Gun Control is Completely Useless.

spaminator

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Family, friends question police watchdog findings in gunsmith's death
A Special Investigations Unit report found no wrongdoing in Rodger Kotanko’s shooting death last November.

Author of the article:postmedia News
Publishing date:Mar 08, 2022 • 16 hours ago • 4 minute read • 21 Comments
Gunsmith Roger Kotanko was fatally shot Nov. 3 by a Toronto police officer in the workshop of his Port Ryerse home. His friend and family are questioning a Special Investigations Unit report clearing the officer of any wrongdoing.
Gunsmith Roger Kotanko was fatally shot Nov. 3 by a Toronto police officer in the workshop of his Port Ryerse home. His friend and family are questioning a Special Investigations Unit report clearing the officer of any wrongdoing.
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PORT RYERSE — Family and friends of Rodger Kotanko gathered Tuesday outside the home of the Norfolk County gunsmith to question a report by the Special Investigations Unit that found no police wrongdoing in the fatal shooting last November of the 70-year-old man.

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“It is outrageous and unthinkable that police officers who targeted and took down Rodger, can call it a day and simply walk away,” Suzanne Kantor, one of Kotanko’s siblings, said in a news release issued by the family’s lawyer Michael Smitiuch.

“The Rodger we knew was a calm and gentle man. The SIU version of events, just doesn’t add up.”

Ontario’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit, has said it won’t charge a Toronto officer who shot and killed Kotanko in the workshop behind his Port Ryerse home, saying the officer had seconds to make a “life-or-death” decision.

COLUMN: Watchdog reveals potential hard truths about gunsmith’s death
SIU director Joseph Martino said the officer acted in self-defence when he shot Kotanko, with the gunsmith refusing to put up his hands and pointing a firearm at the officer.

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“At a distance of no more than a few metres from (Kotanko), it is difficult to imagine what else the (officer) could have done to protect himself . . . ,” Martino wrote in his report. “I am unable to fault the officer for choosing to meet a reasonably apprehended threat of imminent and lethal force with a resort to lethal force of his own.”

Jeff Kotanko, brother of slain gunsmith Rodger Kotanko, speaks at a news conference on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, at Rodger Kotanko’s home near Port Dover.
Jeff Kotanko, brother of slain gunsmith Rodger Kotanko, speaks at a news conference on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, at Rodger Kotanko’s home near Port Dover. PHOTO BY BRIAN THOMPSON /Postmedia Network
The Kotanko family said it intends to “seek justice” and protect Kotanko’s reputation. It has filed a civil lawsuit seeking $23 million in damages from the Toronto police services board, five officers, including the officer who fired the fatal shots, Insp. Norman Proctor, head of the gun and gang task force, and Toronto police Chief James Ramer.

Their statement of claim, which has not been tested in court, alleges “police recklessly targeted Kotanko, negligently planned the search of his workshop and exercised excessive and unjustifiable force” during the Nov. 3, 2021, search.

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“The SIU report into Rodger’s fatal shooting is not the whole story,” said Smitiuch of Smitiuch Injury Law PC. “The reality is that police created a situation in which Rodger Kotanko did not stand a chance.”

Martino’s report paints a different picture.

“It is true that the (two police officers) entered the workshop with their guns drawn and immediately asked that (Kotanko and a customer) raise their hands, but these would appear to have been reasonable precautions in the circumstances,” he wrote.

“They were, after all, investigating a serious criminal offence and had reason to believe that there would likely be firearms in the workshop – (Kotanko) was a gunsmith.”

Officers were investigating allegations of firearms trafficking, Martino said, and had obtained a warrant to search Kotanko’s home and workshop.

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Members of the Ontario Provincial Police were stationed outside the home of Norfolk gunsmith Rodger Kotanko, 70, of Port Ryerse Road west of Port Dover on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Kotanko was shot the day before. (Monte Sonnenberg/Postmedia Network)
Members of the Ontario Provincial Police were stationed outside the home of Norfolk gunsmith Rodger Kotanko, 70, of Port Ryerse Road west of Port Dover on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Kotanko was shot the day before. (Monte Sonnenberg/Postmedia Network)
“Firearms had been recovered in two separate police investigations, including a kidnapping, that were registered to a firearms business owned by (Kotanko),” Martino’s report read. “In neither case had (Kotanko) . . . reported the firearms stolen or missing, and thus it was suspected that he or an associate had illegally traded in firearms.”

When Toronto police arrived, Kotanko was in his workshop with a customer who had brought a newly purchased gun for repair, the SIU said.

The officers, wearing vests that said “police,” approached the workshop and called out that they were police and had a warrant, the report said. They shouted for both men to raise their hands.

The customer complied, but Kotanko didn’t, the SIU said.

