The CSSA AGM/Seminars/STYG Dinner – May 30th 2015
TPF apologizes for the delay in posting this. We understand that this is nearly 2 months out of date, but wanted to keep the readers of TPF informed about what has been happening in Canada!
Another year has passed and the CSSA has weathered another year of RCMP shenanigans, political wrangling, and general herding of cats that is the firearms community. And they are doing it well.
The Canadian Shooting Sports Association’s Annual General Meeting and subsequent “Stick To Your Guns” dinner was held on May 30th, 2015 at the Ottawa Conference Centre. It started at 10:00am on Saturday, with several dozen attendees present for the association’s year in review. Notable individuals such as Daniel Fritter (Editor of Calibre Magazine), Chris Youngson (Owner of Canada Ammo), were present as the board outlined the past actions of the association as well as provided financials that showed the growth in membership and a healthy surplus. In fact according to the numbers, the CSSA is at its strongest levels ever both in memberships and in finances. Over 23,000 full members as of that morning. The addition of Mr. John Evers to the Board of Directors was another change that was well received. There were very few questions at the end of the AGM and people broke for lunch.
Of course being a grand CSSA event that was not the only draw that was present for CSSA members. The afternoon held a series of seminars for interested parties to attend. I was told that CSSA members were able to attend for free, and that non-members could attend for a $40 fee that enabled them to attend all three seminars.
- 1:00pm – 2:10pm – Dr. Gary Mauser
- World-renowned firearms researcher, Dr. Gary Mauser discussed the latest and greatest statistical trends in the firearms world
- 2:10pm – 3:20pm – Natural Resource Director-General Patrick O’Neill
- Natural Resource Director-General Patrick O’Neill shares his vast knowledge on the Explosives Act’s hand-loading and ammunition regulations
- 3:20pm – 4:30pm – TV Show Host, Keith Beasley
- CSSA Life Member, Keith Beasley of the hugely popular television show “Canada in the Rough” discusses public relations and the image of firearms owners
TPF feels that the seminars were a great addition to the afternoon time slot. With nearly three dozen people attending each of the seminars, the allocated room was well filled with bodies. There should be many thanks towards these three individuals whom gave their personal time and attention to present at these seminars in order to continue educating the firearms community. It was great to finally meet Dr. Gary Mauser in the flesh, and to once again talk to Mr. Patrick O’Neill and Mr. Keith Beasley.
Obviously the highlight of the day was the Stick to Your Guns (STYG) dinner. This STYG dinner was a truly important one as it was there to honour the CSSA’s Minister of Firearms, the Honourable Garry Breitkreuz, Member of Parliament for Yorkton-Melville, Saskatchewan. Mr. Breitkreuz has stated that he will no longer seek re-election and will be leaving federal political life after serving his constituents for over two decades. You read that correctly, he started sitting as an MP since October 25th, 1993. That will be a week shy of twenty two (22) years of being present in the House of Commons come the October 19, 2015 fixed election date. The standing ovation lasted for several minutes….
Several minutes of standing ovation for Garry Breitkreuz, who is retiring after nearly 22 years of representing Yorkton-Melville
Roughly one hundred people attended the Ottawa STYG dinner and they included a slew of well known and respected individuals. Brian Lilley (The Rebel), the aforementioned Daniel Fritter, Chris Youngson, Dr. Gary Mauser, Keith Beasley, Brian Lovig (Daily Split), several MP’s and future possible MP’s, and several of the Office of Public Safety’s staffers. The main guest was Mr. Breitkreuz, which made a pre-recorded video by the Minister of Public Safety, the Honourable Mr. Stephen Blaney, who took the time to record a message for Garry Breitkreuz and of course plug C-42 a bit, one of the highlights of the event.
Many thanks should be given for the companies and individuals whom made all their various products available for the fund raising aspect of the STYG dinner.
SOG, CRKT, Gerber Gear, 5.11 Tactical, Shooting Chrony, Savage Arms, See All, Lyman, Target Knives, Shepherd Scopes, Canadian Access To Firearms, OTIS Technologies, GunZilla, Pullen’s Gunsmithing, O’Dell Engineering, and Bug-A-Salt
But in the end it the entire STYG dinner was a dedication to a champion in Federal politics. Thank you for decades of service in fighting for firearms owners across Canada Mr. Breitkreuz. You will be sorely missed in Ottawa!
