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http://www.nraila.org/show.cgi?page=3D/research/20010215-InternationalGun=
Control-001.shtml

BY NRA INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION STAFF

"Let us not hear that (registration) is a prelude to the confiscation by =
the government of hunting rifles and shotguns," Canadian Justice =
Minister Allan Rock said in Clintonesque tones on Feb. 16, 1995. "There =
is no reason to confiscate legally owned firearms."

Ten months after Rock's remarks, Parliament passed the Canadian Firearms =
Act, and confiscating legally owned firearms is precisely the first =
thing the new law did. The first of three major provisions to go into =
effect banned private ownership of well more than half of Canada's =
legally registered pistols. Any handgun of .32 or .25 caliber and any =
handgun with a barrel length of 105 mm (4.14") or less--more than =
553,000 legally registered handguns--became illegal with the stroke of a =
pen.

Pistol owners, of course, had been promised that registration would =
never lead to confiscation when Canada's national handgun registry was =
enacted in 1934. When the newer law passed five years ago, they were =
given three options: sell their handguns to any dealer or individual =
legally qualified to buy them (not a real option because the number of =
potential buyers was so small); render them inoperable; or surrender =
them to the government without compensation.

The second phase of the new law requires a government-issued firearms =
owner license. As of Jan. 1, 2001, anyone who owns a shotgun or rifle =
but did not apply for a license faces five years in prison and a $2,000 =
fine. These licenses are also required to buy a long gun, or if you just =
want to buy a box of rifle cartridges to put in dad's Christmas =
stocking.

The third phase of the new law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2003, when each =
individual long gun must be registered.

If summarily outlawing possession of more than half the nation's legally =
registered handguns were not enough to raise a firestorm of criticism, =
the licensing and registration program for long guns has prompted an =
unprecedented and broad-based call for civil disobedience. This is =
remarkable for Canadians, who are exceedingly deferential to the =
government and the courts.

The government has a serious credibility problem brought on by its =
refusal to release reliable cost figures for implementing and =
maintaining its licensing and registration scheme, gross exaggerations =
of the gun crime problem, and deliberate underestimates of the number of =
guns and gun owners in Canada.

Anne McLellan is Rock's Liberal Party colleague and his successor as =
Justice Minister. She has been called "Canada's Janet Reno." As recently =
as 1999, she promised in a letter to the Toronto Star that licensing and =
registration fees would cover 100 percent of the cost of implementing =
and maintaining the new licensing and registration bureaucracy.

But members of Parliament say they have been grievously misled about the =
final cost of the licensing and registration program. They claim =
bureaucrats in Ottawa are illegally concealing true budget figures in =
fear of further fueling public outrage.

Garry Breitkreuz, Member of Parliament (MP) from Saskatchewan and leader =
of the parliamentary opposition to the Firearms Act, told American =
Rifleman in a telephone interview that the government's claim that its =
licensing and registration system could be implemented for $85 million =
over five years is "pure poppycock."

"Justice Minister Allan Rock told the House of Commons that the cost of =
setting up the . . .system would be $85 million spread over five years," =
Breitkreuz said. "Justice Minister Anne McLellan is desperately trying =
to convince Canadian taxpayers that the start-up costs for the Liberal =
gun registry will top out at $120 million."

David Austin, spokesman for the Canadian Firearms Center, the Department =
of Justice branch that administers provisions of the new law, said the =
$85 million figure was merely "an estimate of the start-up costs," and =
that the actual figure was $120 million. He said the total cost over =
five years will be $327 million.

Breitkreuz counters, "The government is using cabinet secrecy provisions =
to hide the real budget numbers. It's going to cost at least 10 times =
(the original $85 million) amount just to put in the licensing system, =
and even that will not cover the cost of registering individual guns."

Although he said he has been "stonewalled every step of the way" and =
denied all the budget documents he has requested, Breitkreuz said his =
office has obtained spreadsheets that indicate the cost surpassed $300 =
million a year ago.

Just one contractor involved in getting the licensing and registration =
system up and running, EDS Canada, had five revisions to one contract =
that resulted in a 325 percent cost overrun, and a second contract had =
six revisions resulting in a 319 percent cost increase.

Dennis Young, a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer and =
now a parliamentary staff member for Breitkreuz, challenged McLellan's =
claim that the system would be self-supporting based on fee collection. =
"As of August 11, they'd only collected $17 million in owner license =
fees, and they had to refund $1.2 million because of the reduced fee," =
cut from $30 to $10 to encourage compliance. "This is not just a little =
blunder. The taxpayer is footing the bill for the government to =
deliberately mislead Parliament."

