Message From the Chair

The last twenty years have been difficult for our community, we have seen our culture, our sport and our pride ridiculed, diminished and severely restricted, largely in part of a misguided need to combat social issues that have little or nothing to do with us. These restrictions have proven to have little to no effect on the problems they were once thought to have solved and the tide is beginning to turn.

It is a legal privilege in Canada to own firearms. That is a fact. As an elite group of Canadians that have the right to enjoy that privilege we have a responsibility to ensure that we do all that we can to make sure that privilege is protected and continues to be an option for generations to come.

The firearms community is growing exponentially in Canada and this is a very positive sign – not only for our community itself but for the greater Canadian community. This sport/industry has a viable impact on our Canadian economy, our conservation efforts and is one that can be enjoyed by anyone at any age.

The Canadian Firearms Institute strives to strengthen the community from within by supporting our clubs, retailers, gunsmiths, hunters, trappers and all the different shooting disciplines as well as focusing advocacy efforts on increasing the positive public perception of who we are and what we do.

The success of these advocacy efforts can be seen in the recent changes of attitude towards us. New legislation are being proposed to lessen the impact of previous legislation which turned privileged community oriented individuals into federal criminals for paperwork infractions. Common sense attitudes towards balancing the need to control criminal behaviour and lessen the offensive restrictions placed on us as trustworthy Canadians are beginning to emerge politically and in the media.

We need to take a pro-active approach to capitalize on the changes and work diligently to ensure they continue. As Chairman of the Canadian Firearms Institute, I am honoured and proud to have a hand in making this happen and I ask you, as a proud member of our elite community to join with us in this effort.

We need your support to help make this happen.

Together we can make a difference. Together we can ensure that generations to come will be able to enjoy our sport, take part in celebrating our heritage and continue the legacy.

Sincerely,
Michael N. Corson, Chair