http://www.canada.com/national/story.asp?id=11792239-8C1A-4036-B3ED-98B4A14AC6CC
Gun owners to converge on Parliament
David Vienneau
Tuesday, December 31, 2002
A small band of gun owners plan to celebrate the new year by taking aim at Canada's controversial firearms registry program and getting arrested on Parliament Hill.
"We're here on a mission of civil disobedience and civil disobedience first and foremost civil, which means it's totally open and peaceful,'' Ed Hudson of the Canadian Unregistered Firearms Owners' Association told Global National yesterday.
"We think we will be arrested and that is not going to bother us. The whole point of the civil disobedience is to show the lunacy and the inane nature of this firearms act."
The protesters plan to converge on the Hill Wednesday where they say they will set their firearm's licenses on fire to protest the licensing and registration requirements of the Firearms Act. They also plan to want to nail "a declaration of non-compliance" on the front doors of the Parliament buildings.
"We plan to make ourselves known and to be blatantly obvious,'' said Bruce Montague of Dryden, Ont. "We want to defy this law. We want to be arrested and charged."
But they don't intend to become violent. Montague said while they may be carrying their guns the purpose of the demonstration is to garner public support not to make themselves look foolish.
"It's definitely peaceful," he stressed. "There will be absolutely nothing threatening, nothing whatsoever."
Hudson, of Saskatoon, said he and Montague were among five protesters driving from western Canada and northwestern Ontario. They expect to be joined by a similar number from the Atlantic problems. The group has been in contact with the RCMP and the Ottawa police to explain their intentions, Hudson said. A meeting is planned for today (Tuesday) to clear up any potential misunderstandings.
"They don't want to create big problems, they want to make a point,'' RCMP Const. Natalie Deschenes said before confirming today's rendezvous.
But what happens if they show up on Parliament Hill carrying their guns?
"We're still talking to them. We're still negotiating,'' Deschenes said. "We'll adjust accordingly."
Under the 1995 law, all gun owners were to have registered their firearms by tomorrow. But that deadline was set aside last week because of an enormous backlog and delay in processing applications. Justice Minister Martin Cauchon said gun owners may now send or fax letters of intent and then complete the necessary paperwork within six months.
The government froze funding for the controversial registration program following the release of a damning report by Auditor General Sheila Fraser which found the cost of the registry would exceed $1 billion by 2005. The original estimate was $2 million.
"That report was the best Christmas present we received," Hudson said. Alliance MP Garry Breitkreuz "has been telling the people of Canada that this bill is completely wasteful but no one has been listening to him. It took someone like the auditor general to get the attention of the Canadian people."
© Copyright 2002 Global National
Canadiens with cajones
Gun owners to converge on Parliament
David Vienneau
Tuesday, December 31, 2002
A small band of gun owners plan to celebrate the new year by taking aim at Canada's controversial firearms registry program and getting arrested on Parliament Hill.
"We're here on a mission of civil disobedience and civil disobedience first and foremost civil, which means it's totally open and peaceful,'' Ed Hudson of the Canadian Unregistered Firearms Owners' Association told Global National yesterday.
"We think we will be arrested and that is not going to bother us. The whole point of the civil disobedience is to show the lunacy and the inane nature of this firearms act."
The protesters plan to converge on the Hill Wednesday where they say they will set their firearm's licenses on fire to protest the licensing and registration requirements of the Firearms Act. They also plan to want to nail "a declaration of non-compliance" on the front doors of the Parliament buildings.
"We plan to make ourselves known and to be blatantly obvious,'' said Bruce Montague of Dryden, Ont. "We want to defy this law. We want to be arrested and charged."
But they don't intend to become violent. Montague said while they may be carrying their guns the purpose of the demonstration is to garner public support not to make themselves look foolish.
"It's definitely peaceful," he stressed. "There will be absolutely nothing threatening, nothing whatsoever."
Hudson, of Saskatoon, said he and Montague were among five protesters driving from western Canada and northwestern Ontario. They expect to be joined by a similar number from the Atlantic problems. The group has been in contact with the RCMP and the Ottawa police to explain their intentions, Hudson said. A meeting is planned for today (Tuesday) to clear up any potential misunderstandings.
"They don't want to create big problems, they want to make a point,'' RCMP Const. Natalie Deschenes said before confirming today's rendezvous.
But what happens if they show up on Parliament Hill carrying their guns?
"We're still talking to them. We're still negotiating,'' Deschenes said. "We'll adjust accordingly."
Under the 1995 law, all gun owners were to have registered their firearms by tomorrow. But that deadline was set aside last week because of an enormous backlog and delay in processing applications. Justice Minister Martin Cauchon said gun owners may now send or fax letters of intent and then complete the necessary paperwork within six months.
The government froze funding for the controversial registration program following the release of a damning report by Auditor General Sheila Fraser which found the cost of the registry would exceed $1 billion by 2005. The original estimate was $2 million.
"That report was the best Christmas present we received," Hudson said. Alliance MP Garry Breitkreuz "has been telling the people of Canada that this bill is completely wasteful but no one has been listening to him. It took someone like the auditor general to get the attention of the Canadian people."
© Copyright 2002 Global National
Canadiens with cajones
