Breaking: Federal court denies motions for injunction against Order in Council firearms ban

The legal fight against the federal government's Order in Council firearms ban has hit a major roadblock. The judge assigned to the case has denied the application for an injunction, and told the firearms groups and individuals to pay for the government's legal costs.

Backing up—in December, we told you the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights (CCFR), along with other individuals, was launching a legal challenge against the Order in Council firearms ban introduced by the Trudeau government in May of 2020. With millions of firearms potentially headed to the smelter, as well as serious long-term implications, several parties launched legal challenges to the Order in Council. It could take months for those legal challenges to make it to court, and much longer for them to be resolved. For that reason, the CCFR and other people asked for a temporary injunction against the ban. This would pause the firearms confiscation process until the actual court challenge takes place. Their injunction hearing took place on January 18, 2021. We've been waiting for a decision from Associate Chief Justice Jocelyne Gagné since then.

The judge handed down her decision today, ruling against the application for an injunction. Gagne rejected the claims from the CCFR and other parties. You can see the whole decision here.  In a nutshell, Gagne's decisions seem based on the idea that nobody affected by the OIC bans are irreparably harmed—they're still able to hunt and shoot targets with other non-restricted firearms. The arguments based on aboriginal rights, on the availability of training for military and law enforcement, the financial harm to hunters, shooters and businesses, or the validity of government experts were all discounted.

What next?

Now, the OIC ban rolls forward, with IBM Canada currently drawing up plans for the confiscation program as the government's private-sector partner. At some point, the CCFR and other firearms rights groups will have their day in court, to fight the ban. That may turn into even more time in court. Don't be surprised if this goes all the way to the Supreme Court, unless there's a change in government that means the OIC gets scrapped.

 

Burris releases new line of thermal optics

Burris has a new line of thermal optics on the market, including a handheld night vision scope, a clip-on that converts a standard scope over to night vision, and a full-fledged thermal riflescope.

All models come with  f/1,2 focal length, 400x300 resolution, five different colour profiles, 17μm pixel size, 1024x768 colour OLED screen and 50hz frame rate. They all have a recording option and can be synced with a mobile device via a wifi option. All models have five different colour profiles. All models come with either a 35 mm or 50 mm objective lens. Thermal tracking and radiametric ranging features are standard, and all models have adjustable brightness and contrast. All these optics also feature multiple reticle options.

The new Burris Thermal Handheld  comes with 2.3-9.2x zoom for the lower-priced 35 mm option, and the higher-priced 50 mm version has 3.3-13.2x zoom capability. Both models also have 4x digital zoom capability. Battery life is around five hours or less. The 35 mm version weighs 485 grams, and the 50 mm version weighs 535 grams, although weight isn't as big a deal with handhelds. US pricing is $1,999 - $2,199.

Then, there's the Burris Thermal Clip-On. These are designed to be attached to a standard rifle optic, giving it thermal vision capability, or they can also be used as a handheld. Most of the specs are same as the Handheld line. The Clip-On model comes with either 2x or 4x digital zoom. Battery life drops to roughly three hours, and weight is under 400 grams for the 35 mm version, under 450 grams for the 50 mm versions. Pricing runs from $2,999 to $3,199 in the US.

Finally, there's the thermal riflescope. This comes in 35 mm version (with 1.7-6.8x zoom) or 50 mm version (with 2.9-9.2x zoom). You also get 2x or 4x digital zoom, and 48 mm eye relief. It's made to attach to a Picatinny rail; battery life is three hours or less, unless you upgrade to a high-output battery, which boosts that to five hours or less.

For other details on the new Burris optics, check out the company's website.

Canadian availability?

We haven't heard heard anything about Canadian pricing or availability on these optics yet. Given our fairly restrictive hunting laws compared to many US states, it's unlikely we'd see the same demand up here, but no doubt some people will want the option of buying these.

Chiappa M1-9 NSR carbine arriving at Canadian dealers

There's another option for Canadians on the market for a pistol-calibre carbine. Or at least, there will be, in the very near future. The Chiappa M1-9 NSR carbine is headed out to dealers across Canada, and should be available by mid-February, 2021.

