Hi Folks: NB CPFO at Hunter Ed Instructors Workshop Mar 22,97 A report to the cdn-firearms-digest As you know Hunter Ed/Firearms Safety in New Brunswick is delivered by approx. 700 volunteer instructors. The program is co- ordinated by the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Energy. In 1996 approx. 2700 people took the course. There are approx. 140,000 hunting licences sold in New Brunswick each year; New Brunswick population: 723,900, Electors: 562,128, Votes cast 391,141 in the 1993 election. Go figure! On March 22, 1997 a regional Hunter Ed. Instructor workshop was held in Fredericton. Approx 100 volunteer instructors were in attendance. The first item on the agenda was a presentation by Ms. Dianne Kelley, CPFO for New Brunswick. She has been in the position for one year and her talk was an outline of "the broad concepts of Bill C-68 and it's regulations and where it's headed." --I will attempt to summarize the points she made and I do apologize for any inaccuracies I may inadvertantly introduce.-- The purpose of the legislation is the comprehensive licensing of all firearms owners and the registration of all legally owned firearms in Canada. The firearms safety course will be split in two parts, the first dealing with non restricted firearms and the second with restricted firearms. Only the offence parts of Bill C-68 have been proclaimed. the rest is waiting on the regulations the systems and the training. The licensing of owners and the registration of firearms will begin together in 1998. There are two sets of regulations. the first tabled in May of 1996 was withdrawn and tabled again in November and is proceeding through parliament. The second has not yet been tabled. The system will rely heavily on technology and will require much co- ordination between departments and provinces. The goal of the licensing of all owners is to make it difficulty for criminals or other people who should not have access to firearms. She then launched into a discussion of the fees to be paid for the various bits of paper and while she expressed a clear understanding of the initial fees defined in Appendix A, below she displayed a lesser degree of understanding of fees in later years. The participants asked many questions and flushed out much of the fee structure described in Appendix A, below. observation--------------------------------------------------- I have come to the conclusion that this expressed lack of understanding is a manifestation of Federal Justice department policy: to try and obfuscate the matter until after the federal election. --------------------------------------------------------end observation Ms. Kelley's own involvement in the process is in the area of Communications and in Transition and Cost Agreements. There will be insert sheets to the CFSC for the first year, showing how key changes will affect the obligations of firearms owners. She discussed crossbows at some length which we found amusing since they are prohibited by DNRE for hunting purposes so about the only thing one can do with one in New Brunswick is to fondle it by dark of night. Visitors will be required to apply in advance to borrow or bring in firearms and will be checked out by CPIC and NCIC. applications are made for a 60 day period and may be extended for a year from the CPFO office. There is no interest in discouraging visitors. The regulations related to Registration are not yet tabled. The process will be faster and easier than the present system and will enable police to distinguish legal from illegal firearms and to easily find owners of lost or stolen firearms. Originally Licensing of owners was to start before registration now they will start together in one big bang! Safe storage will be unchanged from C-17 but will be communicated better. The intent is that the registration process be simple. 1. A Declaration process 2. A Validation process. This validation process will not take place till the next time the firearm is sold and transferred to the new owner. Privacy: All privacy laws will apply. This caused some real expressions of comfort by the instructors.:=) Penalties: A minimum of 4 years for commission of a list of crimes using a firearm same penalties for using an imitation firearm. Shipping: Shipments of firearms must be traceable and they must be packed in unidentifiable containers. Conclusion: C-68 will modernize a paper system making it efficient and without undue burden. Political Issues: A study of the history of firearms legislation shows that the policies of the Liberals and Conservatives have been remarkably similar Therefore substantial changes in the system as a result of the upcoming election are not anticipated. Appendix A: http://fox.nstn.ca/~nbfa/proforma/fees.txt In his dismissal of the C-68 Protest in Fredericton Feb 27, 1997 Justice Minister Alan Rock quipped that he didn't think that $10.00 to register all one's firearms was worth the protest. Fees for the use of firearms are not what Honourable Mr. Rock tries to portray them to be. The following fee structure is skilfully buried within the regulations presently before parliament: 1. Possession Only license (currently owned firearms) Fee $10 increasing to $45.00 in 1999 $60.00 in 2000 2. Possession and Acquisition License (non-restricted firearms, i.e. rifles and shotguns) $60.00 every five years . 3. Possession and Acquisition License (Restricted and prohibited firearms) $80.00 every five years 4. Possession license for Minors (less than eighteen years old) $10.OO for one year $20.00 for two years $30.00 for three years 5. Temporary borrowing license for non-resident $30 every 60 days 6. Customs confirmed declaration for visitors with own firearms $50 every 60 days This issue is not $10.00 to register all your firearms. It is a monumental tax grab and micro-regulation of sporting activity focused on those 200,000 New Brunswick voters who own firearms. Firearms owners will have one chance to tell Mr Rock at the polls what they think of this tax grab before he takes the next step: firearms prohibition just as in Britain, all handguns and Australia, all semi-automatic and pump action firearms. Frank