Lax U.S. gun laws threaten Canadians' safety

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PUBLICATION: Montreal Gazette
DATE: 2004.01.08
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Editorial / Op-ed
PAGE: A22
SOURCE: The Gazette

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Lax U.S. gun laws threaten Canadians' safety

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Wendy Cukier's praise of Canada's gun-control laws (Opinion, Dec. 30) reminded us
of the progress we have made and at the same time how important it is to remain
vigilant against those who would try to turn back the clock.

While the law has faced a number of obstacles - including well orchestrated opposition
from the gun lobby and its political allies, and a constitutional challenge that
was fought all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada - there are strong indications
that it is working. The decline in crime and death from rifles and shotguns, the
focus of the 1977, 1991 and 1995 legislation, has been significant.

What remains is a concerted strategy to stem the flow of smuggled handguns from
the U.S. and politicians who are prepared to take the steps necessary to advocate
the safety of Canadians. We hear a great deal about the risks Canada represents
to the security of Americans, but very little about the tragic impact that lax U.S.
guns laws have on the security and safety of Canadians.

Jean-Francois Janvier-Houde
Montreal





:cuss: :fire: :banghead: :barf: :what:
 
Does that mean Canada is incapable of enforcing their own gun control laws and therefore needs the US to help them out? Their guns laws don't work any better than Englands, so they need someone to blame.
 
And the next step is to register and license lathes, milling machines, hacksaws, files, pipe cutters, and all other tools that might be used to manufacture firearms in defiance of their ban.

Sheesh!!! :fire: :cuss: :banghead:
 
hkmp5, not only can't they enforce internal gun laws, but this is primarily a customs issue. If they can't deal with proper enforcement at customs, maybe they should stop admitting anything/anyone -- all shipments, americans, canadians, and others -- to Canada. They'd reduce the gun importation problem, and we'd get to keep all the smart Canadians who are essentially permanent U.S. residents anyway due to their jobs.
 
Don't the people at the Montreal Gazette know that it's illegal for US citizens to bring firearms into Canada? So what are they worried about? :rolleyes:
 
A letter from a friend of mine to the Toronto Star. It was published in today's edition:

The Star proffers that guns are the biggest threat facing Toronto's citizens. This simply isn't true. As Canada has some
of the most restrictive gun control ordinances, one could rightly assume that since guns are illegal, they would not exist,
and therefore, there would be no gun violence. Obviously this plays right into the hands of the National Rifle
Association, the United States' well known and, some may say, radical gun rights lobby with their motto, ``if you outlaw
guns, only outlaws will have guns."

Perhaps, I can proffer my own observations gained from 18 years of experience as a police officer on the mean, dirty,
and violent streets of Washington, D C.

The District of Columbia has one of the highest homicide rates in the United States, with most committed with guns.
Like Canada, the District of Columbia has restrictive gun control laws. As a matter of fact, the D C gun control laws
are the most restrictive in the United States. Simply put, you can't have a gun in D C.

So why is the murder rate so high?

The answer is so simple. The court system in D C just doesn't put much emphasis on laying charges for violent acts
associated with guns. It is well known in the D C criminal community that violent crimes are hardly prosecuted. The
criminals know they can get away with hurting others.

Contrast this with Arlington County, Virginia. This county is right across the Potomac River from D C. The border is
unguarded. One can merely drive or walk across a short bridge.

In 2003, the District of Columbia suffered 247 homicides. Arlington County had fewer than a dozen. What is the
difference? In Virginia, the courts will not tolerate violence. Offenders, upon conviction, go to jail for a long, long time.
Arlington, like the rest of Virginia, has very lax gun control laws. Any person who is not insane or adjudicated as a
criminal may possess and carry a concealed firearm. Responsible firearm ownership is a right and one that does not
bring violence.

I do not need the opinions of sociologists, think-tank gurus, or even newspaper editors to tell me what the solution to
violence is; I trust the most dependable source. I trust the opinion of the street thugs. They are adamant that one should
not commit a crime in Virginia.

Clearly this illustrates that one can not regulate away a problem of violence. One can only incarcerate away a violence
problem.
 
Another pro gun response

Montreal Gazette Letter: Registry did little to reduce crime


PUBLICATION: Montreal Gazette
DATE: 2004.01.09
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Editorial / Op-ed
PAGE: A18
SOURCE: The Gazette

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Registry did little to reduce crime

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''Lax U.S. gun laws threaten Canadians' safety'' by Jean-Francois Janvier-Houde (Letters, Jan. 8) leaves out critical details that negate the basic premise of his argument. The percentage of homicides with rifles and shotguns has dropped sharply (from from 63 per cent to 25 per cent from 1974-2002). However, Janvier-Houde's claim firearm legislation was responsible for this is specious at best.

The only legislation that came into effect from 1979 to 1991 was the requirement that a Firearm Acquisition Certificate be obtained by anyone wanting to acquire a firearm. Typically, only convicted criminals and the mentally unstable were refused FACs.

The 1991 regulations affected only a very small number of so called ''assault rifles'' (a misnomer as they were not fully automatic). In fact, mandatory registration of long guns was not even required until June 2003, so Janvier-Houde's claim the decline was caused by legislation is seriously flawed.

More telling is the fact the percentage of homicides by handguns (which have required registration since 1934) has risen dramatically (from 27 per cent in 1974 to 66 per cent in 2002). If registration worked, this would not happen.

Ironically, had people like Janvier-Houde pressed the Liberals to spend a billion dollars tightening customs inspections instead of registering Uncle Joe's duck gun, firearms might have been kept out of the hands of criminals.

Instead, they alienated law-abiding citizens by attacking hunters and target shooters.

Gerry Gamble
St. Catharines, Ont.
 
Mike Irwin:

Obviously your friend isn't aware that VA is responsible for the violent crime in DC, and New York. Just like the USA is responsible for the crime in another country. :rolleyes:
 
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