Chiappa's latest offering looks like a new design, but if you look closely, it's obviously the same M1-9 action that was used in Chiappa's clone of the famous M1 Carbine. The original M1 Carbine was a gas-operated semi-auto chambered in the then-new .30 Carbine cartridge. The new Chiappa rifle uses a blowback action, chambered in 9mm.  As it's designed to be a fun plinking gun, not a mil-spec weapon for busting enemies in the Pacific jungle, the Chiappa has several plastic parts. It's definitely not as rugged as the original, and many users had complaints about feeding issues from the magazines as well (the Chiappa uses Beretta pistol mags). Supposedly, the non-canted magazine orientation contributed to jamming.

Still, 9mm carbines were getting rare in Canada for a while there, and the Chiappa M1-9 offered a low-priced option for shooters in the Great White North. And, Chiappa must have sold enough to make it worth re-investing in the platform. Now, we're getting a version with more up-to-date tactical-style features, a world exclusive for Canadian distributor North Sylva.

Instead of the wooden World War II-style stock of the original M1-9, the new NSR version has a black synthetic stock with pistol grip. The buttstock has adjustable length and an adjustable cheek riser. There's an optics rail on top of the receiver, with flip-up iron sights included as standard, as well as a rail under the forend. The fake suppressor comes as standard from the factory. Like the original M1-9 design, the NSR version uses Beretta 92 magazines.

Available this month

North Sylva says the M1-9 NSR should be at its dealers by mid-February.

Although not every dealer has listed pricing, it looks like the NSR will retail around the $800 mark in Canada. For more details, your best bet is likely contacting North Sylva through its Facebook page, or asking your local dealer.

Henry adds "specialized" rifles, shotgun to its line

Somewhat surprisingly, lever action rifles are having a bit of a revival these days—or at least, that's what Henry Repeating Arms thinks. At the end of 2020, Henry overhauled its line of steel-framed lever-actions. Now, Henry's introducing three new levers and a single-shot shotgun, all aimed at specialty uses.

New rifles

First up, take a look at the Lever Action Magnum Express, in .22 Magnum. A lever-action in .22 mag is nothing new; Henry's offered similar rifles before, as have other manufacturers. But this version isn't an old-school Western-style rifle aimed for John Wayne wannabes. There are no iron sights on the rifle; instead, there's a Picatinny rail on top of the receiver, for mounting optics. Henry also put a raised comb on the stock, to align the shooter's eye with optics.

Instead of cowboy cosplay, this rifle is for varmint shooting. Most hunters aren't going to rush out and buy one for coyote blasting (although it would work, within reasonable distances). Instead, expect this to see action in the Prairie Dog Wars and similar skirmishes against smaller mammals. Henry wants $622 for this rifle in the US, but we haven't seen Canadian pricing yet.

If you're looking for a centerfire rifle with more punch, Henry has two new offerings. First, it's now offering the X Model in .30-30.

In case you haven't seen it before, the X Model is yet another unusual take on the lever-action formula. Instead of wood stocks and a saddle-up-partners attitude, you get synthetic furniture and fibre-optic sights. The stock also has swivel studs and M-Lok accessory mounts. There's a Picatinny rail under the barrel, for mounting a light or other gadgetry. The muzzle has 5/8×24 thread, to accept accessories. It looks like something off the sci-fi shoe Firefly, not High Noon.

Why even build such a thing? It's a way for some shooters in the US to buy a rifle that's tactical-ish, without worrying about confusing state firearms laws. We feel their pain. The US MSRP is $1,019; again, no word on Canadian pricing.

Henry also announced the All-Weather Picatinny Rail .45-70 Side Gate. It's kind of an awkward name, and Henry probably should have just called it the Lever Scout, or something like that. Henry says this rifle borrows "elements from Jeff Cooper’s scout rifle concept." The receiver-top Picatinny rail allows for forward-mount scopes, if you don't like the standard adjustable peep sight. The rifle comes with a hard satin chrome plating as standard. Those stocks look like they're made of synthetic material, but they're actually wood. Henry's used a similar process before, on its All Weather rifle series.

This rifle looks well-suited to hunting thick brush, or other situations where a hard-hitting, fast-shooting rifle is needed. Henry lists a $1,221 MSRP in the US market, with no word on Canadian availability yet.

