My main issue with a handgun ban is that it ignores the basic reality of gun crime. That is that the vast majority of guns on the street are smuggled into Canada from other countries, most notably but not limited to the US. Miller et al like to claim that the majority of guns used in crimes have been stolen from legitimate gun owners, which simply isn't true. If this were the case, then these thefts are going unreported. I would estimate that stolen guns probably account for less than 10% of all guns used in crime, while legally registered guns probably account for less than 1%. Millers on a rant because one of the shootings in the past week or so was used by a legally registered firearm. So for him, all responsible gun owners who register their weapon, properly store it, and don't abuse it (the majority) should be punished because one person does something stupid. I don't really think this is so much of public safety issue but rather Miller up on his socialist soapbox again trying to force his beliefs on everyone else.
Gun crime continues for two reasons. First of all, it's very easy to smuggle weapons into Canada. There have been several stings at Pearson Airport alone in recent years that have uncovered massive amounts of drugs and weapons being smuggled into the country by the airport's own employees. Supposedly, it's so easy, one can simply mail a gun to Canada, no questions asked. The borders definitely need to be tightened to prevent this. Unfortunately, our border guards are more interested in making sure law abiding Canadian citizens are paying tax through the nose on goods they bought down south rather than making sure dangerous goods/people aren't getting in. Border guards and customs officials in this country are no more than glorified tax collectors. Half of them are students hired for the summer, and the majority of them are poorly trained. Our government needs to stop concerning itself with how much money it can squeeze out of its citizens and needs to start focusing on protecting us better.
The next issue, as brought up by Community Safety Minister Stockwell Day has to do with manditory sentences for gun crime. The law is there to stop gun crime but once again, the courts are the weakest link with their "hug-a-thug" attitudes. It's no wonder these people don't think twice. Half of these people in gangs who commit gun crime consider the law to be no more than a casual nuisance rather than something to be afraid of. They shoot somebody, they go to jail for a couple of yeas, they're back on the street, business as usual. Canada's justice system is a revolving door for dangerous offenders. I would say at least 10 years minimum for using a gun in a crime, preferably life. Judges need to realize that their primary duty is protecting people, not voicing their politics and not even rehabilitation. The only way we're going to to reduce gun crime and prevent us from turning into a "wild west" as has happened in US cities is to clamp down hard. Zero tolerance.
One final point has to deal with another obvious flaw in a handgun ban. These same liberals who want to legalize certain illegal narcotics aren't even using their same logic for guns. If the government regulates it, we'd be better off, right? Banning handguns won't stop anything. People will just continue to use black market weapons, use rifles and sawed off shotguns, or switch to knives and other melee weapons. As I said, there has to be zero tolerance. Clamp down on smuggling and make sentences stiff.
1 comments: on "Handgun Bans a Band-aid Solution"
Well said.
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