.... We didn't cancel our hunt because of the 50 dollar fee to bring guns in. We cancelled it because the law was ridiculous and told our outfitter to complain that he was loosing business over it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think if a dude showed up at camp to hunt big game with a Daisy Red Ryder, the outfitter couldn't even loan or rent him a proper rifle.
Pete
Pete, I want to belatedly thank you and your friends for canceling your Canadian hunt. At the time I lived in British Columbia and was very involved in the organized opposition to the new laws. In fact was I part of a delegation of 'the gun-lobby' that was invited to meet/ consult with, and present our side of the issue to the now infamous Alan Rock, Canadian Justice Minister, the force behind the new laws. All we got out of that meeting was free ice water, which went well with the icy reception provided by the Minister and his associates.
At that time, the Canadian 'gun lobby' such as it was, requested US hunters and competitive shooters to cancel their trips to Canada to help with the protest. I never actually knew how well it was received in the US. I have now traveled from the 1990 twenty years in time, and am happy to express my appreciation and gratitude.
While living in Canada I envied the US having the 2nd Amendment and the tradition and history behind it. Now that I have lived in the USA for 10 years, I see I am still on the side of law-abiding gun owners, as I was in Canada. The difference is in the US there is still the 2nd that has to be dealt with, and though some elements believe it would be possible to '
overcome' the 2nd, the fact that it even exists keeps a strong resistance in a large portion of the citizenry not to have it messed with.
Canada hasn't even a whisper of such a thing, and without the history and tradition of trusting citizens that is anchored by the US Constitution and Bill of Rights, Canadian citizens (especially gun owners) have no such anchor. So other than common sense and factual information, there are no constitutional or historical anchor points to work with. (And we all know how far common sense and facts influences politicians.)
One final thing I will say, Alan Rock and the Liberal Party of Canada created the Canadian Gun Lobby back then much as Barack Obama has for the last couple of years become the Number One Firearms Salesman in the USA.
http://www.mikehuber.com/latest-news/barack-obama-firearms-salesman-of-the-year.
Canada's gun owners had local clubs and organizations, but not a strong national voice. We were law-abiding responsible firearms owners, not causing harm to anybody. We groused and complained a lot, but bottom line were willing to live under the laws of the land as they were. Then powerful do-gooders decided more had to be done to protect society from us, and we discover we needed to protect ourselves from THEM. It did not take long for us to get the message.
Times have changed!
