STEP 1: UNIFY

Image courtesy of RCMP

Well, the literal hangover is hopefully over, and it's time to move forward. The first thing we need to do, while our new legislators are still acclimating, is organize behind a united front so as to allow us time to develop a unified strategy to present to government. We need a single group, with a single vision, representing as many of Canada’s two million gun owners as possible. Without that, we are a fractured entity pushing and pulling in any number of ways at one time, rather than a single force capable of exerting massive pressure in a single direction.

That front is the Canadian Shooting Sports Association. It literally cannot be made simpler than that eight word sentence. But why?

Because what we need, first and foremost, is a single group that has three attributes: A knowledge of legislative process and possessing a high level of legislative credibility, an infrastructure to manage membership and contributions responsibly, and the ability to develop a single cohesive strategy with which to engage government. The CSSA is the only group extant that possesses all of these attributes right now. And we need to rally behind one group right now. Every day that we do not is another day with which the anti-gun movements gets ahead of us.

We understand that other firearm-centric groups exist in Canada, and we respect them, their members and their efforts. As a business, we love anyone that puts effort into fighting for gun rights. But as much as each group serves a purpose, what we will need more than anything is a single group with a large membership, in order to sway legislators. This election saw the Liberals eke out a victory with a surprisingly small percentage of the actual ballots cast, which ensures that our success will ride upon the amount of voter support our organizational representatives can bring to the table… and that means we need at least one organization with as many members as we can muster. To put it in perspective, the difference between an overwhelming Liberal majority and the second-place CPC voter turnout was 1.5 million. There are over 2 million licensed gun owners in Canada. The sooner we can provide our lobbyists with membership numbers that better reflect our voting power, the sooner the issue of gun control stops being a matter for partisan politics.

Now, some may feel that we are incorrect in our endorsement of the CSSA. Some may feel the CSSA does not reflect their own individual beliefs as well as another group, or perhaps feel that they themselves need not be concerned with joining a group in an effort to prevent additional gun bans. But as we said yesterday evening, this is the time for gun owners to cast aside their differences, prejudices, or biases and recognize the power that comes from presenting a unified front by backing a single organization first and foremost. We recognize that may not be easy for some, but if we are to have any hope of weathering the storm, we all need to find the fortitude within ourselves to ignore those negative thoughts and simply forge ahead for the greater good. This we can guarantee: The alternative will be far harder to swallow than something as benign as a $45 annual membership bill.

And if you truly feel like the CSSA isn’t serving your best interests, join the CSSA, and whatever group you feel more comfortable with. Or, join the CSSA and get involved to try and make their organization better. Presenting legislators with a lobby group that we hope could come to represent 100,000 or more Canadians is a potent notion, and one that is made all the more potent if that lobby group is comprised of engaged, involved volunteers providing their time, skills, and varying viewpoints to the discussion. The genesis of a large organization is always an evolutionary one, and it is all but guaranteed that the CSSA of today would not be the 100,000+ member CSSA of tomorrow, as each new member has the ability to help shape and form the CSSA's policy and efforts to better suit and reflect its membership.

Trust us, this will only be the first step in what will probably end up feeling like a marathon, but it is an important one. We cannot let ourselves lapse into complacency, nor can we let ourselves continue to be divided by petty banter; we all need to start pulling in the same direction if we are to get out ahead of any potentially crippling legislation.

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