rjwmorrell
Regular
- Location
- Ontario, Canada
Hello everyone.
I have been a long time lurker and have now decided to join and get a bit more involved with other aspects of firearms than I have been lately.
A bit about myself: I am a CFSC/CRFSC instructor in Ontario, and I operate GTAGunSafety. However, I am not here at the moment to give our business a plug -- I'll check into the advertising rates later.
First a quick story about my time as a firearm owner. When I was 16, I marched down to my local OPP detachment and paid $10 and completed a form. Two days later I had a brown piece of paper known as a Firearms Acquisition Certificate. No photo, simply some typed information. Within a year or two I bought my first firearm, a Lakefield 64B .22 semi auto rifle. Within another couple of years, I joined Hallam's, which at the time was a large and growing multi-use gun club in Markham, took a safety course there when it looked like that was going to be the new requirement going forward, and also a hunter safety course. At the time I had plans to get into competitive shooting, as I had free time and free cash.
Then, Hallam's was shut down because of a police investigation. My first handgun purchase, which was paid for and awaiting registration, sat in an evidence locker for many months (along with every other firearm on the premises). Eventually, with some lobbying from what was then the Ontario Handgun Association, all of the guns seized that were owned by other people, such as mine, were released.
Undeterred, I next joined USSR in Stouffville. I was happily a member for many years ... until THEY also became embroiled in a police investigation. This time, at least, all I lost out on was my membership dues.
Since that time, I have not belonged to any gun clubs, have been working full time, and now have a family -- there went the free time and the free cash!
I started delivering CFSC/CRFSC courses for my employer in 2004, and eventually started offering to the public in 2008. So while I own many firearms, I do not shoot all that often.
This year, with the kids getting older and free time becoming a bit more available, I decided to join a gun club in the Niagara area. I am now looking to occasionally shoot IDPA pistol/rifle matches, re-take my hunter course and possibly go duck or turkey hunting, and become a bit more involved in the shooting community. I have been a life member of the CSSA for more years than I can count and am looking forward to finally belonging to a gun club again and having a regular place to shoot.
That's quite a lot more detail than I usually tell most strangers, but I figured since mostly everyone here is involved in shooting sports in some way, they'd appreciate hearing my background.
I have been a long time lurker and have now decided to join and get a bit more involved with other aspects of firearms than I have been lately.
A bit about myself: I am a CFSC/CRFSC instructor in Ontario, and I operate GTAGunSafety. However, I am not here at the moment to give our business a plug -- I'll check into the advertising rates later.
First a quick story about my time as a firearm owner. When I was 16, I marched down to my local OPP detachment and paid $10 and completed a form. Two days later I had a brown piece of paper known as a Firearms Acquisition Certificate. No photo, simply some typed information. Within a year or two I bought my first firearm, a Lakefield 64B .22 semi auto rifle. Within another couple of years, I joined Hallam's, which at the time was a large and growing multi-use gun club in Markham, took a safety course there when it looked like that was going to be the new requirement going forward, and also a hunter safety course. At the time I had plans to get into competitive shooting, as I had free time and free cash.
Then, Hallam's was shut down because of a police investigation. My first handgun purchase, which was paid for and awaiting registration, sat in an evidence locker for many months (along with every other firearm on the premises). Eventually, with some lobbying from what was then the Ontario Handgun Association, all of the guns seized that were owned by other people, such as mine, were released.
Undeterred, I next joined USSR in Stouffville. I was happily a member for many years ... until THEY also became embroiled in a police investigation. This time, at least, all I lost out on was my membership dues.
Since that time, I have not belonged to any gun clubs, have been working full time, and now have a family -- there went the free time and the free cash!
I started delivering CFSC/CRFSC courses for my employer in 2004, and eventually started offering to the public in 2008. So while I own many firearms, I do not shoot all that often.
This year, with the kids getting older and free time becoming a bit more available, I decided to join a gun club in the Niagara area. I am now looking to occasionally shoot IDPA pistol/rifle matches, re-take my hunter course and possibly go duck or turkey hunting, and become a bit more involved in the shooting community. I have been a life member of the CSSA for more years than I can count and am looking forward to finally belonging to a gun club again and having a regular place to shoot.
That's quite a lot more detail than I usually tell most strangers, but I figured since mostly everyone here is involved in shooting sports in some way, they'd appreciate hearing my background.
....thanks for the interesting intro!