While Austin, the Justice Department spokesman, told American Rifleman =
that the system would require a staff of 400 for the processing center =
in New Brunswick, Breitkreuz said he has documents indicating that 391 =
RCMP officers have been re-assigned to the effort, along with at least =
another 600 civilian staff members. A separate registry is being set up =
for Quebec, the MP said. The New York Times pegged the registry =
workforce at 1,500, and Edmonton Journal columnist Lorne Gunter, a =
critic of the new law, said the real figure is closer to 1,700.

And the personnel numbers may go higher. Local and provincial =
governments in western Canada, angered, in part, by the continual =
juggling of numbers, have refused to enforce the new law. As a result, =
the central government was forced to federalize each province's Chief =
Firearms Officer.

Cost and personnel numbers aside, Breitkreuz said, "Even if you license =
every single gun owner, and lay a registration paper by every gun, =
you've done nothing to make our lives safer, our government better, or =
to reduce crime. There's no benefit to society. Enforcing all this =
paperwork ties up police resources and thus gives criminals an =
advantage. It's just politics used to create the impression with the =
public that the government is improving their quality of life. The only =
useful purpose registration can serve is as a blueprint if the =
government later decides on confiscation. It in no way prevents crime."

Also at issue in the Canadian government's numbers game are how many =
long guns and how many gun owners there are in the nation. License =
applications came in painfully slowly, indicating potentially enormous =
compliance problems, until a last-minute rush in December.

The Justice Department's Austin said the government believes there are =
2.2 million gun owners among Canada's 30 million citizens. He said 1.8 =
million owners applied for licenses by the deadline, a compliance rate =
of about 80 percent, and he estimated that the remainder will sell, =
disable or surrender their firearms.

Bruce Hutton, a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer who =
founded the Law abiding Unregistered Firearms Ass'n to urge civil =
disobedience of the new law, said the government has, over the past few =
years, continually lowered its estimates on the numbers of guns and gun =
owners in Canada. Their goal is obvious--make the compliance numbers =
look more favorable.

"The government is lying to everyone," Hutton said. "About 10 years ago, =
the RCMP Solicitor General conducted a study and, based on retail and =
manufacturing figures, estimated the number of gun owners at 4 to 6 =
million. Since then, the government has revised its estimate on the =
number of owners downward, to 3.6 million, then 3.3 million and now 2.2 =
million. I'm sure it's at least twice that number."

Citing other RCMP data, the pro-gun Canadian Institute for Legislative =
Action (CILA) estimates that as many as 7 million people in the country =
own a total of 21 million firearms.

"The government doesn't want people to know this because it will show =
the licensing plan for the dismal failure that it is," Hutton said. =
"Registration will be even worse. The law is a farce. Civil disobedience =
will make it meaningless. It's a travesty, a terrible law."

Gary Mauser, a professor and public policy researcher at Simon Frazier =
University in British Columbia, agrees. "The Firearms Act expands the =
grounds for warrantless searches, reduces restraints on issuing warrants =
and requires people to testify against themselves," Mauser said in one =
report. "Such sweeping police powers . . . authorize police procedures =
that (would) violate the U.S. Fourth Amendment's protection against =
warrantless searches and the Fifth Amendment's protections (of) due =
process."

Like similar gun control campaigns in the U.S., supporters of Canada's =
new law began pushing their agenda amidst the widespread emotional =
anguish over the murder of 14 women at a Montreal college by a deranged =
gunman in 1989.

Chanting the cheerfully mindless mantras of public safety and fighting =
crime, Liberal Party stalwarts pushed the new law as benign. If it makes =
sense to register automobiles, they argued, isn't it reasonable to =
register guns and gun owners?

But applicants for a Canadian driver's license are not asked about their =
employment and medical history. They are not asked if they've filed for =
bankruptcy or divorce in the past two years. They are not asked if =
they've experienced the "breakdown of a significant relationship." =
Canadians now must reveal such private information and more when they =
apply for a firearms license.

Like many gun control laws in this country, Canada's Firearms Act was =
peddled as a badly needed "tool" against crime. But the Canadian =
government's own numbers tell a different story. Sprawled across five =
time zones, Canada historically has had a very low rate of gun-related =
crime. Even Austin, the Justice Department spokesman, concedes that =
gun-related crimes and gun-related deaths, whether homicide, suicide or =
accidental, have been in steady decline for the past several years.

