Week in Review - 23 Jun 2023 Archive

The CCFR Week in Review

CCFR Radio – Ep 145: Another Mega Episode! Is Mendicino done? Bill C-21, the CCFR was right!

For the latest information on what's been happening at the CCFR, check out our most recent Podcast with host Rod Giltaca.

In this episode: C-21 update, Libs order senate to rubber stamp C-21, Senator tells Marco to pound sand. Looks like this might be the end of Marco Mendicino! Lib MP Rachel Bendayan fabricates story about the CCFR and the Montreal Journal publishes it. Turns out the CCFR was right about Amendment G46 banning hunting rifles, who knew? All that and more this week!

Watch on Rumble here

Audio-only Link: https://podcast.ccfr.ca/episodes/episode-145

You can also listen to and watch the CCFR Radio Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and other popular podcast apps.


Let's keep in touch!

Find a full listing of the CCFR's links and accounts here: https://linktr.ee/ccfr



Three Senators rose and spoke to the many issues found within Liberal gun legislation, Bill C-21.

Senator Don Plett stood for over an hour, thoroughly defending firearms owners from coast to coast. In the end, a motion to advance C-21 to Second Reading was successful, after Speaker of the Senate, Raymonde Gagné, called for a Standing Vote.

Senator Yussuff moved that the bill be referred to the Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs.

Watch everything you missed in our indexed video here

You can find a full list of senators here



Professors, gun policy experts urge government to scrap 'flawed' Bill C-21

Seven of Canada's top researchers, policy, and subject-matter experts, just sent a joint-letter to the Senate of Canada, expressing grave concerns over the Liberals firearm legislation (Bill C-21) and suggesting amendments based on data, not politics.

Their voices join the hundreds of witnesses who gave testimony at The Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security months previous, calling for evidence-based policies and the removal of redundant and ineffective measures included in Marco Mendicino's bill.

Testimony included data provided by police officers and border security agents, women's shelters, indigenous community leaders, firearms policy experts, award-winning hunters, Olympic sport shooters, and spokespersons for various Canadian organizations.

Despite welcoming a few minor aspects of the bill (ie. regulating the manufacturing of ghost guns), the overwhelming majority of experts expressed concerns that the legislation was flawed, politically motivated, and ultimately, would be ineffective in its suggested goals.

The authors included in the letter to the Senate included:

➡️ Noah S. Schwartz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of the Fraser Valley

➡️ Tim Thurley, MSc, Firearm Researcher and Policy Specialist

➡️ Adam Jones, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, UBC Okanagan

➡️ Nikolai Kovalev, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Criminology, Wilfrid Laurier University

➡️ Christian Leuprecht, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, Royal Military College & Director, Institute of Intergovernmental Relations, School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University

➡️ Gary Mauser, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Simon Fraser University

➡️ Caillin Langmann, MD, Ph.D., Assistant Clinical Professor, Medicine, McMaster University

Read and download their open letter here

Read more at National Post here


Acclaimed Canadian novelist, essayist, screenwriter, poet and Senator, David Adams Richards, spoke in the senate on the Liberals legal gun ban bill C-21.

Mr. Richards is a member of the Order of New Brunswick and the Order of Canada.

Watch everything you missed in our indexed video here


GUNTER: What did the Liberals achieve?: What Parliament did in previous session - was bad

Postmedia political columnist Lorne Gunter sums up what the Liberals did in the previous Parliamentary session - before the summer recess - can be summed up in one word - Bad.

The way they have handled everything from the budget to gun legislation to Chinese political interference.

Watch on YouTube here



Senator Don Plett's Full Speech on C-21

Watch Senator Don Plett's full speech on Bill C-21 from Wednesday, June 21st.

Watch on Twitter here


Fact-checked: Anti-gun doc's op-ed on gun laws gave false impression

Letters flooded my office earlier this week from Star readers upset over an opinion article by Dr. Alan Drummond, who wrote about a proposed federal gun control measure.

Drummond’s article centred on what he called “a little discussed measure that might actually save lives” — the Trudeau government’s call for the enactment of a new “red flag” law.

Drummond called the red flag proposal a “common-sense measure.” He went on to argue: “surely we can all agree that some people, by virtue of a history of violence or untreated mental illness, should not have access to highly lethal weapons.”

