From: owner-cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V15 #650 Reply-To: cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Sender: owner-cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Errors-To: owner-cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Precedence: normal owner-cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Cdn-Firearms Digest Wednesday, April 3 2013 Volume 15 : Number 650 In this issue: Loose Language in Reid's Gun Control Bill Allows the ... Obama could 'ban all handguns' using U.N. treaty Historic arms trade treaty passes while Canada gives ... RCMP ATI RESPONSE: FEDERAL CFO APPOINTMENT LETTERS Homeland agents failed to stop ATF, Fast & Furious guns from ... "Every officer…in Toronto has your picture ... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, April 3, 2013 1:12 pm From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: Loose Language in Reid's Gun Control Bill Allows the ... ...Beginnings of a National Gun Registry Loose Language in Reid's Gun Control Bill Allows the Beginnings of a National Gun Registry David S. Addington - April 3, 2013 at 12:14 pm http://blog.heritage.org/2013/04/03/loose-language-in-reids-gun-control-bill -allows-the-beginnings-of-a-national-gun-registry/ As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) must know, Americans who own firearms have a special sensitivity to a "Big Brother" federal government that wants to keep centralized records on who owns what guns and where in America. Loose language in his gun control bill (S. 649) could start America down that slippery slope. Since the Second Amendment guarantees to the people the right to keep and bear arms, many Americans look askance at efforts to create centralized records that might some day, in some distant future neither wanted nor expected, facilitate a despotic government's efforts to disarm the populace or ensure that its supporters but not its opponents possess arms. Some Americans look at history and view that concern as far-fetched; others look at history and see careful attention to that concern as essential to maintaining freedom. Congress has attended carefully to the concern about a federal gun registry in the past. Thus, for example, section 103(i) of Public Law 103-159 (18 U.S.C. 922 note) regarding the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) provides: No department, agency, officer, or employee of the United States may- (1) require that any record or portion thereof generated by the system established under this section be recorded at or transferred to a facility owned, managed, or controlled by the United States or any State or political subdivision thereof; or (2) use the system established under this section to establish any system for the registration of firearms, firearm owners, or firearm transactions or dispositions, except with respect to persons, prohibited by section 922(g) or (n) of title 18, United States Code, or State law, from receiving a firearm. Unfortunately, the Reid legislation deviates from this strong guarantee that protects against misuse of the NICS process to start a national firearms registry. Title I of the Reid gun control bill purports to "fix gun checks." The proposed "fix" in section 122 of S. 649 is to take away an individual's right to sell or give away a firearm to another individual unless, in most cases, the individual uses a licensed importer, dealer, or manufacturer to make the transfer of the firearm. In a departure from section 103(i) of Public Law 103-159, section 122(a)(4) of the Reid bill enacts a new section 922(t)(4)(B)(ii) of title 18 of the U.S. Code to direct Attorney General Eric Holder to issue regulations "requiring a record of transaction of any transfer that occurred between an unlicensed transferor and an unlicensed transferee." The legislation does not define the term "record of transaction," does not specify any limitations on who creates and who keeps the record of transaction, and does not explicitly incorporate the existing prohibition on a national firearms registry. Thus, the loose language could be construed to allow the Department of Justice itself (or another agency specified by the Attorney General) to keep centralized records of who received what guns and where, by sale or gift from one individual to another. Any provision of a bill relating to firearms that authorizes the Attorney General to issue regulations should explicitly be made subject to section 103(i) of Public Law 103-159 to eliminate any risk of misconstruction of the provision to allow creation in whole or in part of a national firearms registry. We Americans owe it to ourselves and our posterity to see that neither Senator Reid's bill, nor any other legislation concerning firearms, waters down the strong protection against a national firearms registry contained in section 103(i) of Public Law 103-159. The freedom we save may be our own. Posted in Ongoing Priorities ------------------------------ Date: Wed, April 3, 2013 1:29 pm From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: Obama could 'ban all handguns' using U.N. treaty Gun rights advocate: Obama could 'ban all handguns' using U.N. treaty GUN CONTROLAPRIL 3, 2013 BY: JOE NEWBY http://www.examiner.com/article/gun-rights-advocate-obama-could-ban-all-handguns-using-u-n-treaty On Tuesday, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly approved the Arms Trade Treaty, or ATT, a move that one gun rights advocate says could be used by the president to unilaterally ban all handguns with an executive order, WND reported. $B!H(BIt$B!G(Bs far beyond what it$B!G(Bs purported to do. It requires this country keep a national gun registry of gun owners. In addition, it could be used as a justification for banning semi-autos