Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Stricter and rational HANDGUN controls have been tried numerous times and it is your lack of understanding of American history that isn't grasping the nuances you need to keep discussing this issue in a rational manner. There's no need to become bellicose and snarky.
Americans, if there would be one nationality on the planet, predominantly consider the handgun as a tool just as Canadians considered the long gun a tool for generations.
We were, and still have vast wilderness areas, to this very day that have yet to see a footfall, so in that respect firearms will always play a part in Canada. I myself harken to a day when hunting throughout the pacific northwest while enjoying saved leave from The RCN, occasioned the carrying of both a rifle and an old Webley large frame .455 I inherited from my WWII vet father. Those were the days when I could walk into a logging operations cookhouse near someplace like Tungsten or Fort Simpson wearing that revolver in an old army surplus shoulder holster and apologize for bringing my firearms indoors but wasn't about to leave them on the porch unattended, then ask to buy a meal and sit and eat with lumberjacks who didn't bat an eye after they asked the perfunctory questions about what I had managed to bag already.
America was steeped in the history of having attained a population level prior to a law abiding society achievement, where the ownership of a firearm was paramount for survival and due in no small part to the horse being such an integral part of that, handguns became the order of the day.
The difference was stark in those days whereas population density was such that the occasion of danger was predominantly from wild animals in Canada with very few being of the two legged variety hence the rifle being the tool of choice to this very day.
American history is replete with the use of the handgun being a tool that tamed the west and their republic being formed through the taking up of arms to repel the British overseers. You cannot discount a couple of hundred years of history so entrenched in ownership of firearms having made it possible and throw into the mix the 2nd amendment (regardless of perceived intent) and not expect those living that history to not bridle at mention of restricting ownership.
Canada has no such affiliation with the firearm as being an integral part of their genesis and raison-d-etra.
Gunnutz, to use a term applied to those who must have the latest greatest and as many as possible, as a representative sampling of Americans, represent a small segment indeed, whereas those who believe firmly in the RIGHT of ownership would be a far greater proportion without probably ever desiring to own one themselves. You must be able to separate the two groups in your mind before referring to all and sundry as Americans obsessed with firearms.
Great post, BruSan.
Quote:
Originally Posted by billsfan1990
As far as the general public is concerned a gun should be treated as nothing other than a tool used for hunting. No different than a bow and arrow.
In the United States, however, exist gun enthusiasts. Whereby hunting is not the main focus, and rather explicitly guns are. Guns for shooting people, guns for opening doors, guns for creating art on the side of a pickup truck, etc. Guns guns guns guns guns.
Oh, please. Spare us the dramatics. Do you seriously believe there are no gun enthusiasts in Canada? I suggest you start cruising the web. There are so many Canadian forums related to guns, from simple hunters who admire their tools of choice, to target shooters, to people who simply need to have the latest and greatest in "tacti-cool" weaponry for no other reason than wanting to feel like they're awesome and match what they've got on Call of Duty.
Head up north, or to somewhere else other than Kitchener Ontario and keep yer eyeballs peeled for stop signs, abandoned trucks, cars, and all manner of this littered with bullet holes.
Quote:
Guns are designed for killing, and if they are not acknowledged for the correct purposes then problems occur.
EVERYONE acknowledges they are for killing. It's the "what" is being killed, and "when", and "how", and "why" that can be a problem, depending on the answers to those questions.
NOBODY thinks they are for opening doors, like you think they do.
Quote:
The reason there are so few gun related homicides in Canada isn't necessarily because there are such a small number of guns,
It can't be that, because Canada is ranked 12th on the planet for fire arms per capita. If you ask me why, it's because we're "not allowed" to defend ourselves with them if needed for fear of jail time, and getting sued into oblivion by the criminals family. Now, I'm not saying I want to see a bunch of pistols on peoples hips, but give me a break! If someone forces their way into MY home, to do ME harm, and I CAN NOT flee, what am I supposed to do??? Tell me, Bill. WHAT-DO-I-DO??
Chevy Spoons, the people committing the overwhelming majority of violent crime don't register their guns. I am skeptical that if the US banned guns today and confiscated every registered firearm that the murder rate would drop. Based on demographics, the people committing most violent crime are highly unlikely to be American right wingers.
With your background in law, what do you think, Chevy Spoons?
I agree with you. Criminals don't register their guns. They also tend not to buy them legally, and they do tend to carry them illegally. In short, criminals don't own guns for the purpose of perfecting their aim at a shooting range--they own them to commit crimes. I share your skepticism in regards to the US.
But I have no problem with Canada's gun laws, especially in regards to handguns. True, criminals will ignore them; but they do have the added plus of ensuring safe storage for legal gun owners. Curious children will not find Daddy's loaded gun in the dresser drawer and decide to play with it, as we occasionally hear coming from the US. A legal gun owner will think twice about getting and using his or her handgun to use for illegal purposes (say, in a domestic dispute or a break-in), if it involved getting through a series of locks, locating ammo, and so on.
We will never rid ourselves of illegal guns. But we can--and have--taken steps to ensure that those who legally own guns, use them for legitimate purposes, and store and transport them safely. I'd suggest that this kind of control minimizes (though does not eliminate) injuries and deaths caused by guns in Canada.
EVERYONE acknowledges they are for killing. It's the "what" is being killed, and "when", and "how", and "why" that can be a problem, depending on the answers to those questions.
NOBODY thinks they are for opening doors, like you think they do.
Well, when I was doing competitive target shooting some years ago, we referred to our firearms as "very expensive paper hole punchers."
Well, mine was an Olympic-style rifle--an Anschutz 1813, if you're familiar with target rifles. (If not, Google it to see what it looked like.) Single-shot, bolt-action, used .22 rimfire rounds.
As regards "glad you're on my side," I'll add that a friend once handed me his .257 Remington at the range and asked how I would do with that at 200 meters. I managed a grouping of five shots that would fit inside a loonie. Well, one might have cut the edge.
My Dad always said that if I joined the Canadian Forces, I'd make a good sniper. He taught me to shoot a rifle accurately and safely when I was young. To this day, a farmer friend asks me to "sight in" his .22 varmint rifle, as while he can do it, he cannot do it as accurately as I can.
Last edited by ChevySpoons; 06-01-2015 at 01:12 AM..
Oh, please. Spare us the dramatics. Do you seriously believe there are no gun enthusiasts in Canada? I suggest you start cruising the web. There are so many Canadian forums related to guns, from simple hunters who admire their tools of choice, to target shooters, to people who simply need to have the latest and greatest in "tacti-cool" weaponry for no other reason than wanting to feel like they're awesome and match what they've got on Call of Duty.
Head up north, or to somewhere else other than Kitchener Ontario and keep yer eyeballs peeled for stop signs, abandoned trucks, cars, and all manner of this littered with bullet holes.
EVERYONE acknowledges they are for killing. It's the "what" is being killed, and "when", and "how", and "why" that can be a problem, depending on the answers to those questions.
NOBODY thinks they are for opening doors, like you think they do.
Bang on, Mag. And, gosh, just utter the words "gun control" to Canadians like my former in-laws in Manitoba, BC, or especially my former BIL in Owen Sound, and they lose it. I learned that the hard way.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
