The CCFR Week in Review

Jamie Sarkonak: Justin Trudeau’s Great Canadian Gun Confiscation

When governments take private property, such takings are usually done to carry out some larger public project — like building roads and other infrastructure. Unlike property seizures of the past, the Trudeau Liberals’ gun confiscation (“buyback”) isn’t supporting some larger project for the benefit of the public. It’s a confiscation of private property for the sake of fulfilling a platform point.

This first little step has been a long time in the works for Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino. Wednesday’s announcement of the program’s future shows us that Mendicino only going for a fraction of guns right now. Recent procurement records suggest that the federal government hopes to process up to 1,500 guns per day and aim to store a total of 150,000 guns in their facilities. If they hope to get 150,000 guns in total, this initial 11,000 is just the beginning.  

The whole thing could end up costing more than $1 billion (Mendicino wouldn’t answer a question about cost despite promising transparency, so it’s hard to say). 

While the minister stuck to repeating talking points, he did succeed at heeding what was likely his marketing team’s advice: emphasize that it’s a “buyback” program.  

Let’s be real — it’s more akin to a seizure or expropriation. “Buyback” implies that there’s choice to buy or sell in a market. Here, there’s no market, one buyer, and participation is mandatory. When corporations do stock buybacks, shareholders can choose whether to get in on the deal. Here, gun owners have no choice. 

There are situations where it’s reasonable (though uncomfortable) for governments to take citizens’ property, but this tool is typically only taken out of the toolbox when it’s absolutely necessary. When there’s a war, and the army urgently needs to use the local town’s hotel, the government can occupy that hotel. This happened in the UK during the First World War. After the fighting ended, the courts made the government pay the hotel owner for the occupation.

The so called gun buyback is now happening simply because the Liberals have deemed gun confiscation to be a necessary end in itself. “They serve no legitimate purpose other than killing the greatest number of people as quickly as possible,” Mendicino said of the bad guns this morning. This isn’t like bulldozing a house to build a highway — it’s like bulldozing a house because you told everyone it was bad and it needed bulldozing.

They can argue that gun confiscation addresses a public safety issue, but the evidence doesn’t support this. As gun expert Tim Thurley wrote in the National Post last month, the gun control measures that do make a difference for public safety have been in place in Canada for the past 30 years — including licensing, safe storage requirements and background checks. Meanwhile, a substantial body of research shows that bans for specific types of guns don’t work.

Read more at National Post here

Jagmeet Singh’s NDP slammed by top gun control group over backtracking on firearms promises, amplifying ‘disinformation’

The federal NDP has rejected a top gun control advocacy group’s scathing assessment that the New Democrats fed into “disinformation” clouding the Liberal government’s firearms bill and have all but abandoned their support of an assault-style weapons ban.

Representatives from two groups calling for stricter gun control measures released a searing letter Monday morning accusing NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and his party of backtracking on its election promises and politicizing the issue for its own gain.

Read more at Toronto Star here

The 'NRA thing' & Liberal 'foreign influence' claims

You may have noticed the Liberals have begun (again) claiming the the CPC is funded and influenced by the NRA. And by implication that the CCFR is also funded by the NRA.

While this is laughable, and a completely ludicrous claim by the Prime Minister and his cabinet members, it seems to go largely un-checked by the Canadian media. Why? 

Watch Rod address the nonsense in this CCFR Radio clip

Get ready for National Range Day on June 3rd, 2023!

Is your club hosting an event for National Range Day in 2023? You can register the event on the National Range Day website to help those in your area find your event!

There has never been a more important time to introduce your friends, family, neighbours and co-workers to firearms ownership and use in Canada!

Commit to volunteering at your local event, or bringing someone who has not been shooting before. The long-term success of this annual celebration of the shooting sports is in your hands.

Listen to Episode 124 of our podcast for more info.

Nationalrangeday.ca

Jury finds Corey Paddy guilty of firearms trafficking after deliberating less than four hours

The 25-year-old woman went on trial April 17 at Court of King's Bench in Saskatoon before Justice Richard Elson and a jury of six men and six women. Prosecutor Andrew Clements and defence lawyer Kimbal MacMillan made their closing arguments on April 24, followed by Justice Elson's instructions to the jury.

The jurors returned briefly with a question and then, around 7:30 p.m. CST, they came back with their verdict.

"She's been convicted by the jury of having these firearms for the purpose of trafficking them," Clements said in an interview, by way of summing up the six charges.

Given how there is a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for a second firearms conviction, when possessing a prohibited weapon for the purpose of trafficking, Clements agreed that it appears she will get more years for her sentence than the jury spent hours deliberating.

In court, MacMillan said he expects to challenge that mandatory minimum. At the same time. Clements indicated that he'll be arguing for a sentence longer than five years.

"She does have, in my view, a substantial record. There are prior firearm-related offences, and some serious offences on it that resulted in custodial sentences," he said.