New shotgun

Finally, we also get the Single Shot Turkey Camo shotgun, in Mossy Oak Obsession. This is simply a camo'd break-action single shot, chambered for 3.5-inch 12 gauge shells. That sounds like a recipe for painful recoil, but Henry did add a soft rubber butt pad to lessen the blast.

The Turkey shotgun has fibre optic sights and a removable turkey choke. If you want to add a red dot scope, the shotgun comes drilled and tapped for mounts. There's a $687 price tag on the shotgun in the US.

See more details on Henry's latest offerings at HenryUSA.com.

Magpul FDP-9 folding pistol is coming—but would it be legal in Canada?

When Magpul first showed its futuristic folding carbine at SHOT Show back in 2008, it was an exciting idea. However, the company said it wasn't planning on production then. Things change, though. Now Magpul says it's collaborating with Zev Technologies to put two 9 mm versions of its folding firearm into production, known as the FDP-9 and FDC-9.

To explain Magpul's folding design, it's easiest just to show the experimental firearm as originally demonstrated years decade ago. As the video below shows, the FMG9 was itself based on the earlier Ares FMG design.

Depending which write-up of the original FMG9 concept you believe, the first prototypes were built around a Glock 17 or Glock 18 action. As the video above shows, Mapgul built at least one prototype around a full-auto Glock 18. Supposedly Magpul wanted sales to law enforcement and other government agencies. Obviously, anything with full-auto capability is banned in Canada. Even in the US, full-auto firearms are prohibitively expensive for most shooters. This is probably why Magpul never saw a commercial market for the original FMG9 concept. Not only would the licencing be pricey, the firearm itself would have most likely required expensive manufacturing procedures. It just wasn't worth Magpul's time.

Now, Magpul is teaming up with Zev Technologies on a new folding pistol/carbine design, with obvious inspiration from the FMG9 concept.

In 2019, Zev Technologies introduced its OZ9 modular pistol. This two-piece frame separates the receiver block from the handle. This allows Zev Technologies to sell highly customizable pistols. It also allows Magpul to easily adapt its folding firearm design to incorporate this action, instead of the one-piece Glock frame.

Since Zev Technologies developed the OZ9, Magtech has collaborated with the company to develop the new Folding Defensive Pistol-9 (FDP-9) and Folding Defensive Carbine-9 (FDC-9). Here's how the Magpul website explains it:

"The intent, with preliminary ATF approvals in place, is for ZEV Technologies to offer the FDP-9 firearm as a complete, large-format pistol. From there, the purchaser can enjoy the firearm as a self-enclosing large-format pistol. They may also choose to file the appropriate ATF Form 1 and, after approval, purchase a conversion kit to legally assemble it into the FDC-9. It will then be classified as a short-barreled rifle (SBR) and subject to all NFA laws. Although not certain at this time, the FDC-9 might also be offered straight from ZEV and would transfer to the purchaser as an SBR on an ATF Form 4 through their local dealer. The FDP-9 and FDC-9 will not be available from Magpul; they will be available from ZEV Technologies and through distributors and dealers that carry ZEV Firearms."

Basically, all that legal mumbo-jumbo is tied to US regulations over conversion of pistols to rifles. Zev Technologies will offer the FDP-9 as a pistol; if users pay for appropriate licences, they can buy parts to turn it into a carbine. Zev Technologies is also considering offering the carbine as a standalone option.

Legal in Canada?

If the FDP-9 pistol and FDC-9 carbine had their magazines pinned to 10 rounds, it looks like they'd be Canada-legal.

Unlike the old Glock 18-based prototype, the OZ9 is semi-auto only. The FDP-9 and FDC-9 are based on a legal, all-new design. The FDP-9 would be restricted as a pistol; the FDC-9 would also be restricted based on barrel length.

That still leaves two other roadblocks for Canadian availability: Government officials could make an arbitrary decision to ban these firearms anyway, despite them meeting legal requirements. And, it's possible they'd be too expensive for Canadian buyers anyway. With firearms selling like mad in the US right now, it's unlikely Zev Technologies is anxious to figure out our market requirements. They'll easily sell every FDP-series firearm they make in the US, most likely.

New Mossberg Reserve over-under shotguns for 2021

Mossberg is bringing out a line of over-under shotguns again. For 2021, we're getting the revived Mossberg Silver Reserve Field series as well as the new Gold Reserve series. They're aimed at the hunting and sporting clays markets respectively.

