[this page is a mirror of this original].
Furious George
Editorial Note: This how-to refers specifically to the Canadian gun control law. However, many of the suggestions offered herein would probably work in other gun-grabbing places, such as Australia and "Great" Britain. Unfortunately, it appears that the day is looming when it will be useful in the United States as well. Read it, know the laws in your area, then use what directly applies, and tweak the things that don't so that they will. Copy and distribute the manual to everyone you know--and trust!--who you think will use it. {Furious George has given explicit permission for this activity.} Print up some copies and leave them at your local shooting range, gun stores, and gun shows that come to your area.
As Furious said in his prologue:
What follows are some legal and not so legal methods of resisting Bill C-68, The Firearms Act. The legal ones come from a variety of sources including major pro-firearms organizations, magazines and the Internet. Nobody was consulted for permission to use their ideas, and they will probably be angry to find them included here. Maybe not.
The tactics described herein are best described as "civil disobedience", "non-cooperation", and "passive resistance": Using the system against itself, working to rule, and never volunteering to help.
The more people who use these tactics, the sooner the new system will be exposed as the costly fraud it is. If you are one of the sheepish, mewling, crybabies who think that radical action/speaking out makes firearms owners "look bad", and that if we would only comply with the governments silly laws just "one more time" they will "leave us alone", [stop reading] immediately. It is not for you. Go back to dreamland.
WARNING: Implementing the tactics in this manual (even the legal ones) may draw unpleasant reprisals against you. Being morally and factually right is not the same as being harassment-proof. The authorities may want to "make an example" of you to scare others into quietly complying. Therefore, make sure you are squeaky clean: plug those last few high cap mags to their legal capacity. Make sure your storage is tight. If you have a lot of ammo at your home, consider storing it off site, thus thwarting any "arsenal" pictures on the front page of the paper should the police get an "anonymous" tip and decide to inspect/raid you. Take the Tracy Lords videotape out of your golf bag and store it at your brother's place. The same goes for any other contraband you may have, like firecrackers, dope, or a smoke alarm with dead batteries. The new Firearms Act allows them to seize your computer and discs. If you have things in them you don't want them to see, encrypt them with PGP or one of the other encryption programs available for free off the Internet. Deleted files can be recovered unless you learn and use techniques to avoid this. Learn today! Similarly, the feds keep changing the law--some of these tactics may become null and void without notice. Legal stuff: This manual is accurate at the time it was published! Don't even think about suing the author or the person who gave this manual to you if you get in trouble. Use at your own risk!
IF YOU GET BUSTED OR HARASSED: Never admit to anything. You have a right to remain silent so use it. Be polite and calm.
DO NOT EVEN DREAM OF TRYING THESE TACTICS IF: You think O.J. was innocent. You think the Spice Girls are talented. You think Michael Jackson is not a pedophile. You don't think the government will try to ban ALL guns.
No monkeys were harmed during the production of this manual.
CFC - The Canadian Firearms Center. Located in Miramachi, NB it is the agency tasked with administering the Firearms Act.
Civil Disobedience/non cooperation/passive resistance - Resistance to government measures by non violent means.
FRAS - Firearms Registration Administration System. The "old" firearms registry maintained by the RCMP. Believed to have a 40% error rate. It is no longer useable in court.
FRT - Firearms Reference Table. A computer program used by a verifier to identify a firearm by entering in certain descriptors of the firearm in question. Highly susceptible to error and misidentification. Will quickly become known as FaRT.
FPC - Firearms Possession Certificate. Replaces the old FAC. Has different classes for different types of firearms.
Unique - One and only specimen of a kind. Having no like or equal. (In order for the registration system to work without error, each and every firearm in Canada must be uniquely identified. This is virtually impossible, even more so if people register their firearms as unknown ( mentioned elsewhere).
Verification - Confirmation that a firearm has been accurately described. Or, having a firearm described by a verifier on an "Application to Register".
Verifier - A poorly trained and equipped volunteer tasked with the impossible job of ensuring only quality information is entered into the firearms registry. Uses the FaRT disk to describe fireams. Originally, the government thought they would get gun collectors and shooters to do this job, but because of the dangers mentioned elsewhere nobody has volunteered. Only an idiot or an anti-gunner would be a verifier.
