From the office of the
Ontario Handgun Association
The OHA office has just been informed that the provincial
government is seriously considering closing the CFO in Orillia,
opting out of C-68 and leaving us at the mercy of Ottawa. This
action would have very serious consequences for all of the
shooting sports in Ontario. Ottawa would be in control of all our
licenses, ATT, ranges and purchases.
Consider the following:
- Ranges re-inspected to the federal guidelines (most were closed
in BC by this action)
- ATT wording to the federal guidelines (one
permit per location and all guns listed)
- Local firearms officers
answering to an Ottawa appointed CFO (PWEU Squad?)
- Zero
tolerance to any and all infractions
- Lead times for permit
applications extended and on and on.
The CFO in Ontario has been very cooperative with the shooting
organizations and ranges. They have built up considerable
credibility and trust with the firearms owners. The organizations,
particularly the OHA, have an excellent working relationship with
them. We will lose all of that if the government opts out.
What can we do?
First, we need testimonials from all the clubs and organizations
attesting to the co-operation and working relationship with the
CFO and supporting their continued existence. These should be
mailed or faxed to Supt. Dana Ostrom at the CFO (777 Memorial
Drive, Orillia, L3V 7V3 fax: 705-329-7660).
Next, we have to put pressure on the Tory M.P.P.'s and Cabinet
Ministers. Quite a number of our members worked to get these
people elected and now they are leaving us to the dogs. Use all
the contacts you have to encourage them to keep the CFO intact.
(See Sample Letters Below)
This issue is urgent as there will be a meeting late next week
to decide the fate of the CFO and determine the government's
direction.
A package will be sent early next week to all the club contacts
along with names and addresses of all the PC M.P.P.s. You can
download this information from the government
website.
Please encourage your clubs to take action and send letters in
support of the CFO.
Please advise the Ontario Handgun office of any responses.
Best Regards
Larry Whitmore
Executive Manager
Also see O.F.A.H.
Notice
Note: These are Text file that you can copy and paste
into your word processor (MS Word, Word pad, etc.), and change the
blanks to the appropriate name for your club or association.