Howdy neighbors!

[Erich]

I'm "Erich" from a number of gun forums on the web. I'm a US citizen, but I'm pretty interested in knowing about your gun-owning community up north both as a source of camaraderie and because my dad's built a house up on Superior in Ontario (lovely up there ) about 80 km N of the Soo.

I had a good time talking to Dad's Montreal River Harbour neighbors about all the hunting they do and what they use to do it, and found it most refreshing how there was a lack of the commercialism and marketing that I find among so many hunters here in the States. Folks were happily using guns that had been working for their fathers and grandfathers for decades, instead of sweating over the newest Winchester Super Short Magnum gimmick to come floating off the development board.

Anyway, folks, I live down here in New Mexico, a southwestern state neighboring Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah, Texas, Arizona, Chihuahua, and Sonora. Good chile (how it's spelled locally) here, and plenty of sunshine - but not much water. I'm an appellate criminal defense lawyer. The house is at 6000-odd feet above sea level. I live right up against a national forest so I get out and hike a fair amount. Don't hunt myself, but many of my friends do. I'm a homebrewer and a bookworm, too. I managed a gun store for a couple of years between college and law school at which time I acquired an ever-growing appreciation for nice older guns

Hope you don't mind me hanging around - nice place you have here.

 

[ontgunner]

Welcome aboard, Erich!
A lawyer, eh?
Are you originally from N.M.? I would have guessed Michigan with a summer home near the Soo. It is really nice up there... for Ontario!
Hope you enjoy your stay.

 

[The Cold Lake Kid]

Welcome to the CanadianGunNutz.
We're just as enthusiastic about our hobby as you folks in the US.
Stick around and see the trouble we got into by allowing "Reasonable" controls and regulations to be foisted on us.
Your Founding Fathers got it right with your Second Amendment.
Don't EVER let it go.

 

[johnkwok]

Welcome to CGN from a fellow defence lawyer.

As you will hear, we are over-regulated in Canada, not just firearms but about everything in life.

Your U.S. motto is "Life, Liberty, and the Persuit of Happiness".

Ours in Canada is "Peace, Order, and Good Government"

I think you will find on the CGN site most of us are debating about whether we have consistent, modern and mature "Good Government"

American history is where the settlers went west, with only their smarts and guns to survive. The calvary may or may not make it in time, depending on which movie you watch.

Canadian history is that the RCMP went west first to cut the treaties and then the settlers could go west peacefully, and why should than they would have firearms.

Very different legal system here. Yours is the "People vs....." Ours is the "Queen vs...."

Our prosecutors and judges are appointed and approved by government.

Yours, I understand, in most states, are voted in and can be voted out.

Glad to have you on our Canadian CGN site. Your input and different insight and experience will be most welcome.

 

[Erich]

Thanks, gents, for the welcome. Actually, I was brought up in Indiana and moved to New Mexico after college.

I'm very much looking forward to being here. It's a bit like looking into a parallel universe, though - I recognize a lot of things but some look very strange to me. It will be fun to learn, and it's always fun to hang out with fellow gun nuts!

Me in the high desert snow last December - can you see the 3" S&W 65-5 .357 Mag?

 

[tenexx]

Welcome Erich, should you want a glimpse at some of the other parallel universes then get some of the British expatriate ( or is that refugee's) like me who lost their full bore semi-autos and handguns by government confiscation.

It will be interesting to see what the Supreme Court does as the People Vs Miller only ratified that the NFA was a revenue collecting measure and not a prohibition. The 1968 GCA was never sufficiently challenged after US vs Lopez as, to my understanding, the intrastate manufacture and sale of Title 3 firearms would no longer fall under the auspices of GCA68. Combined with the Circuit Court decisions confirming that the 2nd Amendment described the personal right to keep and bear arms, we may have a good chance.