bate Firearm owners publicize gun control cpposition Anna Marie D'Angelo News Reporter adangelo@nsnews.com BILL McGarry is making a point by using a gun. The 45-year-old North Vancouver resident helped organize and has taken part in the Cross Canada Rutle Relay. The relay started at Ambleside beach on June 30 when McGarry “cer- emonially” transferred a Caciadian made bolt action rifle to another Vancouver areas gun owner, Christopher di Armani. Relay supporters hope to move the rile across Canada through a series of legal transfers of ownership. McGarry hopes the final transfer of the Lee Enfield Long Branch #4 bolt-action rifle will rake place in the fall in Orrawa. “People who are licensed firearms owners are not the problem, the prob- lem is the criminals who acquire the firearms illegally,” said McGarry. He hunts with a rifle and is a member of a gun club where he target shoots. “If someone has an evil intent ... right now you can go down to any number of bars in the east end of Vancouver and within a few days you'll have a gun of any description you want,” he added. McGarry, like many responsible gun owners, is opposed to the new federal gun law aimed at eventually tracking every legal gun in Canada. . The deadline for all firearm registration is December 31, 2002. Aquatic Centre revisions Previously, a Canadian could get a Firearms Acquisition Certificate (FAC) after completing an approved course and purchase guns with the need to register only designated restricted weapons, Now a Canadian must get 2 firearms licence and take approved courses and also reg- Wednesday. July 19, 2000 - North Shore News - 3 jay pre NEWS photo Julie Iverson CHRISTOPHER di Armani (left) accepted a Canadian-built rifle from Bil McGarry in the Cross Canada Rifle Relay's ceremonial tirst transfer on June 30 at Ambleside. ister all their firearms at $25 a gun. “It’s never been proven anywhere in the world that putting a piece of paper beside a firearm is going to stop anyone from using it inappropriately,” said McGarry. He said the new gun law made it “extremely cumbersome” and jest created an expensive “intrusive bureau- cracy.” He is in faveur of repealing the new gun control act and replacing it with a cost-effective system. A group supporting the pew gun law is the B.C. Institute Against Family Violence (BCIAFV). BCLAFV executive director Penny Bain acknowledges that new gun controls are expensive to implement, but the bene- fits will be seen, hopefully, in the next 20 to 30 years. Said Bain, “It is one of those things in our society, yes We are frustrated by reg: ulation, but at the same time we are say- ing as a society that the social benefits down the road are going to be signifi- cant to reduce accidental injuries to chil- dren and to reduce domestic violence.” BCLAFV is a research and education institute funded mainly by the provin- cial government through the health ministry. Bain used the recent example of .a Quesnel woman gunned down by her estranged boyfriend on the street. She said that police were aware tbat the estranged boyfriend had an FAC, but didn’t know how many guns the man owned. With the new gun faw, police will know how many guns a person owns and can confiscate all of them. “We are not suggesting that all of this is going to make Canada a safe place over night,” said Bain, adding BCIAFV was’ not suggesting that all gun owners were irresponsible. Meanwhile McGarry said that if some- one is contemplating a violent act, he will use anything that is available. More details about the Cross Canada Ritle Relay can be found at . More information in support of the new gun law can be found at the Gun Control Coalition’s Web site at . approved ~ PLANS for the West Van Aquatic Centre’s overhaul and facelift are . swimming ahead. “On Monday night, council - voted unanimously to approve ~ the scope of the project recom- mended by Roger Hughes and Partners Architects, and to have the firm proceed with drawings, preparation of ten- der documents and calls for tender for che project. . Even Coun. John Clark — “. who last week questioned the increase. from an estimated $2.5 million in the Recreation Facilities. Master Plan to the $7.4 million figure pitched by © the architects — supported the > Motion and said he was pleased with the work that the firm put into the feasibility study. As well as new mechanical ” systems, tank and scismic . upgrades, the centre is to be “expanded and will include . access for people with disabili- ties, larger changerooms, a new leisure pool, more swim “~ Janes, a waterslide, steam room ., and a large fitness facility. ‘Richard Laing, director of finance for. the. district, sug- >” gested in a report that council ‘not: revise the Long-Term Capital Pian until more precise : costs of the project are known. He also said that