CILA Defending Canada's Heritage ---------------------------------------------- August 17, 1999 CILA Community Newspaper Project Rationale Few members of Canada's recreational firearms community (RFC) would dispute the rampant anti gun bias that permeates the North American media. Recent tragic shootings in Littleton, Ottawa and Taber revealed that sensationalized press coverage boosted television ratings and increased newspaper sales. On several occasions, reporters became so intense and offensive that they were ordered to leave the scene of the crimes. The media had no difficulty, whatsoever, reporting on the negative effects of firearms. Fortunately, there is good news from the scientific community that could save thousands of times as many lives as were lost in these 3 tragedies. The bad news is that the media is generally unwilling to publish the truth, that firearms are a net benefit to society. Emile Therien (Canada Safety Council), Priscilla de Villiers (CAVEAT) and others have served as recent mouthpieces for the anti gun platform of the Coalition for Gun Control. Their letters contain information that is erroneous, unsubstantiated and misleads the Canadian public to support the disastrous Bill C-68. On behalf of the RFC, CILA has been monitoring this imbalance across Canada. Many of our members have reported that anti gun special interest groups are allowed lengthy letters (500-900 words), whereas the pro gun side is usually limited to 200-300 words, if published at all. These anti gun letters tend to bear no connection to a specific letter in the newspaper. When a pro firearms letter is not published, a common reason given is that it did not connect to a previous letter. Whereas the anti gun side is published frequently and in timely fashion, the pro gun side is not, despite many more letters coming from the latter side. This has been the general pattern for the past 5 years. On a good day the Coalition for Gun Control has 3,000 members. On a good day the RFC has 7 million members. Why the antis receive easier and more coverage is open to speculation. CILA Community Newspaper Project In response to these injustices, the Canadian Institute for Legislative Action announces the development of the CILA Community Newspaper Project. This program focuses primarily on the small community newspapers that are published once a week. Objectives The objectives of the Project are: . To convince community newspaper editors to publish the article "Firearms a Net Benefit to Society". . To utilize community newspapers as prime vehicles for communicating the real truth on gun control to the Canadian public. Implementation Procedures What CILA is asking gun owners to do is simple, important and achievable. 1. Make personal calls to editors of community newspapers in your area. Using the reasons contained herein, convince them to print the enclosed article "Firearms A Net Benefit to Society". 2. If the response is positive, thank them for their consideration. If it is not, ask why. 3. When the article is published, post your success for others to see. Email addresses tom_zinck2@hotmail.com Internet web sites: 4. Organize local gun owners to respond to the article and thank the newspaper for allowing it to be published. Extension 1. In a follow-up call to the editors, suggest that if they were open to it, you could provide them with a similar weekly article that would demonstrate the ineffectiveness and $3.5 billion waste of Bill C-68. CILA will provide these articles for you immediately. 2. To test the effectiveness of the Project, I implemented the preceding steps. On August 14, "Firearms a Net Benefit to Society" was published in the Ottawa-Carleton Clarion by editor James Deagle. This message reached about 150,000 readers in the national capital region. The plan is simple and it works. Now it needs to be repeated all across Canada. 3. If you really want to save your shooting sports, get with the program! Professor Al Dorans, Director of Operations, CILA Canadian Institute for Legislative Action / Institut Canadien pour l'Action Legislative National Office: P.O.Box 44030, 600 Grandview St. S. Oshawa, ON. L1H 8P4 Ph: (905) 571-2150 Fax: (905) 436-7721 e-mail: teebee@sprint.ca Ottawa Office: 27 Cedar Grove Crt. Nepean, ON. K2G 0M4 Ph: (613) 828-8805 Fax: (613) 828-6967 e-mail: aldorans@magma.ca Home: http://www.cila.org A proud member of the World Forum on the Future of Sport Shooting Activities / Forum du Monde sur le Futur d'Activites des Sports des Armes .............................................................................. Firearms a Net Benefit to Society Why do members of the media consistently fail to report the beneficial impact of firearms on Canadian society? Particularly, in times of rare shooting tragedies, certain members of the press and special interest groups rush to exploit the emotion of the moment by resurrecting their anti-gun agendas. Banning guns would cost thousands of Canadian lives annually. In "Canadian Attitudes Toward Gun Control: The Real Story" (1997), Professors Gary Mauser and Taylor Buckner found that Canadians use firearms 64,000 times a year for self-protection against criminals and animals. The resulting impact is that 3,300 lives are saved every year and a safer country. They determined that for every life lost with a firearm, approximately 40 lives are saved. In the USA, law professor John Lott Jr. conducted the most rigorous study on the relationship between gun control and violent crime. Using extensive FBI statistics for all 50 states and 3,054 counties over 18 years, Lott concluded in his book: "More Guns, Less Crime" (1998). He found that the civilian ownership of firearms deters violent crime and mass killings. In states where gun availability was higher, crime rates were significantly lower. Apparently, non-gun owners benefit from a "shield of protection" provided by those who own firearms. This is especially effective, if criminals have no idea where firearms are located. For every life lost with a firearm in the USA, Dr. Edgar Suter (1994) reported approximately 65-75 lives are saved. How do firearms save lives? In "Armed and Considered Dangerous: A Survey of Felons and Their Firearms" (1986), Wright and Rossi discovered that criminals feared an armed homeowner more than the police. This was especially true in areas where there were high levels of civilian gun ownership. Criminals specifically avoided burglarizing houses when citizens were at home because they were afraid of getting shot. Instead, they preferred committing less risky crimes, such as stealing cars. If criminals received guarantees that all civilians were undefended, however, open season would be declared on citizens, their families and their private property. Banning firearms will not reduce suicide, gun accidents or domestic violence. Where gun bans were implemented in Wales, England, New Zealand, Australia New York City, Washington, D.C., Detroit and Chicago, crime rates soared. Criminals simply move into the undefended vacuum and bless politicians for their ignorance. If guns were banned from cities, Canada would become less safe. Generally, there is no compelling evidence that more gun control laws reduce violent crime. Current research reveals that additional restrictive Canadian gun legislation since 1977 has had no impact on violent crime. In Canada 44% of rural households own firearms compared to 11% in cities. Since violent crime in cities is 40% higher than in rural areas, here is proof positive that more guns equal less crime. At least 7 million law-abiding Canadians use 21 million firearms to pursue their recreational shooting lifestyles and their cultural hunting heritage. Responsible gun owners enjoy the freedom to use firearms for recreational target shooting, hunting, trap shooting, skeet shooting, Olympic competition, protection against animals, protection against criminals, biathlon competition, historical reenactments, collecting, pistol competition, rifle competition, defense of country and security jobs. Canadians value firearms that have been passed on from generation to generation as their treasured inheritances. They take great pride in creating and participating in safety programs that have led to a steady decline in gun accidents over the past 40 years. Because firearms owners are the safest citizens in Canada, insurance companies make profits by granting them $5 million of liability insurance for only $3.00. The shooting sports contribute $6 billion, 35,000 jobs and 35,000 taxpayers annually to the Canadian economy. For no just cause, the Liberal government has arbitrarily determined to destroy Canada's entire shooting sports industry. This is the gross act of injustice known as Bill C-68. Through license fees, hunters pay for Canada's conservation and environmental programs. Millions of gun owners donate their money, time and energy to preserve the environment and diminishing wetlands. During times of financial cutbacks, gun owners act as the eyes and ears of conservation officers in the field by reporting poachers and violators of wildlife laws. Hunters participate cooperatively in research studies that ensure the survival of many wildlife species. Banning guns would eliminate these magnificent contributions to Canadian society and the environment. Lest we forget, in World War II 45,000 trained marksmen in the shooting sports laid down their lives to defend the Canadian democracy against Nazi tyranny. In WW 1, more than 68,000 Canadian soldiers paid the ultimate price. It would be a colossal breach of faith to relinquish the democratic freedoms they fought so valiantly to protect. This is compelling historical evidence that firearms save lives. Professor Al Dorans Director of Operations, CILA Ottawa Office end of message To unsubscribe from this list, do not reply to this message. Instead, e-mail the following two lines to majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-alert end