Read more at CBC News here

Vancouver police board questions why new school liaison officers need guns

A Vancouver Police Board member sparked a debate Thursday over why the police department insists officers belonging to a new school liaison program scheduled to launch in September should carry guns.

Rachel Roy asked the question after hearing a presentation at a board meeting from Insp. Gary Hiar, who provided an update on the new program and how it will be different from the one scrapped by the school board in May 2021.

“It's a really important question,” Hiar said. “Our team did discuss it. But we do feel it is necessary for officers to have their tools — their firearms. Our concern is public safety. First and foremost, they have to be able to be in a position to react if something was to happen in the school, in around the school or to and from the school.”

Roy questioned why an unarmed school liaison officer couldn’t call 911, if a serious incident were to occur at a school. Wilson said it would be the responsibility of the school liaison officer to intervene in an incident.

“If a member was not armed, there may actually be implications in terms of their liability under the Police Act for neglect of duty, quite frankly,” the deputy chief said. “Because if they were in a school setting, and there was an active shooter situation, and they were unable to respond to that effectively, it would be a very difficult scenario for us.”

Deputy Chief Howard Chow recalled an incident at a school that occurred more than two years ago where a school liaison officer was first on scene for a call of a person going into a school with a knife.

“Those incidents happen,” Chow said. “I just can't fathom the thought of not having a program like that where you don't arm your officers.”

The officers will wear golf shirts with VPD crests instead of uniforms and “hiking style” pants. The guns they carry will be small enough to fit in a holster inside an officer’s pants. Smaller batons and pepper spray will also be part of the outfit.

The cars they drive will no longer be Dodge Chargers but possibly a Honda Civic or KIA sedan, which will still be equipped with lights and sirens.

Read more at Vancouver is Awesome here

Gun violence is on the rise in London, Ont. Acting police chief Trish McIntyre weighs in

RZ: Nine shootings in three months. Is that something we've seen before in this city?

TM: Stats like this are alarming. We have seen an increase year-over -year, but to have nine in the first three months of the year is just alarming.

RZ: Why do you think this is happening?

TM: So many issues are at play here. We saw enormous change in the landscape with the global pandemic. We see a drastic increase in mental health concerns, the proliferation of drugs, guns, gangs. That's definitely translating into violence. There is a call to action drafted that's specific to bail reform. That's Bill C-75. 

RZ: I'm curious how how you believe these guns are getting into our city?

TM: We know most likely they're coming to us from the states through tracing. They're not long guns on, you know. That's not the guns [we're seeing] being used in crime. 

RZ: And how often are you confiscating guns? 

TM: This is what's so crazy for us. Now more than ever, we have our frontline patrol officers seizing handguns when they pull over a car. They find a loaded handgun under the seat. Like that was unprecedented. We would never see that before. But definitely, the times have changed and that is definitely more prevalent. That's a risk to frontline officers so it's a huge concern.

RZ: Is it just a rise in gun violence or are we seeing other concerning things happening in our city as well?

TM: Honestly, the global pandemic sent a shock wave across the country, right. And we see every jurisdiction struggling with issues. We see enormous increase in those suffering from mental health issues. That has all been you know growing year over year over year. 

Listen to the full interview with CBC London Morning host Rebecca Zandbergen here

Shooting at North York bar that killed 47-year-old man was targeted: police

A 47-year-old man fatally shot inside a North York bar on Friday night was targeted, Toronto police say.

The shooting occurred at Avellino Social Club in the area of Islington Avenue and Millwick Drive at around 10 p.m.

When officers arrived, they located a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Despite life-saving efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim has been identified as Robert Khananisho of Toronto.

"This is a targeted shooting. So I want to reassure the public, this is not a random shooting at a bar," Const. Alex Li told reporters on Saturday. "The individual was targeted and, unfortunately, was killed tragically as a result."

As for the motive behind the shooting, Li said homicide investigators will be working to determine that.

He noted that the bar was open at the time of the incident and appealed to patrons who have not spoken to investigators to contact them.

Read more at CP24 here

We suspect that it is a small consolation to the Canadian public that shootings in their communities are "targeted" rather than random. The violence continues as the federal government spends millions confiscating legal guns from licenced gun owners.

Outpouring of grief following fatal Sudbury bar shooting

A brazen shooting at a crowded Sudbury sports bar on Friday night has rocked the community and taken the life of a 22-year-old man.

It happened at Overtime Sports Bar and Grill on Notre Dame Avenue around 10:30 p.m. and police said the suspect is still at large.

CTV News has confirmed with several sources the victim was Joe Cabigon, who immigrated from the Philippines when he was eight years old.

Cabigon attended Sudbury Secondary and played basketball, according to his social media profile. There are several videos of him making some impressive shots.

Sudbury police are calling the shooting an intentional act on an identified victim and released photos of the murder suspect on Saturday.

"Do not approach him or take matters into your own hands," Sudbury police told CTV News.

"If you see this suspect, give us a call."

Read more at CTV News here