and banning handguns without any further legislation,$B!I(B said Mike Hammond, chief counsel at Gun Owners of America. $B!H(BIt could be interpreted as self-implementing, and by an executive order Obama would simply ban all handguns using this treaty," he warned. Hammond said the treaty would not be ratified by the U.S. Senate, and 53 senators have already voted against it, but, he added, that may not deter Obama. $B!H(BIt has no chance of being ratified, but I expect to see an effort by the Obama administration to enforce it, even without ratification,$B!I(B he said. He also warned that the treaty would lead to "microstamping," a process where every cartridge would be marked with a tiny signature.The gun-rights advocate also said that Connecticut's strict gun laws "were responsible for the massacre at Newtown." "The anti-gun policy didn$B!G(Bt work out very well for the kids at Newtown. All it did was telegraph to Adam Lanza that you can get your 15 minutes of fame, shoot up a classroom of first-graders and you don$B!G(Bt have to worry that there$B!G(Bs anyone there who$B!G(Bs going to shoot back," he said. On Monday, lawmakers in that state reached a bipartisan agreement on a series of sweeping proposals that would require, among other things, a state-issued certificate to purchase ammunition. Across the country, Democrats have proposed laws calling for registration, universal background checks on all gun transfers and in some cases, outright confiscation of guns classified as "assault weapons," based primarily on certain cosmetic features. A reader at WND suggested banning Democrats and "Republicans in name only" from holding political office instead of guns. ------------------------------ Gun rights advocates fear U.N. treaty will lead to U.S. registry By David Sherfinski-The Washington Times Tuesday, April 2, 2013 COMMENTS (2963) http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/2/un-passes-international-arms- regulation-treaty/ The U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday approved a sweeping, first-of-its-kind treaty aimed at regulating the estimated $60 billion international arms trade, brushing aside gun rights groups$B!G(B concerns that the pact could lead to a national firearms registry in the U.S. The long-debated U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) requires countries to regulate and control the export of weaponry such as battle tanks, combat vehicles and aircraft and attack helicopters, as well as parts and ammunition for such weapons. The treaty also provides that signatories will not violate arms embargoes or international treaties regarding illicit trafficking, or sell weaponry to countries where they could be used for genocide, crimes against humanity or other war crimes. $B!H(BThis is a good day for the United Nations, and a good day for the peoples of the world,$B!I(B said Australian Ambassador Peter Woolcott, the lead negotiator during the process. With the Obama administration supporting the final treaty draft, the General Assembly vote was 155-3, with 22 abstentions. Iran, Syria and North Korea voted against the proposal. U.S. gun rights activists say the treaty is riddled with loopholes and is unworkable in part because it includes $B!H(Bsmall arms and light weapons$B!I(B in its list of weaponry subject to international regulations. The activists said they do not trust U.N. assertions that the pact is meant to regulate only cross-border trade and would have no impact on domestic U.S. laws and markets. One provision requires participating countries to keep records of arms exports and imports, including the quantity, value, model/type, and $B!H(Bend users, as appropriate$B!I(B for at least 10 years. Gun record-keeping is a thorny issue in the U.S., where similar questions have stalled a debate over expanding background checks to include all private gun sales. Second Amendment supporters worry that such records eventually will pave the way for a national firearms registry, currently prohibited by federal law. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott wrote a letter to President Obama on Tuesday saying he would sue to block the treaty if it is ratified. It $B!H(Bappears to lay the groundwork for an international gun registry overseen by the bureaucrats at the UN,$B!I(B the letter said. The Senate last month also signaled its aversion, voting 53-46 to oppose the treaty in a nonbinding test vote as part of the budget debate. Eight Democrats joined all 45 Republicans in opposing the treaty. Sen. Jerry Moran, Kansas Republican, said Tuesday that it made no sense to pass a treaty that will bind the U.S., while Iran, Syria and North Korea will ignore it. $B!H(BThe U.S. Senate is united in strong opposition to a treaty that puts us on level ground with dictatorships who abuse human rights and arm terrorists, but there is real concern that the administration feels pressured to sign a treaty that violates our constitutional rights,$B!I(B Mr. Moran said. White House press secretary Jay Carney said Tuesday that the White House was pleased with the outcome, but $B!H(Bas is the case with all treaties of this nature, we will follow normal procedures to conduct a thorough review of the treaty text to determine whether to sign the treaty.