After courtroom win, NB's Springfield Sports Club still fundraising for legal battle with CFO

Almost a year ago, we told you about New Brunswick's Springfield Sports Club, which had just won a legal battle against that province's Chief Firearms Officer. At that time, the shooting club had seen a big win in court, but expected to need funds for another courtroom showdown. A year later, we've just gotten word that the club is still in the fight, and the fundraising continues.

The background

The legal battle started when NB's CFO decided to tack on a whole laundry list of added rules and regulations to the Springfield Sports Club range. Not surprising; we've seen other CFOs add similar rules in the rest of Canada. Every time they do so, the clubs complain of government overreach, but the Springfield club took it a step further: They had a showdown in court.

The club agreed to follow federal firearms safety regulations, but said the added rules from the provincial official were, in effect, the CFO denying the club its safety approval. The provincial court judge agreed, saying the CFO's new and improved rules were redundant, and covered by existing federal regulations. The judge's decision is here. Below, see lawyer Ian Runkle's YouTube take:

However, the CFO wasn't willing to back down. The appeals process has dragged on for a year now, and the club's funds are running low. See the club's statement below:

Well, our day / days in court are not complete.
• In 2021 we were successful in obtain a decision against the CFO in NB regarding conditions on a range approval.
• The Government filed an appeal to that decision with the Court of Queen’s Bench.
• The appeal and the case was sent back to the provincial court.
• Springfield has filed an appeal to the Court of Appeal on the decision of the Court of Queen’s Bench.
So far, we have spent $29,000 fighting for protection from the CFO’s office.
Our war chest is being depleted and we again are asking for support to finish this fight once and for all. This could be a huge win for all clubs and shooters across the country.

With that in mind, the club's GoFundMe now sees the warchest raised to $60,000 from its $25,000 goal last year; at time of writing, the club has raised just over $32,000 for its fight. And while it's a club on the east coast, a long way away from the prairie provinces or even Ontario, this is a legal scrap that could have ramifications all over Canada. As the club's GoFundMe page says:

The outcome of this legal battle will likely determine how shooting clubs across Canada will be able to operate their shooting ranges for years to come; as per the FA, and Regulations or at the whim’s and wishes of provincial firearms officers. We must not let this continue to happen. Your contribution supports this fight for the real and true legal rights as defined in the FA, and Regulations for recreational shooting clubs to manage and operate their ranges.

Good point: This battle affects all of Canada. Why do you think the CFO is so keen to fight the court's decision? With all that in mind, you can find the club's GoFundMe page here, and even if you've donated before, you might want to throw some more money into this fight for Round 2, or Round 3, or whatever it is at this point.

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