cuchulainn
Member
It seems as though Baghdad Bob found a new job. $1 Billion to miss 20% of the guns held by legal owners -- and who knows how many held by criminals.
The Americans are killing themselves at the river!
The Americans are killing themselves at the river!
Coalition for Gun Control declares victory; 90% of gun owners complying with Firearms Act
OTTAWA, June 30 /CNW/ - Public safety organizations from across the country today welcomed the announcement by the Canadian Firearms Centre that 90% of gun owners have complied with the Firearms Act licensing provisions and that over 80% of firearms within Canada have now been registered.
"Despite the vocal opposition of the gun lobby, the vast majority of Canadian gun owners are law abiding and have complied with the law. We are pleased the government is continuing to reach out to gun owners," said Coalition President Wendy Cukier.
"At the same time, let us be absolutely clear: this law is a success. 80% compliance with the most contentious part of the legislation is very high. While it is not surprising the opponents continue to focus attention on those who have not complied with the law, they are very much in the minority. 80% compliance is much higher than what we saw, for example, when seat belt legislation was first introduced and by any reasonable standard should be considered a success, particularly given the obstacles that were thrown up every step of the way."
The efforts of the opponents to undermine the law have created obstacles but, at the end of the day, they have failed to change the course. Even in the midst of controversy, major safety groups stood firm and polls show the majority of Canadians continue to support the gun control law. While, as expected, a majority of gun owners opposed the law, what is seldom noted is that the majority of people living with gun owners support it. (Environics poll, Jan 2003)
"The Government has already made significant and credible progress on its plans to improve service, management and cost control, and to increase transparency. We, along with public safety experts, are also focused on ensuring that the law is effectively used. We have witnessed some significant successes. Police are using the system 2000 times a day. The National Weapons Enforcement Support Team (NWEST) has reported many incidents where the system was used to prevent crime and to support investigations. While it is early to judge the impact of the law, gun death and injury are the lowest they have been in more than 30 years. Declines in suicides with firearms, domestic murders with firearms, robberies with firearms and homicides with rifles and shotguns are particularly dramatic over the past decade."
Um, dude? You cannot claim that the declines over the past decade were caused by this law, unless it has a time-travel ability ... Oh wait, maybe that's why it cost $1 billion.
"But we can still do better. Public safety must remains a priority in the implementation process and we must ensure that key stakeholders - police,
physicians, domestic violence workers, educators, and the community at large - understand the risks of gun violence and injury and know what they can do to help prevent it. We also need continued international efforts to stem the illegal gun trade, including the upcoming UN Conference in New York City.
Despite the fuss it is worth noting that Canada's law merely brings us in line with most industrialized countries."
Cukier, a professor at Ryerson University in Toronto, who has led the Coalition for Gun Control for 13 years concluded, "It certainly has been a long haul. And it certainly has not been easy. But there is no doubt in my mind that it has been worth it. Every time there is a tragedy involving guns in the US, people wring their hand and ask "why?" To many of us the answer is obvious. Gun control is not a panacea but it does reduce the risks that guns will be misused and that legal guns will enter illegal markets. It is an essential strategy to keeping homes, streets and schools safe. At the end of the day, it is a legacy for our children.
The Coalition for Gun Control is endorsed by over 350 crime prevention, health, women's and community groups and has over 12, 000 individual members.
Yikes! Talk about "Reach out and touch someone!" Reach out in my direction and I will consider it a threatening action/aggression.
Successful at what? Where is the benefit?