"The government has admitted on three separate occasions in the past few =
years that since handgun registration was implemented in 1934, not one =
single crime in Canada has been solved using the national pistol =
registry," MP Breitkreuz said.

On the other hand, Canada's Ministry of Justice, in a document entitled =
"Self Defense in Canada," acknowledges that firearms are used about =
32,000 times a year for self-protection from criminal activity. CILA =
cites a 1997 study by Mauser, the Simon Frazier University researcher, =
saying that when animal attacks that have been prevented with guns are =
added in, the annual self-defense number doubles to 64,000 incidents.

"If we remove suicides, which are generally considered to be =
non-preventable," CILA reports, "approximately 40 lives are saved for =
every life lost with a firearm in Canada," based on the government's =
32,000 annual figure. "Consider that 44 percent of rural Canadian =
households own firearms, compared to 11 percent in cities. Yet the =
violent crime rate in Canadian cities is 40 percent higher than in rural =
areas."

But the government has used numbers that indicate a much more serious =
problem with gun-related crime. The Liberal Party, in particular, has =
been widely scorned for falsifying such figures to push its political =
agenda.

RCMP Commissioner Philip Murray complained in a letter to the Justice =
Minister that his department had greatly overstated the number of gun =
crimes in Canada for 1993. For instance, Justice figures for that year =
showed 623 gun-related crimes, but Murray said the real number was 73; =
and of the 333 homicides investigated by Mounties that year, only six =
involved a firearm.

Gunter reported in the Edmonton Journal that "the Department of Justice =
overestimated the number of gun crimes in the country by nearly 10-fold =
and exaggerated the cost of treating gunshot wounds by nearly 100-fold . =
.. ."

Gunter believes a 1996 speech by Liberal Party Senator Sharon Carstairs =
unveiled the real motivation behind Canada's Firearms Act. Sen. =
Carstairs reportedly told members of the Community Legal Education Ass'n =
that the new law was a keystone in her party's blueprint to "socially =
re-engineer Canada." (Carstairs denies making the statement, but she is =
refuted by two individuals who shared the platform with her when she =
gave her speech.)

"The Liberals believe (the new law) would re-engineer Canada, and =
especially male gun owners, making its citizens more docile," Gunter =
wrote. His is the last word here:

"When lawmakers trample centuries-old liberties without offering an =
overwhelming social good in return . . . then respect for the law dies =
and the rule of law along with it."

What Canada's New Law Means
For Visiting U.S. Firearms Owners

Canada's Firearms Act affects Americans who bring firearms into Canada =
or borrow them there for hunting and other purposes. Those who do not =
have a valid Canadian firearms license will have to declare and register =
their firearms by completing a Non-Resident Firearm Declaration Form and =
pay a $50 fee. Any information given to the Canadian government =
regarding personal firearms may be shared with the BATF as part of a =
joint "infoshare" agreement.
Individuals who want to bring "restricted firearms" (mainly handguns) =
into Canada must apply in advance for an Authorization to Transport. The =
Authorization is available from the Chief Firearms Officer (CFO) in the =
province(s) travelers intend to visit. Canada does not allow concealed =
weapons, and it has additional laws for the transport, storage, lending, =
selling and giving of firearms.
For information about Canada's new firearms regulations, call the =
Canadian Firearms Centre at (800) 731-4000 or visit the website at =
www.cfc-ccaf.gc.ca. on the Internet.