Thanking the champion for so many years of dedicated service to firearms owners.
OH. Did we mention the new duck gun that Mr. Breitkreuz got? He may have to wait until they come in ever so slightly closer….
ACTS & PROVE… Even retiring MP’s do it…
Thank you for reading this small, and very late installation of TPF. We will have more to come!
The First Annual Dead Registry Celebration – April 28th, Gatineau, Quebec
Since its inception back in 1999, the Canadian Shooting Sports Association has held a fundraising dinner which has since become known as a “Stick to your Guns” dinner. Originally an annual event, this dinner has been expanded to be held several times a year in various locations across Canada. These dinners have had such notable speakers like Sandra Froman (former NRA President, 2005-2007), and long time supporter and a true friend to Canadian firearms owners, MP Garry Breitkreuz. In recent years a specific annual version has become linked with the CSSA’s Annual General Meeting, and this one was held on April 28th in Gatineau, Quebec.
The last time the author was in the region, the city of Hull had not been amalgamated into Gatineau and the author had barely begun to become involved with firearms. It seems so long ago, but the city and region hold many worthwhile attractions for visitors. So if you get a chance, please ensure that you visit one of the many museums in the area. Now, as this was to be the first of the CSSA AGM’s held in the province of Quebec, there was some anxious times for organizers leading up to the event as turnout was an unknown factor, but all the their worries were for naught. Nearly ninety (90) individuals braved the somewhat chilly weather to attend the CSSA AGM, of which roughly half were from the province of Quebec. With many questions asked by individuals in attendance and a great wealth of information about the efforts of the CSSA, the AGM was alive and resulted in a large volume of information disseminated to those in attendance. As always the CSSA is humbled by the sheer volume of support from its membership, and hopes to be able to do even more in the coming months and years both domestically and abroad.
Never one to shrink from what needs to be said, Dr. Ackerman becomes Speaker of the House during the CSSA tour of parliament
With the AGM wrapping up just after noon on the Saturday, the CSSA had decided to arrange a tour of parliament for the late afternoon prior to the fundraising dinner and this was available for attendees of the AGM. TPF was unable to attend the tour, but had heard that the tour was phenomenal with people being right on the House of Commons floor and sitting in both the seats of the Honorable Andrew Scheer, Speaker of the House as well as the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada. The entire structure of the parliament building is a monument to history and grand construction of generations gone by. With exquisite stonework and inlaid patterning, it is amazing how well made the building is when one considers that the wiring and plumbing is nearly completely hidden from casual sight as you walk through out the building.
A pair of great people, Brian Lovig (l) and Tony Bernardo grin in anticipation of a great evening!
At 6:00pm the “Stick to your Guns” dinner officially opened and began the festive evening, with it being the first CSSA fundraising dinner since the historic April 5th, 2012. This was officially coined as the 1st Annual Dead Registry Celebration, as it occurred mere weeks after the historic passing of Bill C-19. Even with some last-minute scrambling for setting up the prize tables, the evening proceeded with very little snags and errors. With Tony Bernardo being the Master of Ceremonies and Mr. Brian Lovig of the Daily Split being a co-host, the evening was anything but dull. Not one, but TWO speakers were in attendance that evening with Mr. Garry Breitkreuz being the initial speaker and telling about the trials and efforts that have been endured and overcome by the CSSA and those who believe in firearms freedom. The keynote speaker was mister Phil Morlock, one of North America’s leading experts in promoting heritage outdoors activities that include hunting, sport shooting, fishing and trapping. The praise which came from the mouths of these two individuals was humbling to the CSSA but also invigorated those in attendance to continue to stand up and fight for the Canadian firearms community.
Ranging from pens to gun-mugs, hats to gun socks; the door prizes alone were numerous and varied.
With good food and nearly one hundred attendees, the dinner started off on a great note and the sheer number of prizes were astounding. There were many spectacular prizes available and the top ones were two of the four rifles available that evening. To quote the host’s repeated mantra, “Did we mention that these rifles were UNREGISTERED?” Many thanks to those who won the Chaparral Winchester Model 1866, the Carl Gustav 63 target rifle, and the plethora of prizes that were available. Many thanks must also go to Mr. Brian Lovig for his professional assistance in auctioning off some prizes, such as the Model 1866, to the attendees. Some of the raffle draws were very well received and quite innovative such as the Joker Draw which was a beautiful stainless Ruger 10-22 rifle with laminated wood stock. The catch? There were only 12 tickets available so it was a 1 in 12 chance to win. Just amazing and so well received by the audience.
