mildot
01-28-13, 19:15
Well up north we have had strict gun control, but now the Chief Firearms Officer(CFO) had decided it's not enough. He's an appointed Provincial Police Officer. The of Application to Transport (ATT) used to allow you to travel to any approved range in the province, however due to a recent court challenge to his authority he's decided to "push back"
Gun owners beware.
BRIDGEWATER, N.S. -- Ontario's top gun cop says he's within his mandate to change the rules for restricted gun owners transporting weapons in the province.
Legal handgun owners in Ontario must now carry a written invitation at all times if they are moving firearms between their homes and provincially approved shooting ranges.
"Most of the time, obtaining a written invitation will be easy," Ontario's chief firearms officer (CFO), Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Supt. Chris Wyatt told QMI Agency.
"The invitation may simply be a print-out of an e-mail from the member of the host club who has invited the authorization-holder to attend, or it might be a copy of a notice of a competition generated by the host club that invites members of other clubs to attend.
"If the authorization-holder does not have the written invitation on his/ her person, but can, if asked by the chief firearms office or police, produce it within a short, reasonable time, this will satisfy the condition."
The new conditions appeared on the Authorization To Transport (ATT) advising owners they must be a member of their destined range or an invitee and be able to show a police officer that invitation upon demand.
The CFO did not say what prompted the rule change and sources tell QMI Agency there was no signal from the feds to do so.
Firearms owners say handgun owners in Canada already face very strict controls and failure to follow the rules to perfection can land responsible gun owners in prison.
"The Firearms Act says you can shoot at another club if invited," said Tony Bernardo, spokesman for the Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA). "It says nothing about a written invitation, that now must be included in your travelling papers or you will be arrested.
"Wyatt has created a new document that is not specified in the Firearms Act and has bestowed criminal arrest powers on that document. Wyatt's job is to administer the law, not to create the law. That's what we supposedly elect politicians to do."
The CSSA is taking the provincially appointed chief firearms office staff to court, arguing Wyatt is making up law as he goes along.
The federal government will not comment on the issue saying the matter is before the courts.
Gun owners beware.
BRIDGEWATER, N.S. -- Ontario's top gun cop says he's within his mandate to change the rules for restricted gun owners transporting weapons in the province.
Legal handgun owners in Ontario must now carry a written invitation at all times if they are moving firearms between their homes and provincially approved shooting ranges.
"Most of the time, obtaining a written invitation will be easy," Ontario's chief firearms officer (CFO), Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Supt. Chris Wyatt told QMI Agency.
"The invitation may simply be a print-out of an e-mail from the member of the host club who has invited the authorization-holder to attend, or it might be a copy of a notice of a competition generated by the host club that invites members of other clubs to attend.
"If the authorization-holder does not have the written invitation on his/ her person, but can, if asked by the chief firearms office or police, produce it within a short, reasonable time, this will satisfy the condition."
The new conditions appeared on the Authorization To Transport (ATT) advising owners they must be a member of their destined range or an invitee and be able to show a police officer that invitation upon demand.
The CFO did not say what prompted the rule change and sources tell QMI Agency there was no signal from the feds to do so.
Firearms owners say handgun owners in Canada already face very strict controls and failure to follow the rules to perfection can land responsible gun owners in prison.
"The Firearms Act says you can shoot at another club if invited," said Tony Bernardo, spokesman for the Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA). "It says nothing about a written invitation, that now must be included in your travelling papers or you will be arrested.
"Wyatt has created a new document that is not specified in the Firearms Act and has bestowed criminal arrest powers on that document. Wyatt's job is to administer the law, not to create the law. That's what we supposedly elect politicians to do."
The CSSA is taking the provincially appointed chief firearms office staff to court, arguing Wyatt is making up law as he goes along.
The federal government will not comment on the issue saying the matter is before the courts.