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<DIV><FONT size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"http://www.nraila.org/show.cgi?page=3D/research/20010215-Internat=
ionalGunControl-001.shtml">http://www.nraila.org/show.cgi?page=3D/researc=
h/20010215-InternationalGunControl-001.shtml</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<P>BY NRA INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION STAFF</P>
<P>"Let us not hear that (registration) is a prelude to the confiscation =
by the=20
government of hunting rifles and shotguns," Canadian Justice Minister =
Allan Rock=20
said in Clintonesque tones on Feb. 16, 1995. "There is no reason to =
confiscate=20
legally owned firearms."</P>
<P>Ten months after Rock's remarks, Parliament passed the Canadian =
Firearms Act,=20
and confiscating legally owned firearms is precisely the first thing the =
new law=20
did. The first of three major provisions to go into effect banned =
private=20
ownership of well more than half of Canada's legally registered pistols. =
Any=20
handgun of .32 or .25 caliber and any handgun with a barrel length of =
105 mm=20
(4.14") or less--more than 553,000 legally registered handguns--became =
illegal=20
with the stroke of a pen.</P>
<P>Pistol owners, of course, had been promised that registration would =
never=20
lead to confiscation when Canada's national handgun registry was enacted =
in=20
1934. When the newer law passed five years ago, they were given three =
options:=20
sell their handguns to any dealer or individual legally qualified to buy =
them=20
(not a real option because the number of potential buyers was so small); =
render=20
them inoperable; or surrender them to the government without =
compensation.</P>
<P>The second phase of the new law requires a government-issued firearms =
owner=20
license. As of Jan. 1, 2001, anyone who owns a shotgun or rifle but did =
not=20
apply for a license faces five years in prison and a $2,000 fine. These =
licenses=20
are also required to buy a long gun, or if you just want to buy a box of =
rifle=20
cartridges to put in dad's Christmas stocking.</P>
<P>The third phase of the new law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2003, when =
each=20
individual long gun must be registered.</P>
<P>If summarily outlawing possession of more than half the nation's =
legally=20
registered handguns were not enough to raise a firestorm of criticism, =
the=20
licensing and registration program for long guns has prompted an =
unprecedented=20
and broad-based call for civil disobedience. This is remarkable for =
Canadians,=20
who are exceedingly deferential to the government and the courts.</P>
<P>The government has a serious credibility problem brought on by its =
refusal to=20
release reliable cost figures for implementing and maintaining its =
licensing and=20
registration scheme, gross exaggerations of the gun crime problem, and=20
deliberate underestimates of the number of guns and gun owners in =
Canada.</P>
<P>Anne McLellan is Rock's Liberal Party colleague and his successor as =
Justice=20
Minister. She has been called "Canada's Janet Reno." As recently as =
1999, she=20
promised in a letter to the Toronto Star that licensing and registration =
fees=20
would cover 100 percent of the cost of implementing and maintaining the =
new=20
licensing and registration bureaucracy.</P>
<P>But members of Parliament say they have been grievously misled about =
the=20
final cost of the licensing and registration program. They claim =
bureaucrats in=20
Ottawa are illegally concealing true budget figures in fear of further =
fueling=20
public outrage.</P>
<P>Garry Breitkreuz, Member of Parliament (MP) from Saskatchewan and =
leader of=20
the parliamentary opposition to the Firearms Act, told American Rifleman =
in a=20
telephone interview that the government's claim that its licensing and=20
registration system could be implemented for $85 million over five years =
is=20
"pure poppycock."</P>
<P>"Justice Minister Allan Rock told the House of Commons that the cost =
of=20
setting up the . . .system would be $85 million spread over five years," =

Breitkreuz said. "Justice Minister Anne McLellan is desperately trying =
to=20
convince Canadian taxpayers that the start-up costs for the Liberal gun =
registry=20
will top out at $120 million."</P>
<P>David Austin, spokesman for the Canadian Firearms Center, the =
Department of=20
Justice branch that administers provisions of the new law, said the $85 =
million=20
figure was merely "an estimate of the start-up costs," and that the =
actual=20
figure was $120 million. He said the total cost over five years will be =
$327=20
million.</P>
<P>Breitkreuz counters, "The government is using cabinet secrecy =
provisions to=20
hide the real budget numbers. It's going to cost at least 10 times (the =
original=20
$85 million) amount just to put in the licensing system, and even that =
will not=20
cover the cost of registering individual guns."</P>
<P>Although he said he has been "stonewalled every step of the way" and =
denied=20
all the budget documents he has requested, Breitkreuz said his office =
has=20
obtained spreadsheets that indicate the cost surpassed $300 million a =
year=20
ago.</P>
<P>Just one contractor involved in getting the licensing and =
registration system=20
up and running, EDS Canada, had five revisions to one contract that =
resulted in=20
a 325 percent cost overrun, and a second contract had six revisions =
resulting in=20
a 319 percent cost increase.</P>
<P>Dennis Young, a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer =
and now a=20
parliamentary staff member for Breitkreuz, challenged McLellan's claim =
that the=20
system would be self-supporting based on fee collection. "As of August =
11,=20
they'd only collected $17 million in owner license fees, and they had to =
refund=20
$1.2 million because of the reduced fee," cut from $30 to $10 to =
encourage=20
compliance. "This is not just a little blunder. The taxpayer is footing =
the bill=20
for the government to deliberately mislead Parliament."</P>
<P>While Austin, the Justice Department spokesman, told American =
Rifleman that=20
the system would require a staff of 400 for the processing center in New =