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“Within seconds of their entry, (Kotanko) reached with his right hand towards the workbench, retrieved (the customer’s) firearm, and turned with it in the officers’ direction as they yelled at him to ‘drop the gun,’ ” Martino wrote.

Martino said an officer shot Kotanko four times. The gunsmith died later in hospital.

“(Another officer) standing beside the (first officer) and similarly situated to his colleague, says that he feared for their lives at that moment, and . . . was just about to fire his weapon to defend himself when he heard his colleague’s firearm being discharged.”

Kotanko’s brother said he doesn’t buy the SIU’s version of the shooting.

“They’re saying he reached for his gun, pointed it at the officer who had a gun trained on him with his finger on the trigger — really?” Jeff Kotanko said.

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“He wasn’t Billy the Kid, nobody in their right mind would possibly even consider doing that.”

The family questioned why police, who received approval for a search warrant earlier that day and then drove from Toronto, did not try to talk to Kotanko in a safe place, rather than bursting into his gunshop.

“When police knew Rodger was out, when he arrived at this very driveway, they could have stopped him at this point,” Smitiuch said.

It was also concerning that they let Kotanko walk into the shop with a customer, he said.

He said police should have know that Kotanko may very well be working on a gun in his gunshop.

“If they were going to exercise a search warrant at a butcher shop and they open the door and the butcher had a knife, does that give them the justification to shoot and kill that butcher?” Smitiuch said. “I don’t think so.”

With files from The Canadian Press
 

Colpy

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Colpy. . . got my foldy gun back.

Sold the last one, regretted it. So i bought a new one.

.40 S&W.

View attachment 13007
Very nice! I kinda want something like this to carry in the bush...........but it is restricted in Canada, so you can only shoot it at a licensed range. Handy little item.

I'd get it in 9mm, because I have 9mm but not .40, and here 9mm is much easier to get.

But I think I'll have to settle on something else to carry......like a lever action .357 Magnum.
 

Tecumsehsbones

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Mar 18, 2013
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Very nice! I kinda want something like this to carry in the bush...........but it is restricted in Canada, so you can only shoot it at a licensed range. Handy little item.

I'd get it in 9mm, because I have 9mm but not .40, and here 9mm is much easier to get.

But I think I'll have to settle on something else to carry......like a lever action .357 Magnum.
I still had the high-capacity mags for the .40. That was the decider for me.

It's a good gun. I can ring steel consistently at 100 metres, 3 out of 4 at 150. Not exactly a scoped .308, but I pretty much gave up hunting (getting too old for it) so it certainly fills every conceivable need I might have for a gun. (Still have the old .308, I'll probably sell it for whatever it'll bring when I use up the ammo.) The action is recoil, not blowback, so it's simple, reliable, and cleans easy. Basically a long-barreled pistol with a stock. Folded it fits easily into an 18-inch pistol case.
 
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DaSleeper

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May 27, 2007
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Very nice! I kinda want something like this to carry in the bush...........but it is restricted in Canada, so you can only shoot it at a licensed range. Handy little item.

I'd get it in 9mm, because I have 9mm but not .40, and here 9mm is much easier to get.

But I think I'll have to settle on something else to carry......like a lever action .357 Magnum.
Get yourself a prospector's license, then you can legally carry a handgun for protection....
At least in Ontario you could , a few years ago
You only have to carry a prospector's pick at all times!
When they ask you why you need a handgun license, you just tell them that when prospecting with a rifle you lean it against something and start chipping at rocks with your pick, then you spend an hour looking for your rifle before you can move on.......
A handgun is more portable.
I used to carry a ruger 44 magnum at all times in the bush!You know, like the one like Clint Eastwood had'
The only thing I ever had to shoot was a rabid fox!
 

spaminator

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U.S. drone carrying guns intercepted after flying into Southwestern Ontario
Lambton OPP were notified of a large drone stuck in a tree along the St. Clair River river near Port Lambton last Friday.

Author of the article:Free Press staff
Publishing date:May 02, 2022 • 23 hours ago • 1 minute read • 14 Comments
This bag of guns was affixed to a drone that police believe was flown from the U.S. into Canada near Sarnia, where it became stuck in a tree. PHOTO: OPP
This bag of guns was affixed to a drone that police believe was flown from the U.S. into Canada near Sarnia, where it became stuck in a tree. PHOTO: OPP
Provincial police are investigating after officers say they found a drone carrying a bag filled with several handguns in Lambton County – a device they believe was flown into Canada from the U.S.



Lambton OPP were notified of a large drone stuck in a tree along the St. Clair River river near Port Lambton about 8:30 a.m. last Friday, police say.

A bag containing 11 handguns was attached to the drone, which investigators believe were coming from the U.S., police said.

