I say this rarely... but KUDOS TO THE NRA!

MicroBalrog

New member
U.S. gun lobbyist here to `counsel'
Canadian shooting group enlists NRA

Official denies interfering with election
Dec. 3, 2005. 01:00 AM
BETSY POWELL
CRIME REPORTER


The National Rifle Association, arguably the most powerful lobby group in the United States, has been enlisted to help shore up the influence of the Canadian gun lobby during the federal election campaign — something opponents say smacks of foreign interference and is indicative of the NRA's widening influence around the globe.

Glen Caroline, director of the NRA's grassroots division, is a keynote speaker and is giving a seminar today in Scarborough at the general meeting of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association, an umbrella organization of recreational firearms groups. It has 10,000 members.

The association invited Caroline to tap into the NRA's 135-year-old expertise "on grassroots lobbying ... basically (help to) increase the presence, how to help our candidates. They're not coming up here to interfere with the election or tell us who to vote for, they're just telling us how to become more politically active," Larry Whitmore, the association's director of sport development, said yesterday.

"We as firearms owners have not been very good at protecting our rights with the government because we're just not organized enough and we thought we would learn from the best."

But Wendy Cukier, president of the Coalition for Gun Control, said she's astonished by the blatancy of the NRA's involvement because the group's influence in jurisdictions outside the United States, while well known to people who monitor gun control issues, is not as familiar to the public at large.

"I don't think the average Canadian understands how powerful the gun lobby is," in opposing attempts to block tightening of gun control legislation and bans on handgun sales, the Ryerson professor said.

"It is ironic because it's three days before the anniversary of the Montreal massacre, it's in Toronto where most people are currently preoccupied with trying to prevent gun violence."

The NRA has a well-established tradition of "interfering" in other countries, Alun Howard, of the International Action Network on Small Arms, said yesterday by phone from London, England. "We've seen them working in Central America ... their arguments have appeared in England and Australia, so it's certainly a worrying trend that the NRA has gone global."

Most recently, the NRA's influence was credited — or blamed, depending on your viewpoint — with influencing the outcome of Brazil's national referendum in October on a proposal to ban the sale of guns.

In a country with one of the world's highest firearm murder rates, the proposal was soundly rejected.

NRA public affairs director Andrew Arulanandam said yesterday that the organization is only too happy to provide "counsel" to organizations in other countries to help ensure that "gun rights" prevail around the world, adding "we're really heartened with what happened in Brazil."

The NRA was approached because members belonging to the association share its underlying mantra: that gun control laws don't work, criminals don't obey the law, and the only people affected by gun control are law-abiding citizens, Whitmore said.

While the association hasn't officially endorsed a party, it likely will this weekend.
Additional articles by Betsy Powell
 
"I don't think the average Canadian understands how powerful the gun lobby is," in opposing attempts to block tightening of gun control legislation and bans on handgun sales, the Ryerson professor said.

Actually, it sounds like they understand perfectly well just how powerful the NRA can be when it gets going, and would like to be able to emulate it.
 
I wish Canadians the best in trying to reclaim their lost gun rights. Their so-called "leaders" are even more socialist than ours.

While we're at it - if you own guns and enjoy shooting, if you are not a member of the NRA, you need to be. No other group fights for your gun rights as effectively as the NRA does. The $35 per year dues won't kill any of us.

As gun owners and shooters, we all benefit from the NRA's efforts on our behalf. We should all therefore lend a hand in the fight to preserve our right to arms.

And yes, I am a member - a life member.
 
ok...so people there in Canada are mad because the NRA is getting involved? Aren't these the same people in Canada that are trying to establish national policy for us?

Damn Hypocrites.....leave us alone and we will leave you alone.......but sadly, people just don't get that
 
ok...so people there in Canada are mad because the NRA is getting involved? Aren't these the same people in Canada that are trying to establish national policy for us?

Well America has a history of exporting it's freedom all over the world. This is just another step in the glorious history of Americans making a world a better place.
 
Yeah I know that when living in the U.S., you more or less police the globe.....but when someone has needed help we were there. Or even when the U.N. needs some global ass-kicking done, we are there to do it. When we want the help though......forget it, we won't get any major support....other than the Brits.
 
just the socialist gun bigot politicians.
Who need a good slapping no matter where they live.

But I always looked at Canada as a place to point to when our own liberal socialists scumbags got too whiney, and say - go live there if ya want such a thing! What are we gonna do if they become a bastion of freedom too? :D
 
I wish Canadians the best in trying to reclaim their lost gun rights. Their so-called "leaders" are even more socialist than ours.
+1
And now, what with the shakeup of the Canadian government and outing of the Labors, they may actually have an opportunity to do just that.
 
But I always looked at Canada as a place to point to when our own liberal socialists scumbags got too whiney, and say - go live there if ya want such a thing! What are we gonna do if they become a basion of freedom too?
Just tell them that their type just might be welcome in Euro-Land?
 
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