$B!I(B Amnesty International and the Arms Control Association hailed the U.N. vote. Story Continues $B"*(B Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/2/un-passes-international-arms- regulation-treaty/#ixzz2PQgoMu93 Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter SEE RELATED: Texas AG to Obama: I$B!G(Bll sue if U.N. Arms Treaty is ratified ------------------------------ Date: Wed, April 3, 2013 1:38 pm From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: Historic arms trade treaty passes while Canada gives ... ...cautious support Historic arms trade treaty passes while Canada gives cautious support Canada - which voted for the treaty - was not among those cheering loudly when it passed with a resounding majority of 154 of the UN's 193 countries. By: Olivia Ward Foreign Affairs Reporter, Published on Tue Apr 02 2013 http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/04/02/un_arms_treaty_overwhelmingly_approved_after_years_of_negotiation.html Applause, cheers and shouts of joy greeted the passage of the UN's first treaty to regulate the vast global arms trade Tuesday, after a decade of international campaigning. It was hailed by many as a triumph over the illicit arms dealers, terrorists, rogue militias and criminal gangs who profit from deadly weapons or use them to kill, rape, kidnap and subjugate people around the world. "When I was seven, playing in the street, somebody opened fire on a house right next to me and wounded two people," said Colombian-born Lina Holguin of Oxfam-Quebec. "Later my cousin's husband was shot dead in a restaurant. I am very happy today because world leaders are finally listening to the voices of people like me, who know what it's like to live in fear." The treaty would condition exports of conventional weapons on the prevention of human rights abuses, terrorism, crime and genocide. Exporters would pay special attention to the effect of arms sales on women and children, and those who sign up would have to report yearly to the UN on arms deals and export control efforts, although there is no way of forcing countries to obey. Canada - which voted for the treaty - was not among those cheering loudly when it passed with a resounding majority of 154 of the United Nation's 193 countries. Nor was it one of the treaty's more than 100 sponsors. Twenty-three countries abstained from the vote, and Syria, Iran and North Korea voted against the pact. The three countries' objections prevented it from being adopted last week by consensus. Canadian advocates urged Ottawa to sign the treaty promptly and send it to Parliament for ratification. But Foreign Minister John Baird's press secretary Rick Roth said by email, "We will take the time to review the final treaty and consult with Canadians before making a decision on next steps." He gave no details of what consultations were planned, or with whom. But he said, "The legitimate civilian use of firearms for sporting, hunting and collecting purposes should not be the target of an arms trade treaty," pointing out that "Canada led the way in ensuring language was inserted into the preamble of the treaty recognizing this important fact." Roth said that Canada itself has "some of the highest global standards in export control of munitions," and supported the treaty because it would help move others closer to them - and because "negotiations and consultations" were the only way to reduce illegal trade and diversion of weapons to abusers. Ken Epps of Project Ploughshares, based in Waterloo, Ont., said that the treaty had widespread support in Canada, and the government "should not be dragging its feet." Countries can sign up starting June 3, and once 50 have signed it will come into force within 90 days. Epps said that "elements within the gun lobby" are opposed to the treaty, and Ottawa appeared to be listening. "(The lobby) is influenced by the misrepresentations of the (U.S.) National Rifle Association, which says the arms trade treaty will have dire consequences for their access to firearms. That is not the case." The U.S., which was under heavy pressure from the association to reject the treaty - and is the world's largest arms exporter - also supported it. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that he welcomed a "strong, effective and implementable arms trade treaty that can strengthen global security while protecting the sovereign right of states to conduct legitimate arms trade." But he said it did not interfere with the right of states to regulate arms on their own territory. Republicans in Congress have already spoken out against the treaty and said they will not ratify it. But treaties may be observed by countries whose leaders have signed up to them, regardless. During more than six years of difficult negotiations, many countries had voiced objections to the arms trade treaty on a range of issues, including Russia, China, India and Egypt, all of which abstained from the vote. Some were concerned about disrupting arms contracts already in progress, others that it was unfair interference with their political agendas. Those lobbying for the treaty were disappointed that the scope of weapons to be controlled was too small, and it lacked tough regulations on trade in ammunition. Listed weapons include tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large-calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and launchers, and small arms and light weapons. Australian Ambassador Peter Woolcott, who chaired the negotiations, said the treaty will "make an important difference by reducing human suffering and saving lives." With files from the Star's news services ------------------------------ Date: Wed, April 3, 2013 2:22 pm From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: RCMP ATI RESPONSE: FEDERAL CFO APPOINTMENT LETTERS RCMP ATI RESPONSE: FEDERAL CFO APPOINTMENT LETTERS - RCMP FILE: A-2013-00408 WORDING OF ORIGINAL ATI ACT REQUEST DATED FEBRUARY 11, 2013: "Please provide copies of the authorization and designation documentation required by Firearms Act sections 2.