This community's financial weight

[The Saint]

The whole talk around Will's situation has Harbinger of Darkness and me thinking. How much "donation" power do we have as a community (all of Canadian airsoft as a whole)?

If it ever came down to it how much would you (as an individual) really be willing to contribute to save our sport? Would you contribute anything? And I don't mean "I'd sell my gun to donate" kinda deal, I mean directly out of your current finances.

Before you all start with the "don't rock the boat" or "things are fine the sky isn't falling OMG n00b" comments, those aren't the reason for this post. I'm simply curious as to what the community would be willing to contribute to save airsoft should the need arise, because there's been some big talks in the past about throwing our weight around.

So how much do we weigh, in dollars and cents?

[Brian McIlmoyle]

Totally like give you $ if I had any Dood

there ... in first..

had to be said.. as that will be most of the responses anyway.

Personally ... I'd pony up a few hundred if the cause warrented it

[arcanuck]

If we ALL put in a few dollars it could possibly be used to fight this whole "hate" for airsoft.. And I bet there has to be a lawyer among us willing to do something to help if needed.

Why should the government decide to ban airsoft importation and sale without even asking canadians anyway? I thought the government was in place to serve the country, not the other way around?

[Drake]

As with anything else, it really depends on what I'm paying for.

What's the promise? What's the likelihood it will achieve its intended goal? What are the guarantees?

If I have no faith in anything coming out of it, my likely contribution will be zero-dollars-and-something-cents; I don't pour money into pipe dreams. If OTOH it was a solid shot at something tangible and useful, possibly quite a bit.

[Drake]

Originally Posted by arcanuck

If we ALL put in a few dollars it could possibly be used to fight this whole "hate" for airsoft.. And I bet there has to be a lawyer among us willing to do something to help if needed.

Why should the government decide to ban airsoft importation and sale without even asking canadians anyway? I thought the government was in place to serve the country, not the other way around?

It DOES serve the country; the soccer moms outnumber us 10-to-1.

[The Saint]

So numerate your best and worst expectations with a dollar amount?

[FOX_111]

I don't see how my money could help the sport. Even hiring a lawyer would not help us get airsoft in a legal light.

[Endymion]

+1 to Drake and Brian. If I believed that there was a solid plan of action and that the money would actually make a difference, then several hundred dollars easily.

Given the number of charitable donations that members here so easily make, you'll probably find that most people feel the same way - so long as people feel that their contributions will actually make a difference, there will be donations.

[Capt.Flan]

Originally Posted by FOX_111

I don't see how my money could help the sport. Even hiring a lawyer would not help us get airsoft in a legal light.

What he said...



P.S. What is it for anyways? Keep the server/domaine up? Because that is about 200$ a year... Hummm.

[pusangani]

Originally Posted by FOX_111

I don't see how my money could help the sport. Even hiring a lawyer would not help us get airsoft in a legal light.

true, we'd need to hire a Powerful Politician and those don't come cheap

[coach]

Originally Posted by FOX_111

I don't see how my money could help the sport. Even hiring a lawyer would not help us get airsoft in a legal light.

agreed. I honestly don't see how it can help. what exactly would this money be put towards?

Saint, can you expand a little on your thoughts and direction here?

[dragwindsor]

Support you local gun dealer.

[CARL]

Several hundred a year.

[FlyGuy]

For any organized movement to succeed, what is required is not just to retain good legal counsel to help navigate the murky waters of the various applicable Acts and Regulations, but it is equally important to retain a saavy political lobbyist to speak in one voice for us all. One who is able to bend the ear of legislators whether by charm and tact, or to influence their actions via threat of votes come election time...the GREAT FEAR of all politicians in government. It will not be a quick process and certainly it won't have any guarantees of success given the recent track records of other politically contentious lobby groups and the irritating screeches of a massively mis-informed ban-everything public. However, I would hope though that if we were to embark down this road with conviction in our hearts and with the strength of our wallets, then perhaps it might be possible to forge a way out of this grim mockery of justice wherein violent pedophiles and murderous gang bangers routinely receive suspended sentences while a toy salesman could potentially wind-up in Milhaven or Maplehurst for 4+ years...

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't the UK have a similar problem awhile ago but the legislators and airsoft community worked together for what is now an agreeable solution for all? Sooner or later I believe we will be faced with the same difficult choices the UK airsoft community faced, and we will have to begin dialogue with the regulators in order to preserve our community status quo. Or at our own peril, we could choose say nothing at all and soon the only choice will be clear plastic toys, unless of course the Liberals or NDP form a national government in which case there will be no toys for any of us.

That being said and providing the action plan is sound, I'd be happy to donate.


'Fly

EDIT: This may be old news for some...or not, but this link to a summary of a constitutional challenge of various sections of the Firearms Act (hopefully) to be heard by the Supreme Court (http://www.brucemontague.ca/html/0080.html) and the other related information presented on that website should serve as a serious wake-up call for all of us. It truly reveals the seemingly limitless extent to which capricious crown prosecutors will pursue even administrative firearms-related offences, and the extent our enshrined rights are being illegally legislated into oblivion. Don't for a minute think airsoft owners would be immune from persecution...err, prosecution either if they chose to come after you! To wit and in another of a long litanny of efforts to "rub salt into the wounds" in this case, the Ontario Crown is actually seeking forfeiture of the family home under the so called, "...Proceeds of Crime..." provisions of the Act. Read on folks, read the entire news archives and other links, and become truly disgusted with the manner our Government protects us by persecuting any citizen who visibly objects to their happy, pacified, gun-less-except-for-true-criminals society. S'cuse me while I go and vomit...

[Disco_Dante]

$100.


I don't have much, but I'd donate $100 easily if it seemed like a solid plan.