Drummond noted that the proposed red flag law follows the example of Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) that have been brought forward in some parts of the U.S. . These ERPOs allow a family member or law enforcement officer (three states allow health care providers) to submit a petition to a court to have firearms taken away from an individual.

Gun suicides account for 75 to 80 per cent of all gun deaths in Canada, Drummond said. But Canada’s proposed red flag law has flaws, he asserted in his column.

“As with the American model, the Canadian law requires a victim of intimate partner violence to initiate a court process,” Drummond argued. “This is particularly problematic given the fear generated in abusive relationships and the overarching sense that the Canadian judicial system is intimidating and inaccessible.”

Readers picked up on this part and it’s what set off the barrage of letters to my office.

One could argue it was the gun lobby reacting, but the main criticism in the letters — that Drummond’s piece lacked important context — is valid.

“Section 117.04 of the Criminal Code permits police to enter any place, at any time, to seize firearms where a safety risk is present,” said reader Paul.

“Leaving this information out of his piece is dangerous, as someone with concerns about a loved one may believe there is no way to remove firearms from dangerous situations,” Paul went on to say.

Under the Criminal Code, “any police officer can initiate the seizure on the spot of firearms in cases such as a mental health emergency and domestic violence,” reader William said.

Rob, another reader elaborated on a point several readers mentioned. He argued Canada has had red flag provisions since the 1970s.

“As a law enforcement officer of 30 years, involved in high profile criminal investigations — homicides, armed robbery, terrorism, guns and gangs, red flag laws are already in place and working,” said reader Walter.

“Anyone may call the Canadian Firearms Program at 1-800-731-4000 and select the option to report a public safety concern,” pointed out reader Alexander.

Read more at Toronto Star here


Police arrest 45, seize 440 weapons in Canada-wide raids targeting 3D-printed guns

MONTREAL - Police said Wednesday they arrested 45 people and seized 440 weapons in simultaneous raids across eight provinces, targeting manufacturers of 3D-printed or "ghost" guns, which are increasingly showing up at crime scenes in Canada.

Authorities held a news conference in Montreal to announce the results of Tuesday's operation, dubbed Reproduction, led by the Quebec provincial police and involving about 20 other forces, including the RCMP and the Ontario Provincial Police.

"I don't know if out of this investigation that we've seen specifics on where these firearms are headed; however, we know that they're crime guns," said OPP chief superintendent Paul McKay, adding that there is a growing concern across Canada about untraceable "ghost guns," which are 3D-printed without serial numbers or assembled at home from parts collected from various sources.

"We know that they're created for a specific purpose — and you know they're not intended for sport shooters or anything like that — it's a criminal intent and they're made for a specific purpose to be put in the hands of criminal organizations."

Tuesday's cross-country raids were co-ordinated by a Quebec police unit — L’Équipe intégrée de lutte au trafic d’armes — that was formed in 2021 to fight gun crime, and includes officers from the provincial police, Montreal police, the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency.

Quebec provincial police Chief Insp. Benoit Dubé called the operation one of the largest he's taken part in involving weapons seizures. On Tuesday, police executed 64 search warrants across Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. They seized 440 guns, including 3D-printed handguns, long guns and silencers, as well as other guns and 3D printers.

Read more at The Canadian Press here

Read the RCMP News Release here


ALERT seizes 'numerous' guns as part of Tuesday's Canada-wide 3D-printed gun raid

The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) says they seized “numerous” 3D-printed guns as part of a Canada-wide operation on illicit firearms trafficking and manufacturing, on Wednesday.

ALERT says based on intelligence provided by ELITA, on June 21, their officers searched homes in Grande Prairie, Penhold, Innisfail, Brooks, Lloydminster, and Onoway and recovered “numerous 3D-printed firearms and other firearms parts.”

Despite ALERT not confirming how many guns they’ve seized, ELITA says the investigation, which was also conducted in Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, resulted in 64 searches and 45 arrests which resulted in the seizure of 440 firearms, including:

  • 62 handguns;
  • 71 3D-printed handguns;
  • Two 3D-printed long guns;
  • One machine pistol;
  • 52 3D printers;
  • 32 3D-printed magazines;
  • 87 silencers, including 63 3D printed;
  • 176 3D-printed gun bodies.

Read more at CityNews Edmonton here


LISTEN: No Nonsense with (Senator) Pamela Wallin

What would gun control look like if those in the know were actually part of the process?