(1)(a)(b)(c), 98 and 99 for all the currently serving Chief Firearms Officers." RCMP RESPONSE DATED MARCH 21, 2013: "Based on the information provided, a search for records was conducted in Ottawa, Ontario. Enclosed is a copy of all the information to which you are entitled. Please note that the RCMP does not have copies of the designations signed by the provinces." EXCERPTS FROM THE CFO APPOINTMENT LETTERS: Ottawa, this 30 day of October 2001: A. Anne McLellan, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada hereby designates Pamela Adey as Chief Firearms Officer for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, to perform the powers, duties and functions under this Act, effective September 6, 2001. Ottawa, this 19 day of May 2006: Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness hereby designates J.R. (Sandy) Ervin as Chief Firearms Officer for the province of Saskatchewan, to perform the powers, duties and functions under the Act, effective May 19, 2006. Ottawa, this 22 day of August 2007: Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness hereby designates Theresa Hamilton as Chief Firearms Officer for the province of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory, to perform the powers, duties and functions under the Act, effective September 1, 2007. Ottawa, this 27 day of May 2009: Peter Van Loan, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness hereby designates Karen Mowat as Chief Firearms Officer for the province of Manitoba and the Nunavut Territory, to perform the powers, duties and functions under the Firearms Act, effective January 15, 2009. Ottawa, this 31 day of July 2012: Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety hereby designates Daniel Magotiaux as Chief Firearms Officer for the province of Alberta and the Northwest Territories, to perform the powers, duties and functions under the Firearms Act, effective March 26, 2012. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, April 3, 2013 2:28 pm From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: Homeland agents failed to stop ATF, Fast & Furious guns from ... ...crossing border Homeland agents failed to stop ATF, Fast & Furious guns from crossing border By John Solomon-Washington Guardian Tuesday, April 2, 2013 http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/2/homeland-agents-failed-to-stop-atf-fast-furious-gu/ Fifteen months before the Fast & Furious gun scandal was unmasked in public, Homeland Security agents along the Arizona border recognized that their colleagues at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were allowing illegal guns to flow across the border to Mexican drug gangs in violation of federal policy. The agents working for Homeland$B!G(Bs Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raised objections internally to their bosses and to their ATF colleagues in late 2009 without success, but did not escalate their concerns to superiors in Washington, according to a new Homeland Security inspector general report that uncovered yet another missed opportunity inside government to stop the bungled gun trafficking investigation. $B!H(BMost Homeland Security Investigations personnel in Arizona who received information about the investigation recognized that the task force was using a flawed methodology, which was contrary to ICE policy and practices for weapons smuggling investigations,$B!I(B the inspector general concluded in a little-noticed report issued late last month. And the special agent in charge in the case for Homeland failed to appreciate that the flawed tactics in the investigation - allowing weapons to $B!H(Bwalk$B!I(B across the border - violated ICE policies, the report added. The Fast & Furious gun smuggling probe has become a major black eye for the Justice Department after revelations that ATF supervisors allowed more than 1,700 semiautomatic weapons between fall 2009 and early 2011 to flow through the hands of suspected straw buyers for the Mexican drug cartels without being interdicted. As many as 500 of the weapons later showed up at violent crimes scenes on both sides of the border, including two at the scene of a December 2010 murder of U.S. border agent Brian Terry. Numerous Justice officials have since been criticized or reprimanded for approving of the flawed strategy, and several top ATF officials lost their jobs in a scandal that angered America$B!G(Bs allies in Mexico and drew significant criticism inside Congress. But while most of the focus has been on ATF and Justice officials, Homeland Security investigators for ICE were also involved in the case and briefed on the tactics as part of an interagency task force. Memos and interviews conducted by Homeland$B!G(Bs inspector general found that numerous ICE agents and mid-level supervisors in Arizona recognized almost immediately back in late 2009 that ATF agents were letting guns flow across the border, failing to follow the federal policy of trying to interdict the weapons to keep them from falling into the hands of criminals. One assistant agent in charge at ICE wrote a memo after a late November 2009 briefing with ATF that highlighted the concerns. $B!H(BI think the consensus of those of us on the call was that ATF is not working vigorously enough to track the weapons and ensure the guns aren$B!G(Bt going south. They have 260 + guns still unaccounted,$B!I(B the supervisor wrote. His concerns were shared throughout the ICE office, the IG found. $B!H(BDiscontinuing surveillance of suspected straw purchasers and losing high caliber weapons is abhorrent to every HSI special agent we spoke with about the issue,$B!I(B the report said. $B!H(BThey will not drop surveillance of suspect weapons.