Student fighting for guns, and funds

A University of Ottawa student who is fighting to possess firearms after writing “TAP RACK BANG” on an exam is asking Canadian gun owners to help pay for his defence.

Boris Vardomskiy has already received a “substantial contribution” toward his legal fees from Canada’s National Firearms Association, according to defence lawyer Solomon Friedman’s post on the association’s web page.

But Vardomskiy is asking gun owners to contribute more money to cover his rising costs of fighting a Crown appeal of a court decision that reversed a judge’s order seizing his 11 guns and banned him from possessing firearms for two years.

“Thus far, Boris has spent well over $15,000 fighting the Crown application and arguing the initial appeal. He is a student and of relatively limited means. He has had to sell much of his gun collection to fund this litigation,” Friedman wrote in his online request.

Friedman said Vardomskiy — an avid target shooter and National Firearms Association member — asked him to make the appeal to members of Canada’s largest advocacy organization promoting the rights and freedoms of all responsible firearm owners and users.

National Firearms Association president Sheldon Clare said his organization has put up $10,000 for Vardomskiy’s legal fees and asked for donations because the case could have a wider effect on firearms owners.

“We normally don’t fund individual court cases as a rule but we do pick cases that are of interest to our members and act on them accordingly,” said Clare, a teacher at a B.C. college. “Scribbling on an exam paper? I’m sorry, that doesn’t seem to be anything of serious significance there. There is no criminal charge.”

Vardomskiy had his guns seized in 2011 after writing a derogatory remark about a female student, followed by the gun reference.