Thursday 2 April 2009

OUR PERSONAL LIVES ARE NO BUSINESS OF THE GOVERNMENTS

Support those who are truly and effectively investing time, effort and money into the fight for our personal freedoms and liberties.

Pierre Lemieux is one of those individuals par excellence, and he fights our battles on many different fronts.

Whatever your thoughts or feelings may be regarding firearms, the point of this constitutional challenge is important to us all: OUR PERSONAL LIVES ARE NO BUSINESS OF THE GOVERNMENT'S.This upcoming court case is quite important and senior members of C.A.G.E. will be there to support him.

FIREARMS LICENSING:
My love-life is no business of the government!
I am Paul Rogan, publisher of Canadian Access to Firearms, and a friend of Pierre Lemieux. I am helping raise money for Pierre Lemieux's fund in his challenge to the Canadian gun controls following the revocation of his right to have "armes for his defence" to paraphrase our English forebears. He will be in court in Mont-Laurier on May 26 and 27.
See http://www.pierrelemieux.org/ and especially http://www.libertyincanada.com/.
More details on Pierre's case are available at http://www.pierrelemieux.org/policecanada/cafc-cfc.html.

The gist of the case is that, in renewing "his" firearms licence (as he is forced to do every five years), Pierre refused to answer a question about his love life. Question 6(d) asks, "During the past two (2) years, have you experienced a divorce, a separation, a breakdown of a significant relationship, job loss or bankruptcy?" As an answer, he wrote, "My love affairs are none of your business." This form, like all the documents related to his case, is available on-line at the above address.

In the National Post of June 2, 2007, George Jonas wrote a column about Pierre's refusal to answer one of the intrusive questions. And Pierre himself wrote a column in the Ottawa Citizen of November 8, 2007.On December 1, 2007, Pierre received a registered letter from the Québec provincial police, which administers the federal gun control in cooperation with the RCMP's Miramichi bureaucracy. It was a "Notice of refusal to issue a firearms licence". The reason is clearly stated as his refusal to answer the intrusive question.

As a consequence, he was also notified that the "registration certificates" of his legally registered guns were revoked.

He filed a motion of appeal before the Québec provincial court. While he asks for the licence refusal to be quashed and apologies be issued, he argues that the Firearms Act and related Criminal Code provisions are unconstitutional, and that he does not need any licence to exercise his traditional liberties - his, and our, RIGHT to possess firearms.

His pro bono counsel is Richard A. Fritze, the well-known Alberta lawyer and committed defender of firearms owners and their rights. Financial support for travel and accommodation expenses, including for their high-powered expert witnesses, in what promises to be a long, difficult and protracted battle to reclaim our liberties is needed. The experts are all attending for only the cost of their travel and accommodations, a very generous donation in and of itself, but one which shows the level of dedication and commitment to this vital cause.
Pierre represents the best chance the gun community in Canada has had since Oscar Lacombe in 2001.

Already help is being pledged to his case (more details will be provided in my newspaper, Canadian Access to Firearms, regarding donors and expert witnesses). Richard Fritze is offering his time - for free at this stage of the proceedings (the Provincial Court) - a contribution worth over $50,000. My newspaper is giving three full pages of advertising, worth $500 each, and I have myself thrown another $500 cash in the pot. Mr. Barry Holland, has already donated $1,000. The Canadian Shooting Sports Associations (CSSA) has pledged $500. Other donations are starting to come in. But we need more.

We should be able to keep the out-of-pocket expenses to reasonable limits - we estimate we need around $10,000 in Provincial Court - again excluding Richard's time, which is provided free.

TAX DEDUCTIBILTY FOR ALL DONATIONS

All it will take is for 100 of us putting up $ 100, or 200 of us putting up $ 50.
Better, I suggest that you give $168, $268 (or $568), in "honour" of the 1995 Bill C-68 which brought us this infamy.

The Canadian Constitution Foundation (http://www.canadianconstitutionfoundation.ca/) has graciously agreed to help us, so that any donor of $68 or more will receive a charitable tax receipt making the full donation deductible from your taxable income.

There are several ways to make your donation:
1) You can send your check directly to CCF:
Canadian Constitution Foundation
235, 3545 - 32 Ave. N.E., Suite 641
Calgary, AB Canada T1Y 6M6

Do not forget to indicate on your cheque that that you wish to donate to the "Pierre Lemieux Legal Fund".
2) Go to http://www.canadianconstitutionfoundation.ca/ and make your donation online credit card.
Go to "Donate to CCF"
Go to "Optional: Designation"
Mark the "Property rights research and court cases" tab, the fifth one down on "Optional Designation" .
ALL donations made under this option will be earmarked exclusively for the Pierre Lemieux's Defence fund.
If you want your donation to be reflected immediately in our statistics, feel free to send me an e-mail ( firearms@northwestel.net ) confirming the amount of your donatio.
Any money over and above what the April 26-27 court case will cost will be spent on the follow-up court battle - or on similar cases. If we win, it is certain the Crown will appeal. If we lose, we will appeal.I know we can do it!
My warm thanks to all for taking the time to acquaint yourself with this case! Looking forward to your kind and generous response!

Paul RoganPublisher of Canadian Access

Nota Bene: Please feel free to forward this appeal to anyone you know who is interested in this cause. With our warmest thanks!

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