Police seized the handguns and are investigating.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-8477.

A “drone” refers to unpiloted aircraft. They’re increasingly common among tech enthusiasts and hobbyists such as photographers and can be easily purchased.
1651602146944.png
 

spaminator

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Oct 26, 2009
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U.S. drone carrying guns intercepted after flying into Southwestern Ontario
Lambton OPP were notified of a large drone stuck in a tree along the St. Clair River river near Port Lambton last Friday.

Author of the article:Free Press staff
Publishing date:May 02, 2022 • 23 hours ago • 1 minute read • 14 Comments
This bag of guns was affixed to a drone that police believe was flown from the U.S. into Canada near Sarnia, where it became stuck in a tree. PHOTO: OPP
This bag of guns was affixed to a drone that police believe was flown from the U.S. into Canada near Sarnia, where it became stuck in a tree. PHOTO: OPP
Provincial police are investigating after officers say they found a drone carrying a bag filled with several handguns in Lambton County – a device they believe was flown into Canada from the U.S.



Lambton OPP were notified of a large drone stuck in a tree along the St. Clair River river near Port Lambton about 8:30 a.m. last Friday, police say.

A bag containing 11 handguns was attached to the drone, which investigators believe were coming from the U.S., police said.

Police seized the handguns and are investigating.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-8477.

A “drone” refers to unpiloted aircraft. They’re increasingly common among tech enthusiasts and hobbyists such as photographers and can be easily purchased.
View attachment 13572
wonder how many guns were successfully droned across the border?
 

taxme

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Feb 11, 2020
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U.S. drone carrying guns intercepted after flying into Southwestern Ontario
Lambton OPP were notified of a large drone stuck in a tree along the St. Clair River river near Port Lambton last Friday.

Author of the article:Free Press staff
Publishing date:May 02, 2022 • 23 hours ago • 1 minute read • 14 Comments
This bag of guns was affixed to a drone that police believe was flown from the U.S. into Canada near Sarnia, where it became stuck in a tree. PHOTO: OPP
This bag of guns was affixed to a drone that police believe was flown from the U.S. into Canada near Sarnia, where it became stuck in a tree. PHOTO: OPP
Provincial police are investigating after officers say they found a drone carrying a bag filled with several handguns in Lambton County – a device they believe was flown into Canada from the U.S.



Lambton OPP were notified of a large drone stuck in a tree along the St. Clair River river near Port Lambton about 8:30 a.m. last Friday, police say.

A bag containing 11 handguns was attached to the drone, which investigators believe were coming from the U.S., police said.

Police seized the handguns and are investigating.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-8477.

A “drone” refers to unpiloted aircraft. They’re increasingly common among tech enthusiasts and hobbyists such as photographers and can be easily purchased.
View attachment 13572

I guess that this will be the new normal way of doing things now, by gun and drug smugglers and Mexican cartels, in trying to sneak their guns and drugs into Canada and America by drones from now on, eh? The only problem is that those drones are just not big enough to carry too much weight. But I am pretty sure that the bad guys will soon work that problem out for themselves. who says that some bad guys are not smart, eh? :unsure:
 
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taxme

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To me that just says we are not doing well in our various programs to prevent drug abuse.

But it sure looks like we are doing a great job at promoting drug abuse. But ask our illustrious dear leader politicians if they really care. NOT!
 
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taxme

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They Said They Wouldn't Bring Back The Long Gun Registry: They Lied. It's Coming May 18, 2022​



The last I heard is that one out of every five liberal Turdeau supporters are just as stupid as the other four liberal supporters. Shocking indeed. And I also just heard that there is a new soup coming out and it is being made by the CBC(Communist broadcasting corporation). It will be called "Cream of Bullshit". No doubt all those lefty liberals out there will be wanting to try this shit out asap. Personally, I can see this soup leaving a bad taste in ones mouth. :eek:
 
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taxme

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They provide lucrative employment opportunities for party hacks and womens study majors .

Yup, if there is any money to be made from keeping the illegal drug trade around, it would appear as though most of our politicians are in for the kill. If our loving and caring politicians cared about this pandemic of drug use in Canada, they would do like they do in Singapore. They execute those drug dealers and drug importers. It may not stop all of the drug trade going on, but it should surely put a dent into it, if the drug dealers knew that if they get caught importing or selling drug, well, it will be bye-bye's for them.

Otherwise, we need to stop whining and crying about drug abuse in this country because nothing will ever change as long as we allow those drug dealers to carry on with their drug selling and drug importing business. Just saying. 😷
 
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taxslave

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But it sure looks like we are doing a great job at promoting drug abuse. But ask our illustrious dear leader politicians if they really care. NOT!
THere was an interesting tv show a few nights back that I caught some of. Basically it had various government agencies working with the cartels and drug dealers because if they caught all the criminals they would lose funding. Sounds pretty close to reality to me.
 

