National Firearms Association

History

FARO (Firearms and Responsible Owners) was founded in 1969 in Ottawa, Ontario, in response to the Trudeau Government's Bill C-51 firearms law. The founder and President was Bill Jones, and it became the national voice for lawful firearms owners, essentially an association of like minded Canadian groups and individuals. This was the vehicle used to bring this issue to the political level and inform lawful firearms owners of what faced them and it was based on two fundamentals: "We recognize the need of law as a prerequisite for an 'orderly' society, but we also recognize that bad laws are a prerequisite for an 'ordered' society. Two letters different, but two worlds apart." Also: "It is not a proper function of the law to place a peaceful person pursuing peaceful activities in jeopardy." FARO did accomplish making this a national and political issue. FARO was the first firearms advocacy organization to appear before the Justice Committee in the House of Commons. In 1979-1980 Bill Jones registered the NFA as national organization but ran out of personal funds used to pursue this issue and had to leave the organization, staying on long enough to allow time for an orderly tranisition . Reconstituted in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta, in 1984 by David A Tomlinson and Major R.A. (Ray) Laycock and others as "National Phoenix Firearms Information and Communications Association" (National Firearms Association - NFA). Re constituted in 2010 after the passing of National President D.A. Tomlinson (2007) as "Canada's National Firearms Association" (NFA). It currently has membership that is based across Canada.

Summary of NFA Actions

Summary of NFA Actions

National Firearms Association representatives have:

" Supported volunteer field officer as local contacts

" Provided information at gun shows and like events

" Challenged unfair firearms law in all levels of court

" Provided speakers at many pro-firearms rights meetings, and for local, provincial, national and international media

" Publicly challenged and debated key opponents of firearms rights, including Kim Campbell in Prince George in 1992 over Bill C-17, recent cabinet ministers and public officials and members of opposed organizations over several years on radio and TV

The NFA has undergone significant changes that have brought growth and benefit to the organization and its operations, including:

" Met with MPs, cabinet ministers, and political staff to advocate for significant changes to Canadian firearms law

" Prepared and edited major position papers for NFA, including those on the Explosives Act, and on various federal legislative matters affecting firearms owners

" Provided assistance on legal matters by briefing lawyers and their clients, as well as unrepresented people, on case law and application of Canadian Firearms Law

- Advised members and the public about problems with Canadian firearms law

" Brought in modern marketing and business practices including moving staff to a bright new location and rebranding NFA for the 21st century

" Provided strong leadership to a dedicated team of volunteers by focusing them on key objectives

" Led the drive to make the NFA a truly national organization by bringing it into Quebec and other parts of French Canada

" Grown the membership to over 70,000 members of all categories

" Engaged a highly effective management team and support staff

" Developed the successful athlete sponsorship program which supports several competitive shooters

" Established regular Annual General Meetings

" Completed annual financial reviews and audits in accordance with generally accepted accounting practices

" Promoted the cause of the organization in numerous interviews in all forms of media through interviews and media releases, as well as in online media debates

" Developed new bylaws for the organization, and made revisions to those bylaws to keep them up to date

" Received heraldic arms from the Governor General of Canada

" Made use of social media as a means of encouraging growth and a wider distribution of our message

" Encouraged a focused strategy of messaging for all NFA communications

" Established a paid lobbyist and marketing advisor to better connect with parliamentarians

" Presented at United Nations talks on the Arms Trade Treaty, and in talks on the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons. Established the NFA as a key pro-firearms NGO in its own right

" Supporting our founding membership in the International Association for the Protection of Civilian Arms Rights (IAPCAR) , and an active member of the World Forum on the Future of Shooting Activities

" Provided speakers at various conferences in Canada, the United States, and around the world to promote the cause of firearms rights and to better liaise with our allies

" Built alliances with like-minded groups by bringing in knowledgeable speakers to our AGMs

" Asserting a vigorous approach in getting out our message and defending the NFA against those opposed to our efforts

