A Message to All NFA and CSSA Members
by Norman “Griffon” Lapierre, President, Canadian Association for Self Defense

Dear member of the firearms community,

I am writing these lines while trying to remain as non-partisan as possible. The following message addresses itself to members of the CSSA and NFA equally.

The focus on firearms will soon fade from the media over the coming days now that the vote is over. Now while we can all take a collective sigh of relief after having fought so valiantly, it is now time to regroup and prepare for the next volley, for the battle of C-391 may have ended but the war is far from over.

You can rest assured that we are ONE SCHOOL SHOOTING away from a TOTAL FIREARMS BAN. Dawson College was neither the first, nor will it be the last horrific school shooting. No one knows when or where the next deranged killer(s) will strike, but strike he/she/they will. When that catastrophic event arrives, and the tears are tugging at everyone’s heartstrings, the antis will strike with such force that the hoop-la we just experienced with C-391 will look like a walk in the park.

The opposition will come after us with a viciousness rarely seen. They will demand an immediate prohibition of all black guns and handguns. You Perazzi owners and the .30/.30 owners should not feel too smug, for they will come for you eventually once they have rid Canada of the firearms that figure on the top of their list.

FIREARMS PROHIBITION IS IMMINENT… but it CAN be avoided.

It has been obvious to me for some time now, that there exists a climate of non-cooperation between the NFA and the CSSA. What does in fact exist is a “pissing contest” of sorts.

I sat down to dinner last year, with the then president of the NFA (Blair Hagen), the current president of the CSSA (Steve Torino), along with several other highly respected people in the firearms community. It was evident to me then that there was no middle ground whereas the two organizations would agree on. Rest assured, there is NO “spirit of cooperation” that exists between our two major orgs. A year later, nothing has improved, even with a recent change in the executive of the NFA.

While I do not profess to be an elite strategist, I do possess a good working knowledge about the mechanics of parliament and bureaucracy. Unless we (firearms owners and NOT the orgs) UNITE, we are soon going to have our heads handed to us on a platter. Please believe me that these are not the words of some raving “Chicken Little” lunatic. A large offensive is looming on the horizon. Time is our enemy, and the clock keeps on ticking.

To put it in very blunt terms, we are in DEEP TROUBLE. We have managed to kick the dog. We have poked it in the eye with a pointy stick… and they will be coming for payback!

There is one and ONLY ONE way we will survive this. There is a solution for our victory.

Each and every member of BOTH the NFA and CSSA, must contact their respective orgs and INSIST that mutual cooperation be initiated IMMEDIATELY. The pissing contest has to stop and STOP NOW.

I am NOT in any way talking of a merger of both orgs, I am talking a truce. I am talking of mutual COOPERATION to fight our common enemies.
A joining of hands. Both orgs have their respective strengths and weaknesses. Let us make them join their strengths and work together. Our very survival depends on this.

We must unite the entire firearms community, east and west, all Canadian firearms owners. It is our only hope for survival. It matters not whether you own a flintlock or a full automatic Thompson. The division amongst us is abhorrent.

This is not rocket science folks. Take the example from every other visible minority group, be it the gay and lesbian community, the black community, the jews and so forth. Not one of them gained any significant advances until they joined and formed a UNITED FRONT.

There is no room for grandstanding or soap box oratories. The “mine is bigger than yours” attitude has got to stop.
We, as a group, are being led to the gallows. To take a quote from the past, Benjamin Franklin’s statement, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately” was made at the signing of the Declaration of Independence on August 2nd 1776 and meant that if they did not band together in the fight against the British, they would all be hanged separately. This same statement holds true in 2010 with respect to our community.

So let’s put aside the schoolyard bravado and posturing. Demand that your org (NFA and CSSA) work TOGETHER for the common good of all firearms owners.

If we can work together, if we can bring firearms owners together, we will form such a sizable block of voting public, that we will scare the hell out of ALL the political parties. They will listen to a large group of voters. Whereas individually, we are nothing more than an irritant, a flea on the camels back.

I used to be a member of the “Knights of Columbus”. I know people who are members of various organizations such as the “Masons, Shriners, Moose… etc.” One of the basic founding principals or edicts of any fraternal organization is the fact that there is STRENGTH IN NUMBERS. Whether the “Fudds” like the “Black Gunners” or the “Handgunners” like the “Black Powder Types” is totally irrelevant. We need each other to survive. Divided we are doomed to certain death.

Contact you orgs NOW. E-Mail them. Call them. Send them faxes. Unless BOTH orgs cooperate with each other, we are soon to be history.

The ball is now in your court. You can either do something to save your firearms and your rights, or you can just delete this message, do nothing, and suffer the consequences of being complacent.

NFA
P.O. Box 52183
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2T5
Toll-free: 1-877-818-0393
Telephone: 780-439-1394
Fax: 780-439-4091
E-Mail: info@nfa.ca

Canadian Shooting Sports Association
7 Director Court, Unit #106,
Vaughan, ON, L4L 4S5
Toll Free: 1-888-873-4339
Phone 905-265-0692
Fax 905-265-9794
E-Mail: info@cdnshootingsports.org

Stay safe.

Norman “Griffon” Lapierre
President
Canadian Association for Self-Defence
514-575-3890