$B!I(B Homeland agents attempted to persuade ATF to change their tactics without success, and eventually were ordered to stand down on one case when they stumbled across some of the suspected smuggled weapons. Unable to get their bosses to intervene or to stop ATF agents, the Homeland investigators continued to stew about the tactics and the flow of weapons, but did not escalate their concerns to Washington headquarters. In fact, senior officials in Homeland in Washington, including Secretary Janet Napolitano, did not learn about the flawed tactics until March 2011, only after they were reported in the media. Back in Arizona, the Homeland agents$B!G(B concerns finally spilled over when the border agent Terry was murdered in December 2010 and guns from Fast & Furious were found at the scene, the inspector general found. $B!H(BThis is why you don$B!G(Bt let that many guns walk,$B!I(B one senior ICE official in Arizona wrote shortly after the Terry tragedy unfolded. Other ICE officials wrote similar emails in disgust. Story Continues $B"*(B Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/2/homeland-agents-failed-to-sto p-atf-fast-furious-gu/#ixzz2PQy4aANY Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter --------------------------------------- MEXICAN CARTELS ASSASSINATING US PUBLIC OFFICIALS http://patriot-newswire.com/2013/04/mexican-cartels-assassinating-us-public- officials/ The Associated Press is out with an extensive piece today showing just how far Mexican drug cartels have infiltrated American society. The cartel problem is no longer a border problem, it$B!G(Bs a problem for the entire country. Violent cartel members are carrying out crimes in our backyards with the potential to develop into something much worse. Mexican drug cartels whose operatives once rarely ventured beyond the U.S. border are dispatching some of their most trusted agents to live and work deep inside the United States - an emboldened presence that experts believe is meant to tighten their grip on the world$B!G(Bs most lucrative narcotics market and maximize profits. If left unchecked, authorities say, the cartels$B!G(B move into the American interior could render the syndicates harder than ever to dislodge and pave the way for them to expand into other criminal enterprises such as prostitution, kidnapping-and-extortion rackets and money laundering. But a wide-ranging Associated Press review of federal court cases and government drug-enforcement data, plus interviews with many top law enforcement officials, indicate the groups have begun deploying agents from their inner circles to the U.S. Cartel operatives are suspected of running drug-distribution networks in at least nine non-border states, often in middle-class suburbs in the Midwest, South and Northeast. READ MORE: http://patriot-newswire.com/2013/04/mexican-cartels-assassinating-us-public- officials/ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2013 14:56:28 -0600 From: Larry James Fillo Subject: "Every officer…in Toronto has your picture ... ‘Every officer…in Toronto has your picture’: Warrant issued in King and Portland shooting death Tyler Anderson / National PostA pedestrian passes two large blood stains on the sidewalk near the corner of King Street West and Portland Street where two men where shot early Thursday morning in Toronto, Ontario, March 28, 2013 Toronto police have named a suspect in the shooting of a 21-year-old man outside a King St. W. nightclub and say there are many eyewitnesses who have yet to come forward. A warrant has been issued for Nisar Hashimi, 23, who faces charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder using a firearm. Anthony Smith suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head as he and a fellow man were shot near the Loki Lounge at the corner of King St. W. and Portland St. around 2:40 a.m. Mr. Smith died from his injuries a few hours later while the other victim, who was shot in the arm and torso, survived. “It is clear to us that Anthony Smith was an intended target,” said Det. Joyce Schertzer. “We have downloaded and reviewed a good deal of surveillance footage from local businesses in the area and it’s very apparent after reviewing this video that there are dozens of eyewitnesses yet to come forward to police.” Mr. Hashimi was expected to turn himself in to police Wednesday morning after making an arrangement with his lawyer. However, he has yet to surrender to police. “We’ve alerted borders, neighbouring police services and other supportive agencies with regard to our efforts for a quick apprehension,” said Det. Schertzer. “Every officer on duty in the city of Toronto has your picture and the chief of police has afforded us every resource. You will be apprehended.” Toronto police are urging all witnesses to contact them immediately with any information. This was Toronto’s 14th homicide of 2013. ========================= ====================== The money quote is: “We have downloaded and reviewed a good deal of surveillance footage from local businesses in the area and it’s very apparent after reviewing this video that there are dozens of eyewitnesses yet to come forward to police.” Knowing they are defenceless, seeing how easily criminals intimidate entire neighbourhoods, how soon he'll be back on the street, a reluctant witness is the new normal. The criminal's social status has been elevated by government policy. It's now higher than the law abiding citizen. ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V15 #650 *********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca Moderator email: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@scorpion.bogend.ca List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@scorpion.bogend.ca FAQ list: http://www.canfirearms/Skeeter/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://www.canfirearms.ca CFDigest Archives: http://www.canfirearms.ca/archives To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next four lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".)