When registering your firearms, the application form asks you a bunch of questions like make, model, serial number, barrel length, caliber, magazine capacity etc. At the bottom of the form is a place where they want you to sign. As soon as you, or someone else, signs the new "Application to Register", you/they have "verified the information on this application to be true." They could really screw you if you make an honest mistake, or put what you think is the right info. Read on...
Any information that appears on an "Application to Register" over your signature is information that you are responsible for, so it is strongly recommended that you fill in each and every "identifying" box with the word "unknown"--and that you insist on leaving it that way. The information the government wants to put in those boxes must then be supplied by the government's own "verifier" on a separate sheet of paper over HIS signature, so that YOU will not be responsible if HE makes an error.
WARNING: Any person who acts as an "Approved Verifier" OR a "Business Verifier" is at risk. It does not matter WHAT you put down on an "Application to Register"--it can be shown to be "false or misleading" by a prosecutor.
EXAMPLE: One "verifier" calls a shotgun "Make: Browning" and "Model: Auto-5." Another calls it "Make: Fabrique Nationale" and "Model: Automatic." Obviously, at least ONE of those is "false or misleading"--but WHICH? There are NO SET STANDARDS for entries to the Application to Register form "identifying" boxes--so ANY entry can be RULED to be "false or misleading."
Even if you consider yourself to be a firearms expert, the only safe way to fill out an Application to Register is to put "UNK" or "UNKNOWN" into every box.
(1) You fill in the "Serial Number" box with the number that is plainly stamped on the bottom of the trigger guard of an Iver Johnson revolver. WRONG. The trigger guard is NOT the "frame or receiver." It is easily removed and replaced. The correct place to look for an Iver Johnson Serial Number is UNDER THE LEFT GRIP. Once inside, there may be a letter, stamped at an angle to the number and at a distance from it. That letter is PART of the Serial number--and it is NOT on the trigger guard.
(2) You fill in the "Make" box with "Savage" while applying to register a lever action Savage rifle. Unfortunately, it was made in Spain--and not by "Savage." Similarly, the "frame or receiver" of many rifles marked with the names of British companies were actually made in other countries. Some "Marlin" rifles were made by Sako in Finland. "Brownings" (or are they Fabrique National?) were made in Belgium AND Japan.
(3) You fill in the "Serial Number" box while applying to register a bolt action sporter marked Husqvarna. You do not notice that the Serial Number is stamped into the BARREL--which is an uncontrolled spare part, and therefore cannot identify the "frame or receiver" which IS, in LAW, the "firearm."
4) You fill in the "Caliber" box as .308. Unbeknownst to you, their computer will only recognize 7.62mm as a description of that particular cartridge. Or 7.62x51. Or .308Win. Will they consider your attempt at being honest as a legitimate mistake? Maybe. Twelve months of waiting for a week-long court case and $2000 in legal fees will tell...
ALL "verifiers" (and YOU) are placed at risk by the language of C-68's Firearms Act section 106:
"106. (1) Every person commits an offence WHO...KNOWINGLY MAKES A STATEMENT orally or in writing that is false or misleading..." and is "for the purpose of procuring a licence, REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE or authorization for that person OR ANY OTHER PERSON."
That language is a trap for any "verifier" OR other person attempting to register a firearm. By the rules of English, the word "knowingly" ONLY applies to the words, "makes a statement." The word "knowingly" does NOT apply to the following words, "that is false or misleading." Therefore, any honest error on an Application to Register--even any VERBAL comment made during the process of applying for a registration--is CRIMINALIZED.
That is emphasized by section 106(3):
"106. (3) In this section, 'statement' means an assertion of fact, OPINION, BELIEF or knowledge, WHETHER MATERIAL OR NOT AND WHETHER ADMISSIBLE OR NOT.
Firearms Act section 109:
"109. (1) Every person who commits an offence under section 106...(a) is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to IMPRISONMENT FOR A TERM NOT EXCEEDING TWO YEARS; or (b) is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction."
