Storm rifle favoured for its accuracy: Target shooters

Storm rifle favoured for its accuracy: Target shooters
Date: Sep 15, 2006 8:36 AM
PUBLICATION: National Post
DATE: 2006.09.15
EDITION: Toronto
SECTION: News
PAGE: A8
BYLINE: Chris Wattie
SOURCE: National PostCRIME
ILLUSTRATION: Black & White Photo: www.cx4storm.com / The Beretta
CX4Storm carbine is a restricted but not prohibited weapon in Canada,
meaning Kimveer Gill, responsible for Wednesday's rampage that left one
student dead, could have legally owned it.
NOTE: Ran with fact boxes "Firearms Categories" and "ADescription",
which have been appended to the story.
WORD COUNT: 911

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Storm rifle favoured for its accuracy: Target shooters

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The semi-automatic rifle that appears to have been used in a shooting
rampage at Dawson College is a perfectly legal weapon to own in Canada
that is popular among target shooters.

Kimveer Gill, who killed one student and wounded 20 more on Wednesday,
is pictured on his Web site brandishing a nine-millimetre Beretta
carbine.

The futuristic looking short-barrelled rifle matches witnesses'
descriptions of the weapon Gill carried into the junior college. A
student said Gill swept the rifle from side to side at waist level,
popping off shots at a deliberate pace as he strode through the main
entrance.

The Beretta CX4 Storm carbine is a restricted, but not prohibited weapon
under Canadian gun laws, meaning Gill could have legally registered and
owned it.

"He would have had to take the appropriate courses, file his paperwork
with the firearms centre and pass the background check," said Richard
Holmes, who runs gun safety courses through Toronto's York Region
Firearms Academy.

"It would probably take about three months to get the permits.... But
it's legal to own."

Gill, 25, reportedly used the Storm in the shootings and had a 12-gauge
shotgun and a nine-millimetre pistol under his black trenchcoat.

The preliminary results of an autopsy suggest Gill killed himself. He
was shot in the arm by police, but the fatal chest wound was apparently
self-inflicted.

Montreal police would not say whether the weapons were legally
registered.

Gun owners favour the Storm because of its accuracy and low recoil,
making it a popular weapon for target-shooting. A recent article at
gunweek.com praised the rifle's "Buck Rogers ray gun look. The
futuristic look of the Storm adds to the fun of shooting and owning
one."

Beretta, the Italian-based manufacturer, adds on its Web site: "The new
Beretta CX4 Storm semiautomatic carbine, with a particularly captivating
aspect and simple to use, is a sporting or personal defence firearm
ideal for professional use by police forces."

Its stock uses tough plastics and composites to keep its weight at 2.5
kilograms and the basic version of the Storm sells for about $1,000 in
Canada.

It is available in nine-millimetre, .40 and .45 calibres, making it a
popular weapon among U.S. law enforcement agencies because it can fire
the same calibre of ammunition as police handguns.

Under Canadian laws it is restricted because of its relatively short
barrel, Mr. Holmes said, meaning the owner must have a firearm
possession licence and a permit to own a restricted weapon, both of
which require background checks and 16 hours of courses, written and
practical tests.

"And you have to score 80% on both to pass," he said. "Then you send
your paperwork in to [the Canada Firearms Centre] ... and many people
get turned down by them." The centre issued a bulletin last year warning
that the Storm's standard 10-round magazine was illegal in Canada, which
has a limit of only five rounds per magazine for semi-automatic rifles.
However, the bulletin said the 10-round pistol magazine that comes with
earlier-production Storms was still legal. It was not clear yesterday
which version Gill may have used.

The federal gun registry conducts criminal record checks on applicants
and imposes a minimum 28-day waiting period. Because restricted weapons
cannot be used for hunting, their only legitimate civilian use is for
target shooting, so prospective owners of such guns must provide proof
they are members of a gun club.

Mr. Holmes said that owners of restricted weapons must keep them under
lock and key at home, or another secure location, and can only carry
them to ranges or gun clubs for sport shooting.

"With a restricted gun, the government knows pretty much where they are
all the time," he said. "I can keep it at home [or] carry it to the
range. Anywhere else and I have to get a special permit."

Tony Bernardo, the director of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association
and the owner of a Beretta CX4 Storm, said gun owners are horrified by
the shootings. "Nobody envisioned that this thing would be used in that
manner," he said. "That's not what it was made for."

cwattie@nationalpost.com

FIREARMS CATEGORIES

There are three categories of firearms for purposes of Canadian law:
non-restricted, restricted and prohibited.

NON-RESTRICTED

Non-restricted firearms are any rifles and shotguns that are neither
restricted nor prohibited. Most common long guns are non-restricted, but
there are a few exceptions.

RESTRICTED

ACCORDING TO THE CRIMINAL CODE, A RESTRICTED FIREARM IS:
- a handgun that is not a prohibited firearm;
- a semi-automatic, centre-fire rifle or shotgun with a barrel length
less than 470 mm (18.5 inches) that is not prohibited;
- a rifle or shotgun that can fire when its overall length is reduced by
folding, telescoping or some other means to less than 660 mm (26
inches);
- any firearm prescribed as restricted (including some long guns).

THE LIST OF RESTRICTED FIREARMS INCLUDES:

- The firearms of the designs commonly known as the High Standard Model
10, Series A shotgun and the High Standard Model 10, Series B shotgun,
and any variants or modified versions of them.

- The firearm of the design commonly known as the M-16 rifle, and any
variant or modified version of it.

PROHIBITED

The Criminal Code states that a prohibited firearm is:
- a handgun with a barrel length of 105 mm (4.1 inches) or less;
- a handgun designed or adapted to discharge 25 or 32 calibre
ammunition;
- a rifle or shotgun that has been altered to make it less than 660 mm
(26 inches) in overall length;
- a rifle or shotgun that has been altered to make the barrel length
less than 457 mm (18 inches) where the overall firearm length is 660 mm
(26 inches) or more;
- an automatic firearm and a converted automatic firearm;
- any firearm prescribed as prohibited.

Certain handguns for use in international sporting competitions are
excluded from the prohibition affecting the short-barrelled and 25 or 32
calibre handguns. These handguns therefore are considered restricted
firearms under the Criminal Code.

A DESCRIPTION

'Beretta's Cx4 Storm redefines the pistol-caliber carbine, with racy and
radical lines from the masters of industrial design at Giugiaro.

Form follows function in a symphony of smooth, sweeping curves made
possible by the use of modern high-strength techno polymers. Beretta's
use of cutting-edge materials also keeps weight down to just 5 3/4 lbs.,
making the Cx4 a pleasure to carry, whether in the field or on duty.'