Canadian Shooting Sports Association

History of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association

The Canadian Shooting Sports Association was created in 2000 by the union of the Ontario Smallbore Federation and the Ontario Handgun Association. The leaders of these two organizations realized the necessity of creating a large representative body in order to better promote and protect the shooting sports in Canada.

The launch of the new organization, along with new printed material, magazine and philosophy, has been a great success. The membership is rising and the Association has the potential to unite the recreational firearms community across the country.

Most firearms owners have recognized the principle of safety in numbers but are unable or unwilling to apply those principles. There are approximately 1.25 million firearms owners in Ontario and approximately 3 – 7 million in Canada. Given these numbers, it is obvious that firearms owners have not found alternatives by joining other organizations. Statistically, very few firearms owners belong to ANY organization at all.

A huge potential exists within the firearms community for a large, powerful organization with established credibility, analogous with the largest organizations present in the United States. Such a move, taken on behalf of the firearms community, would help ensure the protection of the shooting sports for generations to come and could wield the necessary wherewithal to change Canadian public opinion