A summary conviction offence carries a maximum penalty of up to SIX MONTHS IMPRISONMENT and a fine of up to $2000.
Either way, and even if the "actual" penalty is a small fine, you get a CRIMINAL RECORD as a FIREARMS OFFENDER--which will result in your entry to other countries, INCLUDING THE U.S., being DENIED if they ask about your criminal record. In Canada, it will void any chance of your being BONDED--and few companies want to hire anyone with a CRIMINAL RECORD. Every polite effort made to have the deadly wording of 106(1) CHANGED has been flatly rejected by the government...
At the time of this writing, you have until Jan 1, 2003 to register firearms you currently own. Any new firearms you acquire after the new law comes into effect in October '98 will have to be registered as you get them. Firearms already registered under the old FRAS system (pistols) will have to be re registered by Jan 1, 2001.
CAUTION: The above dates are not carved in stone--the Gov't could change them at any time! Be ready! Also--BE SURE TO HAVE AN FAC OR A NEW FIREARMS LICENCE BY JAN 1, 2001. You will have to be a licenced owner to register late in 2003.
People are talking about gathering the registration postcards and destroying them en masse. (They should first have some ready in case the Gov't changes the dates!) This would crush the amount budgeted to implement the registration. It would also anger a lot of the ass-kissers who will want to be the first in line to register their guns. Gun owners can then bitch about not being able to comply with the law! "But it was supposed to be sooo easy to do!"
What follows are some techniques to implement against the registration.
"Dancing on the head of a pin" is an NFA technical term meaning "using the legislation creatively in ways the Firearms Control Bureaucracy has apparently not expected."
Some people have been advocating that no one should register ANY firearm when C-68 comes into force. While that does set up an impossible situation, Ottawa really does not care about it. They regard the inevitable finding of unregistered guns--while searching for other items, as a result of hostile neighbors, etc.--as prosecutions that WILL happen, and that WILL pressure people to "dump" their firearms as being too risky to keep.
It is more fun to "dance on the head of a pin." The registration system is deeply flawed. It is only useful if it can identify each and every firearm in Canada UNIQUELY. The word "unique" is a powerful word. It is an absolute, like "dead" or "pregnant." You cannot legitimately say "almost unique" any more than you can say "almost pregnant." It is or it isn't, and there are no modifiers that can be used legitimately.
Ottawa tries to identify firearms uniquely by describing seven characteristics of the firearm that it shares with a group of other firearms, then using the serial number as the 8th characteristic--the one that identifies it "uniquely." That is their theory, and it is garbage.
Some of the 7 characteristics are variables. Either there are several possible entries [e.g., COLT, COLT (ITHACA), ITHACA, ITHACA (COLT) for an Ithaca-made Colt .45 service pistol], or the firearm itself can change after leaving the factory [Colt .45 re-barreled to .38 Super, barrel length changed, magazine capacity changed...].
Serial numbers do NOT "uniquely" identify a firearm within a particular group. Many manufacturers routinely duplicate serial numbers [Iver Johnson made 9,000,000 revolvers using a 5-digit serial number system; Colt .38 Super M1911 pistols use serial numbers which duplicate military Colt serial numbers and .38 Supers can be re-barreled to .45, etc.].
Go to your nearest large gun store, and start looking. Look at that cut-down Mauser 98 sporter. What "MAKE" is it? Probably NOT "Mauser."
Mauser was the DESIGNER, but it may have been MADE in any one of many factories in many countries--all of them duplicating each other's serial numbers. The current caliber and barrel length may not be those that it had when it left the factory--and they may be changed AGAIN by the next owner. Many 98 Mausers are converted, even to 2-shot 12-gauge shotguns!
So: Present such a puzzle to the authorities for registration. YOU cannot give them ANY advice on what it is, or how it should be registered. That is MUCH too risky. If they disagree with you, they can charge you with "making a statement" that turned out to be "false or misleading" in an attempt to get registration--and that is a crime.
