AK,
I dont dispute your obvious training or credentials.
I do wonder why you have been such a crusader on this subject for so long?
I suppose some of your 918 posts have been on other subjects, but I cannot offhand recall any of your posts beyond this issue.
Just saying...
Well firstly I'd like to thank you for the congenial nature of your post. The emotional ad hominem rhetoric by certain others is getting tiresome.
I would like to state that I don't consider myself to be a "crusader", if you will, on this one particular subject. I do however consider myself to be fairly well informed and educated regarding both firearms and explosives and their related legislation. Regarding the topic of tracer ammunition there was a large shipment of 7.62x39mm that was imported and sold, but then ordered removed from store shelves by the Explosives Regulatory Division (colloquially generalized here as "NRCAN"). Board members were up in arms with the usual hyperbole and derision toward the government, accusations of agendas, all of that. I happened to be going to Ottawa to meet with ERD to discuss other matters and volunteered to ask why this was done. The answers I was given are the ones I've been "crusading" with.
What I find odd and still haven't been able to figure out, is how this community prides itself on being responsible and law-abiding when it comes to firearms law but explosives laws seem to be casually ignored. It could be said that explosives regulations are less straightforward than firearms ones, or are at least dealt with on a less regular basis so the public is not as informed as an industry insider might be. When I returned from Ottawa I shared my findings with the board and was summarily vilified by the peanut gallery because they didn't like the message I delivered. I didn't write the law and neither did the people at ERD but we all became convenient targets of frustration.
Being an industry insider affords me access to news and information that doesn't make mainstream media. While I do not have direct knowledge of someone being charged with possession of tracer ammunition I know that it is enough of a concern for ERD to do something about it, and I DO have knowledge of seizures and charges they have brought against companies and individuals for similar possession offenses. They are not an enforcement agency so they work with local police and the RCMP, meaning that they share this information with them. It is not unrealistic to expect that as time goes on such information will eventually be disseminated to front line cops, whose job it is to enforce ALL written laws.
Let's assume this scenario: a young man is at a gravel pit blasting away with a non-restricted SKS and tracer rounds. The SKS has a Tapco stock and a 5/20 magazine and "looks scary" but is otherwise perfectly legal. The local police have been getting complaints of "automatic fire" coming from the pit so they investigate it. One of the attending officers doesn't like guns or gun owners. See where this is heading? "I'm gonna check everything here with a fine tooth comb to see if I can nail this guy for something..."
Here's another scenario, pertinent to this thread. A shooter walks into a store to buy some surplus 7.62x39mm ball. They casually ignore the green tips, assuming it's like those red-tipped Hornady bullets for hunting. It's autumn and there hasn't been rain at his local shooting hole for weeks. The first shot lights the tracer composition a hundred yards out which separates from the base of the bullet and ricochets into the forest with two years worth of deadfall. The ensuing wildfire burns ten thousand acres and costs millions of dollars to extinguish. Far fetched? Ask this guy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln2hID9psFY or any military who's had similar incidents during training. Google "tracer ammunition wildfire", articles are legion. I am not suggesting this is reason to prohibit them but it outlines a plausible scenario that could lead to someone being charged (wildfire notwithstanding).
As a community we try to fight against anti-gun groups and individuals perpetuating lies, disinformation, and mistruths. We also try to assist and guide one another, bound by our kinship in firearms, to make responsible decisions that are in line with the law as it is written. My aim is not to rat anyone out or cause strife, but simply to correct a common misconception that even
I held before meeting with ERD, provide factual information, and allow someone to make a rational and informed decision by knowing it. The problem is even the administration of this board seems content to ignore the issue and adopt the same mindset as the membership in that it's "not a big deal". You can ask those retailers that were paid a visit by a federal explosives inspector how much of a deal it can be made to be.
As a reasonable person I feel a modicum of responsibility to my fellow man. None of us like seeing fellow gun owners brought up on charges, spurious or frivolous as they may be. It can negatively impact the community in both perception and potential new legislation, not to mention the psychological and financial trauma to the accused. The explosives business is similar. Disinformation helps no one in situations like this and all too often the "I didn't know it was illegal" defense is invalidated in a court of law. I suppose it's cliche to suggest "I just want to help" but quite frankly, that's all I'm trying to do. If people would simply believe what I'm trying to tell them (it came straight from the horse's mouth in Ottawa, CanAm vetted it himself, and the law is also freely available online in plain language...) the process wouldn't be quite so arduous and full of dispute.
A bit long winded so thanks for reading. I hope that clarifies my intentions.
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