The grand prize of the evening was this beautiful Chapparal Winchester 1866 chambered in .357 Mag. Many thanks to John @ Marstar for his support of the CSSA and these events!
A special thanks to the following for their support and help in what was a truly extraordinary evening. These companies and individuals are part of Team CSSA and contribute to the success of the organization to keep the fight in the face of the gun grabbers and ensuring what is accomplished is lasting and stays beneficial for Canadians.
- John St. Amour, Marstar Canada
- John Mock, Stoeger Canada
- Bob Nichols, R. Nichols
- Daniel Legault, Browning Canada
- Anthony Toryni, Trade Ex Canada
- Ken McRory, Vortex Optics Canada
- Brandon Bulter, Battenfeld Technologies (Caldwell/Tipton)
- Ben Krete, The Gun Centre
- Mandy Esteves, Shooting Chrony Inc
- Dave Landsborough, Triggers and Bows
- Lee Morgan, Gunzilla Canada
- Tony Bernardo, Canadian Institute for Legislative Action
- Brian Lovig, The Daily Split
- Garry Breitkreuz, CPC Member of Parliament for Yorkton-Melville
- Hornady, Kershaw, Forster, Lyman, and several more companies
- Luc Thivierge, Chris Youngson, Norm Lapierre, and so many more individuals
After all the food had been eaten and all the prizes had been doled out to winning attendees, the evening was far from finished. The CSSA went the extra step and provided a live band for the remainder of the night. “Reloaded” was a garage band made up of some veteran and professional talent from the ranks of the CSSA itself. Armed with his Gretsch guitar, Tony Bernardo lead the group with professionalism, Rob Alexander invoked his keyboard with practiced skill, Brant Scott wailed with purpose on drums and Dave Weston put up the backbone bass with fingers flying. With the occasionally addition vocals provided by Tony’s daughter, Kira; the night was filled with electricity and was possibly the finishing stroke in completing a picture perfect day of energy and enthusiasm.
Many thanks to all who helped make the entire day a memorable one and hopefully TPF will see you again next year at yet another CSSA AGM, if not sooner at more of these fund-raising dinners.
Stick to your guns, CSSA fund raiser, Oshawa, ON, 2011
The Latest CSSA fund-raising dinner was held September 17th, in Oshawa, Ontario. These dinners are held a few time a year and are used as a means of generating additional funding from supporters who believe in the efforts of the CSSA. Labelled as a “Stick to your duns” event, these dinners are hosted across the country and can be hosted at various clubs and locations if so requested. This was no exception. Starting slightly behind schedule at bit past 6:00pm, cocktails were served and by 6:45 dinner was being served. It was a grand evening which was supported by scores of individuals who attended from across the region and even further.
A spacious venue allowed for easy roaming and interaction with other CSSA supporters
Held at the LVIV Hall in Oshawa, the venue was spacious to say the least. With enough floor space to hold nearly 200 people comfortably, the 125 plus attendees were well spaced and there was no crowding at all. Some of the more famous individuals who attended the event were, Oshawa’s own CPC MP Collin Carrie, as well as Ajax-Pickering’s CPC MP, Chris Alexander. Oshawa’s PC MPP Jerry Ouellette was also present in between his re-election activities. However the truest, best friend to firearms owners across Canada was there as the key-note speaker. Mister Garry Breitkreuz, CPC MP for Yorkton-Melville has been representing firearms owners for almost all of his time since being a Member of Parliament since 1993. That is almost two decades that this fine individual has devoted his energies to exposing the lies and deceit surrounding the vaunted universal firearms registry and it’s associated regulations, more commonly known to gun enthusiasts as Bill C-68.
Garry Breitkreuz, the keynote speaker at the event, has been lauded as the best friend a firearms owner has in parliament.