NEVER tell them your "belief" or "opinion" in ANYTHING having to do with registration--or risk being charged. Read FAs 106(1) and (3) if you don't believe that; they do NOT cover "making a statement" that you "KNOW to be false or misleading"; they DO cover "making a statement" that you BELIEVE to be true, but which turns out to be "false or misleading"--in their opinion. NEVER tell them ANYTHING about ANY firearm! It's too risky!
THEY claim to be able to "uniquely" identify ANY firearm. That is interesting. The RCMP reference collection contains many firearms, and 19 per cent of them have no serial numbers. About 2 per cent are firearms that THEY cannot identify--even with their access to expensive reference books, computers, and other agencies.
Therefore, "dance on the head of a pin." TEST their claim that they can "uniquely" identify ANY firearm. Buy an odd-looking .22 single-shot rifle with no serial number, and register it. If YOU are not satisfied their registration certificate is "unique" and that it PERFECTLY identifies the firearm, REJECT it and demand a better certificate. You cannot afford to have a firearm that is not "uniquely" identified by the registration certificate.
THEY claim that they can "uniquely" identify ANY firearm. TEST them. And raise hell if they have been lying to us. If they have been lying, they deserve all the dirt that can be thrown at them--because they are RESPONSIBLE for registration as we know it, and for claiming that it can be made perfect.
Registering as Unknown:
It is recommended that each of the "identification" boxes (Make, Model, Serial Number, etc.) on the application form be filled with "UNKNOWN" or "UNK"--because you can go to jail for up to 5 years if you make an honest mistake, or if your idea of what SHOULD go into the little box is not the same as the CFR/FRAS idea of what should be in it. Even if Firearms Act sections 106 and 109 do NOT send you to prison, you may well have to fight an expensive court case over this--and, if you lose, you will have a criminal record of conviction of a firearms offense. The risks are too high--so enter "UNK."
The only way to be SAFE is to put "UNKNOWN" or "UNK" in EVERY box. You cannot be prosecuted for not being PERFECTLY CERTAIN--and, if you are not perfectly certain, you SHOULD put "UNKNOWN" into the box. REMEMBER: The markings on the gun mean NOTHING unless they are on the "frame or receiver"--and they are often quite deceptive even then. It is not at all unusual for the markings to indicate manufacture by someone OTHER than the real manufacturer, for apparent serial numbers to be wrong (the real one may be out of sight, and longer), etc., etc. Don't take chances--enter "UNKNOWN."
After having attempted to register as "Unknown" you will likely get a phone call to arrange having your firearms "verified".
May we suggest some things along the following lines?
PHONE TAG: Buy a telephone answering machine or service so you can screen your calls. When they finally call to arrange for verification, call them back a few days later at a time you know they will not be home or in the office. Leave a polite message on their machine stating you are returning their call. They will call back and leave a message on your machine... This can probably be safely kept up for about 3 weeks. Keep a log of all of these calls.
SECURITY AGAINST PHONE SCAMS AND HOME INVASIONS: As members of the dreaded firearms community, the Government expect us not only to adhere to the letter of the numerous laws governing the possession and use of our guns, but also to "the spirit" of these laws. Amongst other things, this means we are encouraged to take steps beyond what has been laid down by regulation regarding the safe storage of firearms. The current FAC study manual encourages us not to tell others we own firearms, as this could encourage being targeted for theft. Disregard for the moment that if anybody steals anything from you THE MORAL ONUS IS ON THE PERSON WHO DOES THE STEALING, not You the VICTIM. Also disregard the irony that they want you to tell THEM (the Gov't) what you own.
In light of "the spirit" of the Government's suggestion, consider the following hypothetical phone conversation which reflects following of the SPIRIT of the law... TO THE LETTER Continued from previous page...
RINGGG, RINGGG...
YOU: "Hello?"
UNKNOWN CALLER: "Hello Mr. Smith, this is Ginger Spice. I am a verifier for the CFC. I would like to get together and go over the firearms in your collection to fill in the features you marked as Unknown on your registrations. Would Tuesday at..."