revisions to accommodate: the increased _ cost of the aquatic centre’s ren- ~, Ovations should not impact the » budgets for. the proposed Central and Western Recreation Centres. . — Deana Lancaster Marcie Geod Contributing Writer THE artificial turf field which North Vancouver District has slated for instaliation at William Griffin Park may be funded by “borrowing” from one of the 1996 referendum projects at Inter River. District staff are preparing a proposal to the provincial Inspector of Municipalities, asking for permission to shift $1.5 million from the later River project. That money, according to the proposal, will be returned. The 1996 referenduin authorized the dis- trict to borrow $5.5 million for a major sports facility and neighbourhood park improvements at Inter River Park, between Lynn Creek and Lillooet Road. Because the funds were earmarked for Inter River, the district requires approval fromn the province to use the money for William Griffin. Council voted 5-2 for the funding plan, with opposition coming from Coun. Heather Dunsford and Coun. Ernie Crist. “ft don’t agree with using the moncy that was allocated to them (the project at Inter River,)” said Dunsford after the COUN. Heather Dunsford -— did not support the funding option meeting. “We don’t have any extra money and we're not likely to have any extra money for a while. | don’s know how they're plan- ning to return it.” Coun. Lisa Muri, while supporting the staff. recommendation, also expressed concerns about how the money would be raised to put back into Inter River. That problem, said acting manager of parks Richard Bolton, will be leoked at when and if the proposal is approved. The. municipal inspector may turn it down or require anoth- er referendum. The shifting of $1.5 million from the Inter River project amounts to the construction of two soccer fields at the northern pisteau, including all roadway, parking, landscaping and service installation. The Community Sport and Recreation Council supported the conversion of a field at William Griffin to artificial turf. However, a letter written to council supported the shifting of money only if the Inter River park fund would be reimbursed. If the funding proposal is approved, construction at William Griffin could begin in the spring of 2001. A geo technical study of the existing field has determined that it meets all the require- ments to support an artificial field surface. Teenager’s WV murder trial begins THE trial of a teenage girl charged with the second degree murder of Zachariah Steudle in 1997 in West Vancouver began on Monday. The badly decomposed body of 17-year-old Steudle was found under the Nelson Creek Bridge on Sept. 21, 1997. ; : The charged girl was 14 at the time of the alleged murder. She cannot be named as it would contravene the Young Offenders Act. The charged girl is now 18. She has been in custody since her arrest about 15 months ago. Steudle, a Ladysmith resident, was last seen alive on Aug. 30, 1997. His mother reported him missing on Sept. 13, 1997. Two hikers found Streudle’s body under the bridge near Horseshoe Bay eight days later. Monday’s court proceedings were before B.C. Supreme Court Justice E. Robert Edwards. The proceedings were a voir dire (trial within a trial) without the jury present. In fact, the jury has not been selected yet. Jury selection is set for Aug 1. The voir dire proceedings are banned from _ publication. The charged girl’s lawyer is Philip Rankin. Prosecuting Crown lawyer is Trevor Cockfield. If convicted of second degree murder, the charged girl can be sentenced to a maximum seven years in jail as set out in the Young Offenders Act. There was no application to raise her to an adult trial. —Anna Marie D’Angelo ZACH Steudle, 17, found dead In West Vancouver in 1897. . . Rescuers keptbusy . NORTH Shore rescue * a agencies were twice : called into action last weekend. On Friday, North Shore Search and Rescue teamed with North Vancouver RCMP after nine-year-old - Jed Campbell went’ missing at about 1 p.m. from _ the Capilano area. of North. Vancouver. _ The boy, who has Downs. Syndrome and was visiting the area with family, was located in - good health by searchers approximately three hours later. in a ravine not far from where he was reported missing. - On_ Saturday afternoon: a group of hikers was travelling ©: along the Twin Fails portion of the Lynn Canyon River Trail “in North Vancouver when one of the hikers, a 23-year-old Vancouver male, slipped and fell down the embankment into the river. North Van District Fire, BC Ambulance. Services and North. Van- RCMP responded to the call ” and retrieved the hiker from the river after approximately 45 minutes. He was taken to" . Lions Gate Hospital with seti-: ..: ous but ‘non. life-threatening ~ injuries to fis back. a