Brunswick, Breitkreuz said he has documents indicating that 391 RCMP =
officers=20
have been re-assigned to the effort, along with at least another 600 =
civilian=20
staff members. A separate registry is being set up for Quebec, the MP =
said. The=20
New York Times pegged the registry workforce at 1,500, and Edmonton =
Journal=20
columnist Lorne Gunter, a critic of the new law, said the real figure is =
closer=20
to 1,700.</P>
<P>And the personnel numbers may go higher. Local and provincial =
governments in=20
western Canada, angered, in part, by the continual juggling of numbers, =
have=20
refused to enforce the new law. As a result, the central government was =
forced=20
to federalize each province's Chief Firearms Officer.</P>
<P>Cost and personnel numbers aside, Breitkreuz said, "Even if you =
license every=20
single gun owner, and lay a registration paper by every gun, you've done =
nothing=20
to make our lives safer, our government better, or to reduce crime. =
There's no=20
benefit to society. Enforcing all this paperwork ties up police =
resources and=20
thus gives criminals an advantage. It's just politics used to create the =

impression with the public that the government is improving their =
quality of=20
life. The only useful purpose registration can serve is as a blueprint =
if the=20
government later decides on confiscation. It in no way prevents =
crime."</P>
<P>Also at issue in the Canadian government's numbers game are how many =
long=20
guns and how many gun owners there are in the nation. License =
applications came=20
in painfully slowly, indicating potentially enormous compliance =
problems, until=20
a last-minute rush in December.</P>
<P>The Justice Department's Austin said the government believes there =
are 2.2=20
million gun owners among Canada's 30 million citizens. He said 1.8 =
million=20
owners applied for licenses by the deadline, a compliance rate of about =
80=20
percent, and he estimated that the remainder will sell, disable or =
surrender=20
their firearms.</P>
<P>Bruce Hutton, a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer =
who=20
founded the Law abiding Unregistered Firearms Ass'n to urge civil =
disobedience=20
of the new law, said the government has, over the past few years, =
continually=20
lowered its estimates on the numbers of guns and gun owners in Canada. =
Their=20
goal is obvious--make the compliance numbers look more favorable.</P>
<P>"The government is lying to everyone," Hutton said. "About 10 years =
ago, the=20
RCMP Solicitor General conducted a study and, based on retail and =
manufacturing=20
figures, estimated the number of gun owners at 4 to 6 million. Since =
then, the=20
government has revised its estimate on the number of owners downward, to =
3.6=20
million, then 3.3 million and now 2.2 million. I'm sure it's at least =
twice that=20
number."</P>
<P>Citing other RCMP data, the pro-gun Canadian Institute for =
Legislative Action=20
(CILA) estimates that as many as 7 million people in the country own a =
total of=20
21 million firearms.</P>
<P>"The government doesn't want people to know this because it will show =
the=20
licensing plan for the dismal failure that it is," Hutton said. =
"Registration=20
will be even worse. The law is a farce. Civil disobedience will make it=20
meaningless. It's a travesty, a terrible law."</P>
<P>Gary Mauser, a professor and public policy researcher at Simon =
Frazier=20
University in British Columbia, agrees. "The Firearms Act expands the =
grounds=20
for warrantless searches, reduces restraints on issuing warrants and =
requires=20
people to testify against themselves," Mauser said in one report. "Such =
sweeping=20
police powers . . . authorize police procedures that (would) violate the =
U.S.=20
Fourth Amendment's protection against warrantless searches and the Fifth =