First up, Mossberg is just rebadging these shotguns, not manufacturing them. They're actually manufactured in Turkey; word on the street is, they're built by Khan. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as Turkish doubles have come a long way in recent years. Still, Mossberg's old Silver Reserve series did not have a great reputation. Perhaps this reboot is an attempt to correct issues with previous models?

Whatever the case, the Silver Reserve Field series is just what the name implies; this line is aimed at hunting use. These shotguns will come in 12, 20, 28 and .410 gauges. The Silver Reserve line has black walnut stocks, except for a blacked-out 12 gauge model with synthetic stock, which is obviously aimed at rougher usage (and lower MSRP). Laser checkering comes standard, and the Silver Reserve line has extractors, not ejectors. All Silver Reserve models come with cylinder, improved cylinder, modified, improved modified, and full chokes. They're all supposed to weigh under 7.5 pounds. Bores and chambers are hard chrome-plated, and all gauges come with three-inch chambers, except for 28 gauge.

The barrels on the Silver Reserve series come in a matte blued finish. Barrel lengths range from 26 to 32 inches. These shotguns have a 14-inch length of pull, except for the 20 gauge Youth model, which has a 13.25-inch length of pull.

The new Gold Reserve series is basically the same shotgun, but with much nicer finish. These shotguns are intended for competition shooting. They come with jeweled actions, polished-blue barrels and silver-finish receivers (with scrollwork, and gold accents underneath action). The high-grade black walnut stocks are adjustable for comb height, cast and length of pull, and come with hand checkering. Most barrels in this series are 28 inches, but the Black Label model comes with 30-inch barrel. There's also an up-specced Super Sport model, with added adjustability built-in, and fiber-optic bead sight.

Mossberg's Gold Reserve doubles have ejectors fitted as standard, and come with the same five-choke set as the Silver Reserve series.

Canadian availability?

We have not seen Canadian pricing or availability announced yet for the revived Silver Reserve series or the Gold Reserve series. With their Turkish origin, it may be likely we'll see them sooner, as the firearms industry is certainly in upheaval in the US these days. In the US, pricing is just under $700 for most Silver models, and just under $1,000 for most Gold models. Find more details on the new shotguns at Mossberg's website.

 

 

Dennis R. Young, 1947-2021: Canada's champion of firearms rights has died

Dennis R. Young, a longtime leader in the fight for Canadian firearms owners' rights, has died after a battle with cancer.

In his earlier years, Young served a five-year stint as an RCMP officer, and was involved with many other careers, including mining, small business owner, consultant and civil servant, as well as work for organizations like the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

Young's battle for Canadian gun owners started in the early 1990s, when he became seriously involved with Reform Party organizers. Drawing from his wide life experience, Young addressed and advised the Reform Party in its early years, and eventually helped as a grassroots-level organizer. Although he worked on many issues, Young developed a focus on the rights of Canadian firearms owners, and was involved with events like the Fed Up rallies in 1994 and 1998, which saw 22,000 and 30,000 protestors assembled on Parliament Hill to decry federal firearms legislation.

Young ended up working as parliamentary assistant to Yorkton—Melville MP Garry Breitkreuz, retiring in 2007. In his years in Ottawa, Young spent much time digging up details on the federal firearms program. His research is credited with ending the long gun registry, as he helped share details on its true cost and exposed other problems with the program. After his retirement, Young began working full-time on researching Canadian firearms law and shooters' rights. Along with the long gun registry, he uncovered government misdeeds in the High River flooding fiasco; however, his ultimate target was the Firearms Act. Young believed the Firearms Act unfairly criminalized law-abiding firearms owners, while failing to address illegal gun usage.

To that end, Young filed hundreds of Access to Information requests, along with other forms of research, in an effort to share facts about Canadian firearms usage and laws. In 2015, he opened his own website to make it easier to share the information he uncovered.

After beating cancer once, Young was diagnosed again, and died on January 15 after his second battle with the disease. Since then, he's been recognized by many of Canada's shooting and sportsmen organizations for his invaluable contribution towards firearms owners' rights.

Calibre wishes to offer its condolences to Young's family and friends at this time.