YOU: "Ms. Spice, in light of recent home invasions by criminals posing as government officers ( BC and Welland, Ontario), and a general concern for security, prudence dictates I should not discuss whether or not I own firearms with strangers. In order to establish that you are a genuine verifier, meet me this (or next) Sunday at 6:30 a.m. (It is the only convenient time, sorry) at the local police station where I will have a uniformed officer there establish your credentials." Click.
Warning: Do this only once. If the verifier feels you are making a dedicated effort to evade verification, he or she will probably just come with a warrant and the swat team. (After all, it is a "weapons call".) Switch to another tactic if they call back.
HIDE AND SEEK:
If you live out in the country and they ask for directions to your place, give them close but incorrect information. "Gee, I'm sure I said turn LEFT and go for 10 miles at the stop sign". Do not answer the phone the rest of the day. Blame THEM for breaking the appointment. Call/write their supervisor to complain about lost time at work or inconvenience. When they arrive at your house, keep them confined to the front room. (This may not work if the verification is being done in conjunction with an inspection of your storage security. Play it by ear) Unsettle them by having a running video camera set up on a tripod. Ask to see their FAC/FPC. Bring out each gun one at a time. Slowly take the trigger lock off and check the gun for ammo. Make them sign a receipt for each and every gun you hand over to them. When they hand it back after measuring, make sure you take time to examine it for damage. Slowly, repeat the process of securing the gun. If they start to whine, remind them: "safety first". After an hour of this, tell them you have to leave for an appointment, and will have to reschedule to continue. If they bitch, politely remind them it is not your fault THEIR procedures take so long. Similarly, you say meeting on the 31st would be okay. Silly fool verifier thinks you said the 21st. On the 21st nobody is at home. Too bad, you will have to reschedule.
Keep in mind that registration is not mandatory until Jan 1, 2003!!! Don't be lured in by the Government's "bargain" registration fees for early registration. A lot can happen between now and then--Reform could get in and scrap the whole C-68 show as they have promised to do. Some of you may be contemplating NEVER registering. That's a personal decision. Keep in mind though, the guns you stash can never be used for hunting or target shooting again because after 2003 you will risk getting charged with "possession of an unregistered weapon" if caught with it. Buy a lifetime's worth of ammo for such firearms now, or register a "throw away" piece the Government can confiscate in the same caliber so you can continue to buy ammo.
DAISEY CHAIN or RING AROUND THE ROSEY:
Register a cheap clunker firearm. Seven days later a friend buys it from you and applies to register it. Two days later another friend buys it from him and applies to register it. Seven days later it is again sold and registered. Two days later you buy it back and apply to register it. Wait a month, shorten the barrel by a half inch, then send it around again! This will cost you all a few bucks each time to register it, but it will eventually result in the CFC screwing something up and then you can holler to the media and the CFC brass about inaccuracies in the 2 billion dollar registry.
And ABOVE ALL --- DO NOT EVER EVER GIVE UP!!!!!!
The new forms will have a box to tick which says "Frame only". Tick it and supply no other info. This is almost as good as REGISTERING AS UNKNOWN. It involves stripping all the parts off the firearms frame and demanding it be registered as frame only. This way, the only descriptors capable of being filled in by the verifier are possibly the make and the serial number. There will be no barrel length because it has no barrel. There will be no caliber because most firearms (1911 Colts and Glocks are great for this) can be reassembled with custom parts into virtually ANY caliber. Of course, you will probably want to have the government's verifier fill in the forms and sign them. Barrels, magazines, stocks etc. are all uncontrolled spare parts. Nothing in law says they are registerable. Alternatively, if you own a gun capable of switching caliber, like T/C Contenders etc., you may want to register it in all its combinations, or switch it around twice a month. Drives the CFC nuts. The best part about presenting a verifier with only the lower part (frame) of a pistol is that on most pistols the telltale identification stamps are on the slide. Without the slide it is extremely hard to identify the pistol. Sit back and laugh as they identify your Colt as a Japanese Nambu. Say nothing.
Note: Do not screw yourself out of being grandfathered into owning the new class of prohibited weapons by stripping down all of your .25, .32 or guns with a barrel less than 104 mm long. Save one example of these guns intact but strip the frames from the rest.
Also: Do not let the verifier simply copy the barrel length, caliber etc. off of your old registration certificates. Insist these fields be left blank!
