WE STILL NEED YOU!

Daniel Fritter in Politics on September 17, 2016

To the firearms community - thank you. Thank you for supporting a call to action that requires each and every one of us to contact our local Members of Parliament and inform them that we are not criminals.

September 19th, 2016 will be a day like many others - it will also a day that we, as a community, demand action from those we help put in office. The first video was seen tens of thousands of times by people like you and I - the power that we hold as a community cannot and should not be understated. But we're not done.

“How do we find out who our local Member of Parliament is, and what is their contact information?”

Go to www.parl.gc.ca - this website is easily navigated. Once you select the language you wish to proceed with, you will be brought to a page that has a lot of information. Focus on the middle column titled “House of Commons.” Directly under this title you will see “Find a Member of Parliament.” The easiest thing to do is to type in your current postal code. After clicking “search” you will be informed as to who your local Member of Parliament is. Click on the name of the individual and you will be brought to another page that has the “Hill Office” and “Constituency Office” contact information and location. You will also find the direct email address of your local Member of Parliament.

It should be noted that mail may be sent postage-free to any Member of Parliament.

“What is the best initial way to contact my Member of Parliament?”

The best way to reach your Member of Parliament on the first go is through mail or email. All correspondence is read, either by your Member of Parliament or a close staffer. The more letters and emails sent, the greater the chance that you will get a response.

“What should I write to my local Member of Parliament?”

A template is included below - however, please feel free to customize it so that it speaks to you as a lawful Canadian gun owner. A note of caution - it can be very easy to write and write and write, especially on such an emotional issue. Try your best at being short and sweet, direct and to the point. A clear message is the best message.

“Hi,

My name is [John Smith] and I am a law abiding firearms owner located in your riding, [Riding Location]. I wanted to let you know that I do not support any new firearms bans or gun control legislation. I know for a fact that there are many of us that feel this way in [Riding Location], I personally believe that this needed to be brought to your attention.

Sincerely,
John Smith”

Longer, more in depth, conversations should be reserved for a face to face meeting with your local Member of Parliament. Please go to the House of Commons calendar website located here. You will easily be able to see the dates the government is in session. When the government is not in session, there is a good chance your local Member of Parliament will be at the constituency office. Stop in!

“What process should I expect?”

Each government experience is different. Hopefully you will receive an email back - perhaps you will get an invitation to stop by and discuss firearm issues. You might not receive any correspondence at all. Whatever happens, I urge you to stick with it. If you sent an email, stop into the constituency office the next time the Member of Parliament is in. If you have family and friends that are taking the same action, join as a group and set a meeting time with your Member of Parliament. Either way, keep the momentum going.