Pistol shooting competition comes to Vancouver Island as feds work to tighten handgun laws
It’s a sport that combines speed with accuracy, and this weekend, it's coming to Vancouver Island.
More than 200 of Canada's top action pistol shooters will compete in a B.C. qualifying event sanctioned by the International Practical Shooting Confederation at the Malahat range this weekend.
“It is a skill and it is something that you really have to hone,” said Dawne Deeley, a member of Abbotsford Fish and Game.
“This really is one big family and it’s like that all across the world,” said Deeley. “With my black badge, I can compete anywhere in the world.”
Deeley has her sights on Thailand this winter, for the IPSC World Shoot.
While some are here to qualify, others like Jurgen Brandemeier are here for camaraderie.
“I’m in it for fun,” said Brandemeier, a member of the IPSC for 35 years. “The socializing with the shooting community.”
Brandemeier will be competing in the carbine division this weekend, but there is an imminent threat to the sport he loves.
The federal government is in the process of banning handguns in, a process it sped up last week by banning the importation of the weapons through a regulatory mechanism.
“(Handguns) have one purpose and one purpose only and that is to kill people,” said federal Public Safety Minister Marco Medicino at a news conference on Aug. 5.
“As of the 19th of August, everything you’ve seen and witnessed here goes on life support,” said Don Senft, vice president of operations at the Victoria Fish and Game Protective Association.
As of next Friday, the importation of handguns from the U.S. will stop.
“Canada has no domestic handgun production capabilities,” said Senft.
That means when the guns owned by the action pistol shooting community wear out, members won’t be able to replace them.
“This bill (C-21) will kill (the sport),” said Deeley.
The weekend event is open to spectators.
If Bill C-21 passes, it could be one of the last opportunities to check out a sport that participants feel is being targeted.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.