A few weeks ago, Saskatchewan Chief Firearms Officer, Robert Freberg, was a guest on Senator Pamela Wallin's podcast (No Nonsense with Pamela Wallin) to discuss the Liberals legal gun ban bill (C-21) as well as what changes law enforcement, indigenous communities, and informed gun owners believe are needed to make Canada safer.

Listen to the Podcast here


Gage Haubrich: New Zealand’s gun buyback suggests Ottawa’s won’t work

The ban’s aim is to keep Canadians safe. “Enough is enough,” said then-minister of public safety Bill Blair. “Banning these firearms will save Canadian lives.” But will this scheme actually make Canadians safer? And what will it cost? The government of New Zealand recently completed its own gun ban and buyback. It provides a good case study of the effects such a program can have.

Like Canada, New Zealand has a substantial number of firearms and firearms owners: 26.3 firearms per 100 persons, compared to Canada’s 34.7. In 2019, in response to a tragic mass shooting in Christchurch, the government banned certain guns and implemented a buyback. Unlike Ottawa, however, which has focused its ban on specific “assault-style” firearms, New Zealand banned almost all semi-automatic firearms.

The buyback ran from June to December 2019 and involved confiscation of over 60,000 firearms, though New Zealand police have estimated the total number of prohibited firearms in the country might be as many as 240,000. The buyback wasn’t cheap. The government initially budgeted $16 million (in C$) for the administrative costs of the program. In the end, the country’s auditor general found, costs had almost doubled, to about $31 million. But that was just for administration. The cost of compensating gun owners was about $106 million, which works out to a per firearm price of about $1,800. Those numbers are for a country with a population of just over five million — one-eighth ours.

After the guns were bought and removed from the hands of New Zealanders, what happened to gun crime? Violent gun crime actually went up. During the decade before the buyback violent firearm offences averaged 932 a year. In 2019, the year of the buyback, there were 1,142 offences; in 2020, 1,156; in 2021, 1,338; and last year, 1,444. That’s up almost 55 per cent over the pre-ban decade. New Zealanders evidently did not become safer because the government took away firearms from law-abiding gun owners.

Read more at Financial Post here


President of Surrey, B.C., gurdwara shot dead in parking lot

The president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., was shot dead inside a car Sunday night in the temple's busy parking lot in what police are calling a targeted killing.

Investigators say Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed just before 8:30 p.m. PT, soon after evening prayers had finished. Nijjar was a prominent leader in the Sikh community and is being mourned widely on social media.

Assistant RCMP Commissioner Brian Edwards called the homicide brazen and shocking.

"I am absolutely appalled this would take place in a house of worship," he said. "It's disgusting."

Members of the Integrated Homicide Investigations Unit (IHIT) are looking at whether a car found on fire in Coquitlam shortly afterwards is connected to the killing and are appealing for witnesses and people with dashcam footage from the area to come forward.

Read more at CBC News here

Has Canada become a safer country after 8 years of this Liberal government?


17-year-old boy killed in Pickering shooting

A 17-year-old boy is dead after a shooting in Pickering on Sunday evening.

Durham police say officers responded to reports of a shooting at a housing complex at 1580 Kingston Road in Pickering, Ont. at approximately 9:45 p.m.

Once on scene, officers located a male, later identified as the 17-year-old boy, with life-threatening injuries. Officers and paramedics performed life-saving measures, police said; however, the teen died at the scene.

At a news conference Monday morning, officers said it is believed that the shots were fired from a vehicle that then fled the area. No arrests have been made and police say the number of suspects involved remains unknown.

The Durham District School Board said it is “deeply saddened by the tragic loss” of one of their students.

Read more at CP24 here


 


FIREARM LEGAL DEFENCE INSURANCE NOW AVAILABLE!

Find out more here


What is the CCFR Insiders group?  

  • A group for those providing recurring donations (via our website or Patreon) of $20.00 CAD/month or more.
  • Insiders get a 90 minute zoom meeting with one or both Tracey Wilson & Rod Giltaca every month (or so).
  • In each meeting, we will have giveaways in the form of CCFR store credits. People who attend the zoom meetings will be entered into the draws.
  • All insiders will be also be entered in exclusive draws from time to time, regardless of whether they make it to our zoom meetings.
  • Insiders are able to ask questions directly, receive news and insights before the general membership, hear about upcoming projects, etc.

Ready to join the Insiders group? Sign up for automatic monthly donations here.