THUNDER BAY - With the great outdoors right in our backyard, hunting, fishing, and camping are a part of life for many people living in Northwestern Ontario. But enjoying the outdoors safely requires responsibility and training.
Everything you could need to enjoy the great outdoors was on display this weekend at the New Ontario Shooters Association Gun Show.
This is the second year the show has been held in the city of Thunder Bay, with past shows being held in rural areas like Kakabeka Falls and Murillo.
“Bringing it to the city, there is still a lot of hunters, anglers, camp owners,” said Trevor Buzak, one of the show organizers. “There is a lot of people for who this is a one stop shop. They’ve been thinking about joining a club or didn’t know about it or wanting to get their child enrolled in a program like the Junior Shooters who do education and safety and competitive style shooting.”
The two day show, which opened on Saturday at the Slovak Legion, includes vendors from across the region. Everything was on display, from survival gear, to firearms, fishing supplies, antiques, to arts and crafts.
Shortly after the show opened Saturday morning, the hall was already filling up and Buzak said last year the show brought in more than 1,100 people.
“Based on last year, we were thinking it was going to be close to that,” he said. “It’s been a steady flow of traffic in through the door and we expect it to be steady.”
With gun violence making headlines south of the border recently, Buzak said gun culture and laws surrounding gun ownership are very different in Canada compared to the United States.
“In terms of firearms in general and the laws of the land, we are fairly strict,” he said. “There will always be questions and debate and opinions on that, but I just think people need to get themselves educated a little more.”
Education is a key pillar in the New Ontario Shooters Association, which also runs a Junior Shooters Program that teaches kids between the ages of seven and 18 proper firearm safety and handling.
“We focus on building up their confidence as well as their safety skills and ultimately how it applies to the general shooting sport,” said Victoria Hill, program coordinator with the New Ontario Shooters Association Junior Shooters Program.
Hill added that competitive shooting also provides youth with skills that can be taught in any other sport, including hand-eye coordination, perseverance, and confidence. But the most important lesson always come down to safety.
“It’s really important because a lot of these families are shooters themselves,” she said. “While they are out with their family or out with the club, safety is always our number one priority. It’s a skill they are going to need to know if they ever encounter a firearm.”
The Gun Show continues on Sunday at the Slovak Legion from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