You can still fire the pistol. Just assemble it and go shooting. However, the law says you must tell the CFC within 30 days if the frame is ever made to be fired. If the police make a big deal about you having a fireable frame, tell them you just assembled it yesterday and that you still have 29 days to tell the CFC about the change in status. Disassemble the gun on day 28 and the clock stops. Wait 2 days and assemble the gun to start the clock running again. (This section of the Firearms Act is going to drive them NUTS. And it is not something that can be changed without opening the legislation again in front of Parliament. They will not do this.)
If you already own registered firearms (handguns, full autos, etc.) the CFC is counting on you re-registering them into the new registry. Unfortunately for them, nothing in the new law requires you to do so UNTIL JAN 1 2002. Your current registration certificates are similar to a contract: BOTH parties must agree to break it. They figure you would naturally WANT to re-register them out of the shakey old, error-riddled FRAS system into their shiny new one. They are counting on your good old-fashioned Canadian goodwill and respect for law to do so. Wait until the last week before the deadline and then register as unknown or frame only.
Contact FRAS (CFR/FRAS Box 8885 Ottawa, Ontario K1B 3M8) Ask for a printout of handguns they think you currently own. You may be surprised what's missing!
If gun owners all wait until the last month before the government's deadline of Dec. 31, 2002 (notice it never changes even though the start date was announced 5 times and is now 3 years late), the best they can hope to get with 3 shifts is the equivalent of 3 months with a single shift.
If gun registration was so important a safety issue, why did the government allow 4 years? Because it cannot be done in 3 months.
Also: The new forms may say you can only choose one reason (Collection, target shooting, etc.) as the reason for registering the pistol. There is NOTHING in the law which says you can only have one reason. Tick all that apply. Similarly, some people may file an "Application to Re-Register Previously Registered Firearms" forms TWICE --once as collector, once as target shooter. Spacing the mailing by sending one of each type about two months apart is believed to have the effect of generating two registration certificates for the same firearm--one a target firearm, the other as a collector's item.
Some individuals and even some business dealers are cooperating by supplying information taken from bootleg FaRT disks which "identifies" such firearms in two different ways. That will be possible because the FaRT will have many names for the same gun, each giving the one true way to "identify" and register just one gun.
It is, of course, highly dangerous to TELL a verifier anything, or even to voice an OPINION in his hearing. One can be sent to prison for that--for being "false or misleading." However, one is quite free to ASK the verifier, "Is this a Colt Hammerless?" When he checks that page, he will find that it is. The next time one registers it, one might ask, "Is this a Colt Pocket?" When he checks that page, he may find that it is--too.
For those of you who are fortunate enough to own a firearm with no serial number, your friendly verifier will be pleased to attach a supposedly permanent "sticky label" on it with its own serial number. The technology does not yet exist to make a label truly permanent. Cleaning the area around the label with a strong cleaner like acetone will probably make the label melt or fall off. Remember: For a firearm to function safely, it should be cleaned periodically: say once a month. Demand that the CFC pay for the costs of a new sticker since it is not your fault THEIR sticker does not stay on.
It is a principle of Canadian law that, where a statute takes property, the government has to pay compensation unless the new law says that it doesn't. The Supreme Court supports this action by widening the original intent in saying that the government has to pay even if it does not take anything, but just reduces your property's value.
The NFA has a copy of a compensation check paid out to a fella who had his shotgun confiscated. This sets a precedent for further such payments. If your stuff gets confiscated, call the NFA and they will tell you how to demand the same! You should already be an NFA member--they do fine work!
The techniques in this manual WILL seriously screw up the administration of the new law. They will also thoroughly wreck the integrity of the registration database and totally demoralize CFC employees and Verifiers. This is only step one.
After using these techniques to highlight what a screw-up the new law is, you must go one step further and follow through by broadcasting to everybody what a misguided waste it is. It does no good for just you and the CFC to know. You must write letters of complaint to your MP, MLA and local paper! Call talk shows!
Good luck, have fun, be careful!
Yours in freedom,
F.G.
(c) 2000