Amendment's protections (of) due process."</P>
<P>Like similar gun control campaigns in the U.S., supporters of =
Canada's new=20
law began pushing their agenda amidst the widespread emotional anguish =
over the=20
murder of 14 women at a Montreal college by a deranged gunman in =
1989.</P>
<P>Chanting the cheerfully mindless mantras of public safety and =
fighting crime,=20
Liberal Party stalwarts pushed the new law as benign. If it makes sense =
to=20
register automobiles, they argued, isn't it reasonable to register guns =
and gun=20
owners?</P>
<P>But applicants for a Canadian driver's license are not asked about =
their=20
employment and medical history. They are not asked if they've filed for=20
bankruptcy or divorce in the past two years. They are not asked if =
they've=20
experienced the "breakdown of a significant relationship." Canadians now =
must=20
reveal such private information and more when they apply for a firearms=20
license.</P>
<P>Like many gun control laws in this country, Canada's Firearms Act was =
peddled=20
as a badly needed "tool" against crime. But the Canadian government's =
own=20
numbers tell a different story. Sprawled across five time zones, Canada=20
historically has had a very low rate of gun-related crime. Even Austin, =
the=20
Justice Department spokesman, concedes that gun-related crimes and =
gun-related=20
deaths, whether homicide, suicide or accidental, have been in steady =
decline for=20
the past several years.</P>
<P>"The government has admitted on three separate occasions in the past =
few=20
years that since handgun registration was implemented in 1934, not one =
single=20
crime in Canada has been solved using the national pistol registry," MP=20
Breitkreuz said.</P>
<P>On the other hand, Canada's Ministry of Justice, in a document =
entitled "Self=20
Defense in Canada," acknowledges that firearms are used about 32,000 =
times a=20
year for self-protection from criminal activity. CILA cites a 1997 study =
by=20
Mauser, the Simon Frazier University researcher, saying that when animal =
attacks=20
that have been prevented with guns are added in, the annual self-defense =
number=20
doubles to 64,000 incidents.</P>
<P>"If we remove suicides, which are generally considered to be=20
non-preventable," CILA reports, "approximately 40 lives are saved for =
every life=20
lost with a firearm in Canada," based on the government's 32,000 annual =
figure.=20
"Consider that 44 percent of rural Canadian households own firearms, =
compared to=20
11 percent in cities. Yet the violent crime rate in Canadian cities is =
40=20
percent higher than in rural areas."</P>
<P>But the government has used numbers that indicate a much more serious =
problem=20
with gun-related crime. The Liberal Party, in particular, has been =
widely=20
scorned for falsifying such figures to push its political agenda.</P>
<P>RCMP Commissioner Philip Murray complained in a letter to the Justice =

Minister that his department had greatly overstated the number of gun =
crimes in=20
Canada for 1993. For instance, Justice figures for that year showed 623=20
gun-related crimes, but Murray said the real number was 73; and of the =
333=20
homicides investigated by Mounties that year, only six involved a =
firearm.</P>
<P>Gunter reported in the Edmonton Journal that "the Department of =
Justice=20
overestimated the number of gun crimes in the country by nearly 10-fold =
and=20
exaggerated the cost of treating gunshot wounds by nearly 100-fold . .. =
."</P>
<P>Gunter believes a 1996 speech by Liberal Party Senator Sharon =
Carstairs=20
unveiled the real motivation behind Canada's Firearms Act. Sen. =
Carstairs=20
reportedly told members of the Community Legal Education Ass'n that the =
new law=20
was a keystone in her party's blueprint to "socially re-engineer =
Canada."=20
(Carstairs denies making the statement, but she is refuted by two =
individuals=20
who shared the platform with her when she gave her speech.)</P>
<P>"The Liberals believe (the new law) would re-engineer Canada, and =
especially=20
male gun owners, making its citizens more docile," Gunter wrote. His is =
the last=20
word here:</P>
<P>"When lawmakers trample centuries-old liberties without offering an=20
overwhelming social good in return . . . then respect for the law dies =
and the=20
rule of law along with it."</P>
<P><FONT size=3D+2>What Canada's New Law Means<BR>For Visiting U.S. =
Firearms=20
Owners</FONT></P>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3D4>Canada's Firearms Act affects Americans who =
bring=20
firearms into Canada or borrow them there for hunting and other =
purposes. Those=20
who do not have a valid Canadian firearms license will have to declare =
and=20
register their firearms by completing a Non-Resident Firearm Declaration =
Form=20
and pay a $50 fee. Any information given to the Canadian government =
regarding=20
personal firearms may be shared with the BATF as part of a joint =
"infoshare"=20
agreement.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3D4>Individuals who want to bring "restricted =
firearms"=20
(mainly handguns) into Canada must apply in advance for an Authorization =
to=20
Transport. The Authorization is available from the Chief Firearms =
Officer (CFO)=20
in the province(s) travelers intend to visit. Canada does not allow =
concealed=20
weapons, and it has additional laws for the transport, storage, lending, =
selling=20
and giving of firearms.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3D4>For information about Canada's new firearms=20
regulations, call the Canadian Firearms Centre at (800) 731-4000 or =
visit the=20
website at www.cfc-ccaf.gc.ca. on the Internet.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2><STRONG></STRONG></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV></BODY></HTML>

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