I am writing this to help people to communicate and to be heard by your political representative( MLA or MP, county or city councilors, etc.).

One of the first things that you will have to realize is that these people have huge time constraints,....in other words, they are BUSY! Committee meetings, one on one meetings, parliamentary and public meetings, what they are involved in or places they have to be can be too much for one person to keep track of, so they have office staff and assistants to keep track of their scheduling and the amount of information they have to digest at any one time. With this in mind, any correspondence or letters you send will have to be short, polite and to the point if you want them to be read. I am not talking about a 5 to 10 page dissertation on a given subject, I mean something under 1 page. Ideally, 1 to 2 paragraphs to ½ a page MAX. If you cannot make your point without going over this guideline, you have not thought about it enough. No great explanations or history is needed....if any more information is wanted, they will contact you. Your job is to get their attention, pique their interest, and address your concern. Anything longer than 1 page will likely be ignored, or be fodder for the shredder. They simply do not have the time for more.

While talking to the person in charge (MP, MLA, etc.) is a good thing, it is better(in my opinion)to get to know the assistant, or staff in charge of the file that is concerning you. These people do the bulk of the work, and research for the person in charge, and will pass on the relevant information.  The staff or assistants will have more time to talk with you and usually will know more about the details of a given topic. Get to know these people, talk with them often and visit the office when you can so they can connect your face and name. You also need to know who you are talking to. Rule of thumb for me is that if they do not know my name or recognize my voice, I am not talking with them nearly enough. Respect their time, and thank them for it.

When having a meeting, keep to the topic, be brief, polite, and to the point. If your representative wants to engage you in off topic conversation after you have made your point, let them. It will give you (and them) an opportunity to get to know and develop a relationship with you....always a good thing. Remember, respect their time, and thank them for it. Always have a hard copy of the points you want to discuss to give to them before you leave, as this will give them a permanent copy of your information if they wish to review, or use it later.

When presenting a problem or concern, (and think about this long and hard) always present possible solutions to the problem or concern. This will tell the person (MLA, MP, etc.) that you have thought about the problem or concern, and are willing to work with them to come to a solution. They would rather hear about how to solve a problem than to hear you bitch, whine, and moan, while offering no practical solutions to the problem.

When making and using a petition, again, use only a couple of paragraphs, or better yet a couple of sentences. The attention span of the general public is short, and they generally do not want to take the time to read through a long explanation of the given subject. I have had people look me in the eye ask me, “What is this (the petition) all about?”, while not looking at or bothering to try and read it. Having a good and short 1 liner to explain the petition will get them to sign, provided they agree. When formatting your petition, only allow 1 signature per page, there are several reasons for this. Room is needed for people to be able to record their information on the page NEATLY. Putting ‘PLEASE PRINT’ before the signatories information helps immensely, as any illegible information is rejected when the petition is handed in. This can and does happen when there are 10 or more signatories per page. The idea is to have as many signatures as possible accepted when the petition is handed in. The sheer volume of a good petition is also a very nice visual effect when it is handed in. The information is also good for your organization, as this will tell you who your supporters are more likely to be.

In summary; be short sweet and to the point. Be POLITE. Offer solutions. Tell them you appreciate their time, and MEAN IT.

One last thing, ....do your research on the topic, be accurate and stick to the facts, otherwise you will look like a fool.

Know your rights, or you won’t have any

Todd Brown
Executive Director  FIRE
Firearms Institute for Rational Education
Co-founder CGOA
​Concerned Gun Owners of Alberta

For those of you that know me at all, know that when it comes to terminology, I am very picky and try to be precise. When it comes to terminology and the law, the definition of words is everything. Change the meaning of a word, or have a phrase that has no definition, and the meaning of legislation will be changed, or be open to interpretation. All gun owners are very aware of this when new laws are introduced.
With that in mind, I have always known that gun owners are the safest segment of society, but as the laws have become more arbitrary and stringent, I have become very uncomfortable using the phrase ”law-abiding” gun owner. With the latest round of confiscations by the liberal, it is harder and harder to be “law abiding” when we do not even know what the law is. In a lot of cases I do not think the word “legal” even fits. Using “law abiding” to describe gun owners may be a detriment as laws continue to ultimate dis-armrement.  The “anti’s” will use it as a bludgeon when we disagree with their laws. If we are so “law abiding” why won’t we follow their laws when they mandate we totally disarm? Or even now as they make laws stricter, how can we be “law abiding” when we vehemently disagree with the new regulations?
Finding a new word or phrase to better describe us would help with our image as ordinary people who disagree with the current laws.
Since the firearms community is both peaceful and responsible, this is how I am going to start referring to all gun owners in the future. I am a peaceful and responsible gun owner. Are you?
Know your rights or you won’t have any
 Todd Brown
Executive Director FIRE
Firearms Institute for Rational Education

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How does reclassifying something gun related make it illegal? Good example, the Ruger 10/22  large capacity magazines.
First, ownership(re: possession) has to be made dependent on permission from the government. To do this the government had to outlaw simple possession of a firearm. Now you have to get permission to possess a gun from the government in the form of a licence. This was achieved with the introduction of the Firearms Act in 1995. The addition of sec 91 and 92 to the Criminal Code of Canada made gun possession in Canada illegal by default:
·  91 (1) Subject to subsection (4), every person commits an offence who possesses a prohibited firearm, a restricted firearm or a non-restricted firearm without being the holder of

• (a) a licence under which the person may possess it; and
• (b) in the case of a prohibited firearm or a restricted firearm, a registration certificate for it.

·  92 (1) Subject to subsection (4), every person commits an offence who possesses a prohibited firearm, a restricted firearm or a non-restricted firearm knowing that the person is not the holder of

• (a) a licence under which the person may possess it; and
• (b) in the case of a prohibited firearm or a restricted firearm, a registration certificate for it.

Now that gun possession is revocable privilege,…classifications are added so that some guns are harder to obtain. Non-restricted, covers most long guns, rifles shotguns, etc….Restricted covers handguns with a barrel length over 4 1/8 inch, and some long guns based only on looks. Prohibited covers handguns with a barrel length under 4 1/8 inches, and full automatic actions.
After getting all proper permission and forms filled, most Canadians can obtain a non-restricted, or restricted licence. As for the prohibited class licence(this is important), the only way to have this class is by grandfathering, or, you had to have had a firearm of this classification before the Firearms Act came into law. You cannot get one and once you lose it, it is gone. Everything you thought you owned under the prohibited classification is now forfeit to the crown. Another word for this is ‘confiscation.’
So, when the RCMP ‘reclassify’ something, like the Ruger 10/22 magazines, they are saying that they do not want you to be able to own that particular ‘thing’ and are telling you that they are going to confiscate it. The prohibited class is being used a confiscation tool.
Next time you hear of something being ‘reclassified’,…in reality, it is about to be confiscated. Licencing and registration truly does lead to confiscation.
Todd Brown
Executive Director,
F.I.R.E.