Once again, rain threatened to douse the spirits of 113 MPs, Senators, Hill staffers and over 100 volunteers – if not the forest fires whose smoke settled over The Stittsville Shooting Ranges – at the 2023 Parliamentary Day at the Range.
The annual event – presented by the Parliamentary Outdoor Caucus and the Canadian Shooting Sports Association – is the greatest firearms advocacy initiative in the history of Canadian gun ownership.
Nothing else even comes close.
The Parliamentary Day at the Range is a non-political, non-partisan event where politicians from every political party and their staff – often for the very first time – experience our longstanding culture of safety in a way they will never forget.
Every person who attends The Parliamentary Day at the Range walks away with a newfound appreciation for our culture of self-reliance and safety, our heritage and our way of life, which informs how they approach the firearms issue back on The Hill.
Media is not permitted, so every attendee can relax, ask questions and learn how to safely handle a wide variety of firearms.
Without exception, they leave with smiles on their faces and a new appreciation for Canada’s 2.3 million licensed firearm owners and the high legal bar we must pass to enter this cultural fraternity.
We are grateful for the participation of Stoeger Canada, Browning Canada, Savage Arms, Weatherby and Safari Club Canada, as well as MP Bob Zimmer’s tireless staff and of course, Linda (you’re incredible), Lisa and Ken and rest of the wonderful staff and volunteers at the Stittsville Shooting Ranges. Special mention to Ellwood Epps Sporting Goods, Tenda Canada, and Bowmac Gunpar for their generous donations of ammunition to the CSSA handgun and black rifle firing stations.
If we missed anyone, we apologize, but know you were all very appreciated.
We’re also grateful for the over one hundred volunteers whose generosity of both time and expertise made this 10th annual event such a roaring success.
Historical Backdrop
The all-party Parliamentary Outdoor Caucus was founded in 2006 by Garry Breitkreuz, former MP for Yorkton–Melville (SK) and current board member of the CSSA, Larry Bagnall, former Liberal MP for Yukon and Peter Stoffer, former NDP member for Sackville–Eastern Shore (NS).
Parliamentary Day at the Range was created by the Outdoor Caucus Association of Canada (OCAC) and is operated by the Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA), the Stittsville Shooting Ranges, Safari Club International and the Parliamentary Outdoors Caucus to educate Members of Parliament, Senators and their staff about lawful firearm ownership and use by experiencing firearms for themselves.
The mission of the Parliamentary Outdoor Caucus is to preserve and promote fishing, hunting, trapping, and shooting sports as acceptable, traditional, environmentally sustainable outdoor heritage activities with their credo of safety and a conservation ethic.
The Culture of Safety