Having met Mr. Breitkreuz, several times it is apparent to TPF that he is far too modest when discussing his efforts on doing what he calls “only the right thing to do”. His address to the crowd was very informative and the CSSA must thank him for believing that our efforts are not only effective, but instrumental in “doing what is right” on behalf of the entire firearms community of Canada. In addition to Mr. Breitkreuz, there was another guest speaker who plied his comments about the CSSA and it’s actions for firearms owners everywhere. That speaker was the Host of the Daily Split, Mr. Brian Lovig. A very strong supporter of the CSSA, Mr. Lovig used his considerable talents and speaking ability to not only add some humour and sly commentary to the evening, but helped with several live auctions of items donated specifically for this event. Did TPF mention that the Daily Split is being considered for several mainstream outlets including Global. Great news.
Showing off his auctioneering skills, Brian Lovig is a proud CSSA supporter.
As MC of the event, Mr. Bernardo has a smile for all attendees
That is not to say that the evening went entirely as planned by organizers. The wild game fare that was initially advertised was not present. TPF ferreted out that the original caterer had backed out only three days prior to the actual event. Thanks must be given to the CSSA organizers for their fast recovery and still able to have excellent food provided for all attendees. The last-minute repast consisted of pulled-pork, chicken, shrimp, as well as much more for the main meal, and was VERY well received and excellently prepared and distributed. Some last-minute scrambling for the raffles for getting them setup, and a small amount of mis-communications between those running the raffles and the ticket sellers created a small bit of confusion, but it was solved quickly. The Master of ceremonies was none other than the CSSA’s own Mr. Tony Bernardo. With much levity and smiles abounding, the entire evening was very social and had an air of camaraderie between friends.
There was literally several dozen items at the event that were available to be won. Door prizes, raffles, and both silent and live auctions. As well as four (4) firearms up for grabs, items such as numerous knives, multi-tools, firearms accessories, optics loaded several tables beckoning those in attendance to try to bring home at least one thing other than stomach full of good food. TPF was privy to many of those who donated their wares and products to help support this fund-raising effort by the CSSA. Some of those are as follows in no particular order, and TPF apologizes for not remembering ALL on them:
- Target Sports
- Triggers & Bows
- Williams Arms
- Hornady Manufacturing
- Gerber Gear
- Columbia River Knife and Tool
- Caldwell Shooting Supplies
- SOG Specialty Knives and Tools
- Stoeger Canada
- Trade Ex Canada
- Cas Hanwei
- Canada in the Rough
- Shooting Chrony Inc.
- Frankford Arsenal
- Flitz
- Plus numerous individual donations and others
The top gun of the evening a SAKO A-7 in .308 Win with Burris optics. The Hornady ultra-sonic cleaner was part of the live auction.
Stoeger X5 Air Rifle, Schmidt Rubin K31 Carbine, Benelli Supernova Tactical Shotgun
World class shooter Diana Cabrera was in attendance. Wish her luck at the XVI Pan American Games in October
While in attendance at the dinner, TPF ran into numerous other firearm celebrities. Mr. Chris Anderson of CRR podcast fame was there and while he failed to record the event may have made some inroads to future interviews. Diana Cabrera, a World Cup level shooter and a part of CSSA’s office staff was present as well and tried her luck and came away with some books from the raffles. Several shooting clubs has tables as well as there being several CSSA Regional Directors present. However, the highlight of the evening was when Mr. John Williams of Williams Arms (Port Perry, Ontario) won the Benelli shotgun and promptly donated it back to be re-drawn. That showed extremely good class and TPF salutes his actions.
As far as known by TPF, this was the final Stick to your Guns Dinner for 2011, which is unfortunate as the events are well received and well attended. What was mentioned is that 2012 will bring another 4-6 of these events across the country, one of course being during the CSSA’s AGM. We hope that readers who were unable to attend this fund-raising dinner are able to attend such future events and show their support by convincing others to become members, donating time to bring new people into the shooting sports, and by donating funds to ensure that the CSSA is able to continue fighting for firearms owners across Canada. As a great man, Mr. John Holdstock, once said, “The world is run by those who show up;” and this “Stick to your guns” dinner was just one such example of why the CSSA is considered to be the pre-eminent pro-firearms organization in Canada as both it and it’s membership show up.
Attentively listening to the keynote speaker.
CSSA’s “Stick to your guns” Dinner has an average ticket price of $60.00 CDN and is everything you need it to be. Tactical, Practical & Fantastical.
On behalf of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association, thank you for your continued support.
Tactical, Practical & Fantastical 