Report: CZ looks to buy Colt, including Colt Canada

According to financial documents filed in Europe, Czech firearms manufacturer CZ is aiming to purchase Colt. The deal would include all of the Colt Manufacturing Company's assets, including Colt Canada.

Initially, this story broke in the business section of Die Welt, a German newspaper. Earlier this week, the paper ran a story digging into paperwork from CZ. In November of 2020, CZ published financial documents indicating it was working on a deal to buy up another firearms manufacturer, but didn't give much more information than that. Eventually, CZ told journalists from Die Welt that Colt was the intended target.

At this point, the deal hasn't gone through yet, says the newspaper. There could be any number of reasons for that, but it's possible current unrest in the US, coupled with speculation over future gun control legislation, is causing concern for some investors. Remember, CZ is now a publicly-traded company, since early 2020.

The report from Germany indicates CZ is looking to buy up the entire Colt empire, including Colt Canada (formerly Diemaco). Based in Kitchener, Ontario, Colt Canada was founded in 2005 to retain domestic firearms production for the military. Currently, Colt Canada builds rifles and grenade launchers for the Canadian military, as well as police forces and smaller orders for international customers (often in the special ops community). Under CZ ownership, there's no guarantee that would continue. Colt Canada's international reputation for build quality would no doubt work in its favour.

Remember CZ already has a factory in Missouri, and also owns Dan Wesson Firearms, which has a New York plant. If CZ does buy Colt, it could shift production to either of these factories, or stay in its Connecticut facility.

Where did this deal come from?

So where'd this deal come from? Although it could be the world's best-known privately-owned firearms manufacturer, Colt went tough financial times in the past decade. Colt actually went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015, after losing a government contract to produce M4 carbines in 2013. After re-structuring under Cannae Holdings Inc. ownership, Colt went back into business, but execs continued to make questionable decisions. In September of 2019, the company announced it would no longer sell AR-15 rifles on the civilian market. Considering 2020's record-breaking firearms sales boom in the US, that looks like a poor financial decision. Colt eventually resumed civilian AR sales in mid-2020, but that decision and other unwise moves over recent years have not served the company well.

As Remington prepares to resume production, labour troubles looming

Remington appears ready to resume firearms production in coming weeks, but as the company's new owners make plans to fire up the plant, it seems labour troubles are brewing.

Just before Christmas, the new owners at Remington sent a letter out to 200 former employees, offering them jobs starting on February 15. That might sound like good news, especially during the holiday season, but the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) disagreed.

Remington furloughed roughly 700 workers when it shut down its plant due to bankruptcy, and the UMWA represents many of those employees. The union has issues with many of the terms in the deal offered to the 200 potential returnees, says Syracuse.com. The new RemArms offer went directly to employees, not through the union, and the labour leaders certainly don't like that. Then, the employees invited back weren't selected on the basis of seniority, which is a stipulation in the old contract with Remington. As well, Remington offered "at-will" employment, meaning they could be easily fired, with no union protection. And, Remington also asked them to give up rights to separation pay and other benefits.

When Roundhill bought Remington a few months back, part of the deal was that they'd stick to RemArms' old labour contract. With that in mind, this could be a mess that takes a while to sort out, potentially delaying any Remington reboot.

Still, there's plenty of time until February 15. Hopefully RemArms and the UMWA will be able to get everything sorted out, and resume production at that point. There's certainly no shortage of demand in the US right now, although RemArms' new owners have emphasized their goal of producing hunting firearms, not tactical rifles.

What about Marlin?

There's been little news about Marlin's revival since Ruger bought it for $30 million. At first, Ruger actually considered producing some Marlin rifles in its North Carolina plant, and others in New Hampshire. Lately, there's been little talk of the company's future. Ruger bigwigs supposedly say they expect to ship Marlin rifles in the second half of 2021. If that's true, it's hard to imagine we'll see many of those firearms in Canada before 2022.

What about the ammo business?

In case you hadn't noticed, there's basically none of the classic yellow/green Remington hunting ammo on shelves these days. That's because Remington's ammo manufacturing also shut down when the owners declared bankruptcy. Vista Outdoors bought most of that business (Sierra bought Barnes Bullets). You can bet Vista is very keen on using Remington's production capacity to make up its $1 billion backlog in orders.