Ron in Regina

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Apr 9, 2008
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They Said They Wouldn't Bring Back The Long Gun Registry: They Lied. It's Coming May 18, 2022​


I am really on the outside looking in on this one but it doesn’t pass the smell test…

Bill C-71 — which includes additional verification for acquisition and possession licenses for non-restricted firearms, and additional bookkeeping for businesses — will be ineffective in keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and doesn’t give those affected by it enough time to prepare, said Alberta chief firearms officer Teri Bryant.

“Despite the federal government claiming Bill C-71 is important to our public safety, distressingly little has been done to prepare individuals, businesses or my staff,” Bryant said in a news release.

“Our office has been inundated with calls since news of the deadline emerged because Alberta firearms owners do not understand the changes and are concerned about the potential for a new backdoor long gun registry.”

Ottawa should either delay implementing the legislation for a year or scrap it altogether, she said.

In a letter to federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, Bryant said there are additional fears that under Bill C-71, firearms described by Ottawa as assault weapons that were purchased legally before the legislation could be confiscated.

“This concern has been heightened by your government’s plans under the May 2020 order-in-council to use the existing registry of restricted firearms to confiscate the property of owners who acquired firearms in full conformity with the law at the time of acquisition,” Bryant stated.

The bill was passed in June 2019, but Bryant said those licensing provisions were only announced May 11, giving those affected little time to either adopt or understand them.


Canadian gun control groups contend the legislation is needed to enhance public safety by keeping better track of gun licences and sales, and banning what they call “military assault weapons.”

The Coalition for Gun Control argues the federal government isn’t doing enough to clamp down on firearms amid a rise in shootings in recent years and is calling for a national ban on handguns with limited exceptions.

“Canada is one of only a few nations in the world to have moved backwards with gun control reform,” states the group’s website.

“Few Canadians know that the AR-15, a military weapon used in many mass shootings, is sold to civilians in Canada. Many Canadians think handguns are virtually banned — there are now almost 1 million legally owned handguns in Canada.”

Acccording to RCMP, which oversees the verification system, individuals and businesses need to obtain a reference number from the Registrar of Firearms confirming the validity of the buyer’s firearms licence before transferring a non-restricted firearm.

Businesses will also be required to retain sales and inventory records related to non-restricted firearms for a minimum of 20 years.

“This is not the return of the Long Gun Registry. The records created by businesses will be held by businesses — not government — and the police will require judicial authorization to access them,” states the RCMP’s website. (???)

What happens to these records if a business goes “out of business” due to retirement or bankruptcy? The minimum 20 years of records so far that have to be maintained??

One Calgary gun store owner said the new legislation is burdensome, ineffective and a threat to privacy.

But James Cox said he’s seen a huge bump in sales in the past week as customers try to beat the clock before Bill C-71 takes effect.

“I’m going to send (Prime Minister) Justin Trudeau thanks for all the extra business,” said Cox of the Shooting Edge, at 510 77th Ave. S.E.

“People want to get the semi-autos before the registry kicks in.”

But Cox said his gratitude toward the Liberal government ends there, adding responsibility for additional verification is being downloaded on businesses.

And he said the demand for more personal information from firearms purchasers will put their privacy at risk, for no good reason.

“It’s just Liberal talking points that it’s going to get weapons off the street, but how is that?” said Cox.

“These guys are out of control . . . it’s going to be a nightmare.”

A number of Alberta gun shops, he said, are shutting down to better prepare for the legislation’s implementation.

The use of firearms like the AR-15, he said, is already highly-restricted and that particular rifle has never been used in crimes in Canada.

“This isn’t the U.S. — the reason we have fewer firearms deaths in Canada is because of (mandatory) training,” said Cox.

In 2020, there were 19,350 gun-related homicides in the U.S. — 70 times the 277 recorded that year in Canada.

The U.S. population is about 10 times that of Canada.

Public Safety Canada didn’t comment on the Alberta government’s request to halt the legislation’s implementation.


“They’re only going after people with a PAL,” said Schemenauer. “It’s going to be a pile of money, a pile of paperwork, a pile of numbers and stuff that really is not going to do anything to stop a bit of crime.”

Christine Tell, Saskatchewan’s Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety, had a similar reaction. She said the provincial government doesn’t like the law changes coming into force.

“It doesn’t address the crime and public safety issues that we’re facing, whether it’s in this province or in this country,” argued Tell.

And Tell said the changes are “eerily familiar” to the long-gun registry that she called a “billion-dollar boondoggle”.

Then even from the CBC:
In addition, the legislation expands background checks that would determine eligibility for a firearms licence to a person's entire life, not just the last five years.