Here is a short list of reported cases for which the NFA is cited as having provided assistance in terms of case law, briefing, or intervention. There are many others which the NFA has assisted lawyers by providing reported and unreported case law, interpretation of law and advice as to approach

Attorney General of Quebec v. Attorney General of Canada, et al., 2013 CanLII 74490 (SCC) � 2013-11-21

Québec (Procureur général) c Canada (Procureur général), 2012 QCCS 3627 (CanLII) � 2012-08-03

Bevins v. Canada (Registrar of Firearms), 2013 FC 980 (CanLII) � 2013-09-25

Federal Court � Canada (Federal)

Anderson v. Canada (National Revenue), 1992 CanLII 4332 (CA CITT) � 1992-04-06

Canadian International Trade Tribunal � Canada (Federal)

R. v. Cancade, 2008 BCPC 336 (CanLII) � 2008-11-14 Provincial Court of British Columbia � British Columbia

R. v. Haus, 2016 BCPC 11 (CanLII) � 2016-01-04

Provincial Court of British Columbia � British Columbia

R. v. Henderson, 2009 ONCJ 363 (CanLII) � 2009-07-30

Ontario Court of Justice � Ontario

Quebec (Attorney General) v. Canada (Attorney General), [2015] 1 SCR 693, 2015 SCC 14 (CanLII) � 2015-03-27

Supreme Court of Canada � Canada (Federal)

R. v. Barnes, 2011 ONCJ 419 (CanLII) � 2011-06-24

Ontario Court of Justice � Ontario

R. v. Nur, [2015] 1 SCR 773, 2015 SCC 15 (CanLII) � 2015-04-14

Ontario (Community Safety and Correctional Services) (Re), 2015 CanLII 38828 (ON IPC) � 2015-06-30

Clare v. Thomson, 1991 CanLII 721 (BC SC) � 1991-05-06

Supreme Court of British Columbia � British Columbia

Martinoff v. Dawson, 1990 CanLII 251 (BC CA) � 1990-06-29

Court of Appeal � British Columbia

There are many others in which the NFA advised lawyers and provided case law, but was not a direct party to the case. There are presently two other cases underway regarding registration of firearms by a province and one regarding the ability to obtain a carry permit by a trapper.

In addition, National Firearms Association President Sheldon Clare was active in protecting the rights of firearms owners in negotiating major improvements to the Explosives Act which helped to protect persons hand-loading ammunition and storing ammunition at home. Blair Hagen and Sheldon Clare have been active in helping firearms owners with Firearms Act and criminal code firearms law problems.

NFA leaders including Sheldon Clare, Charles Zach, and Robert Bracken have been active in supporting the rights of firearms owners at the United Nations during several meetings on the Arms Trade Treaty and on the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PoA on SALW). NFA President Sheldon Clare was the only pro firearm rights speaker in the world to speak up for firearms users at the Second Conference of Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty held in August 2016 at the WTO UN Building in Geneva, Switzerland. He was also there to directly challenge the Canadian delegation�s presentation which announced that Canada would take steps to sign the Arms Trade Treaty.

The NFA continues to be Canada�s largest and most vigorous organization fighting for the rights of firearms owners.

Controversy

The NFA was criticized for its media release after the occurrence of a shooting spree that left three RCMP officers dead and two others wounded in Moncton, New Brunswick of June 5, 2014. Their statement read, "Incidents like these demonstrate...that none of Canada's firearms control efforts over the past 50 years have had any effect on preventing violence, or otherwise stopping bad people from carrying out their evil deeds... The excessive rules in place do not in any way increase public [sic] safety, but merely contribute to an expensive and unnecessary regime which harms only those of lawful intent." The release was perceived by the general population of Canada to be insensitive and politically motivated. The NFA stood by their statement claiming that they were responding to the calls for tighter gun control that people on social media and in government were making.

In late March 2015 the NFA pulled out of a committee looking at the Canadian government's proposed anti-terrorism legislation Bill C-51.