stringent aspects of gun control. Outdoor Network participants, including the largest constituencies of hunters, such as the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) was established in 1928, and is Canada's leading conservation organization, as well as a non-profit registered charity. The Federation lobbies for the protection of wildlife and Canadian outdoor traditions. , the BC Wildlife Federation, other provincial wildlife federations, shooting sports and industry groups, and groups such as the Ruffed Grouse ruffed grouse: see grouse. ruffed grouse North American species (Bonasa umbellus) of grouse, sometimes incorrectly called a partridge. Ruffed grouse live mainly on berries, fruits, seeds, and buds but also eat much animal food. Society and others are actively engaged with the network and their provincial and regional organizations to address these issues. Meetings are targeted to encourage the Conservatives to remain strong in defending Canada's gun owners, and to strike a committee shortly to resolve the potential issues facing the firearms and ammunition industry under the UN Firearms Marking Protocol. Network groups will also be petitioning the new Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff, to meet with him and express our growing concerns with firearms issues and hunting heritage in Canada. Outdoor Network groups including Delta Waterfowl and others will be seeking meetings with Members of Parliament in all parties, particularly those who are known hunters or shooters, to advise them about our concerns, mid gain their support for our shooting and hunting heritage. Individual waterfowl and other hunters and shooters are key to the success of the hunting and shooting sports organizations on firearms issues. It is your contact with your Member of Parliament through phone calls mad letters to express your deep concern about these firearms issues that will make the difference. The Outdoor Network will be working with individual provincial, regional and national groups to develop messages that can be used by hunters and shooters to contact their Members of Parliament and register concern about firearms and ammunition issues. In the sidebar above is a list of current Outdoor Network participants working on firearms issues. A number of these groups have information on their websites on what you can do to defend your privileges to own and use sporting firearms and ammunition in Canada. Please check them out, and join up today, because they are all working to secure the future of hunting and shooting for you in Canada. Outdoor Network Participants Alberta Fish and Game Association BC Wildlife Federation BCWF BCWF British Columbia Wildlife Federation (Canada) Political Action Alliance Canadian Institute for Legislative Action Canadian Shooting Sports Association Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association Delta Waterfowl Foundation Delta Waterfowl Foundation is a non-profit organization operating in both Canada and the United States who’s mission is to provide knowledge, leaders and science-based solutions that efficiently conserve waterfowl and secure the future for waterfowl hunting. Federation Quebecoise des Chasseurs et Pecheurs Friends of Fur Hunting for Tomorrow Foundation Manitoba Wildlife Federation National Wild Turkey Federation New Brunswick Wildlife Federation Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador, province, Canada Newfoundland and Labrador (ny  `fənlənd, ny Wildlife Federation
Nova Scotia Federation of Anglers and Hunters Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island, province (2001 pop. 135,294), 2,184 sq mi (5,657 sq km), E Canada, off N.B. and N.S. Geography One of the Maritime Provinces, Prince Edward Island lies in the Gulf of St. Trappers Association Prince Edward Island Wildlife Federation Ruffed Grouse Society Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation |
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