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1)What if you are 60 years old and no crazy people break into your house with baseball bats or knives? What if you're not paranoid?
2)The people are the government.
1. We had an intruder break into our business. Statistics show there are robberies everyday, so just because it hasn't happened to you, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It's not about being paranoid. Netwit, you might live in a good part of town and in a home with a nice security system, but what about the people who live in the ghetto? It should be any law abiding citizen's decision. If a criminal plans to commit a murder or rob a house or business and kill anyone that's inside...whether or not he or she can buy a hand gun legally isn't going to change their mind. At least with legalization, a law abiding citizen has a fair chance.
2. Research Germany in the early 1940's, research Burma, research Cambodia after the Vietnam War (these are just some examples), we don't have to worry about it in Canada or the US, but once again that doesn't mean it doesn't happen elsewhere.
It is good to see that the drivel posted in this thread has been corrected.
In a Canadian urban environment there is no need for personal firearms and I would be highly suspicious of any neighbour who owned one. I have never heard of any non-police officer who does own a personal firearm and I have never witnessed a violent crime nor do I have friends or family who have been affected by a violent crime. I've never had my car or home broken into and, again, neither have my friends or family. I live in a metropolitan area of 5 million people and I don't always bother to lock the car or the front door.
You are saying because none of your friends or family members have experienced a violent robbery or mugging it doesn't exist?
I know the crime rate in Canada isn't as high in the US, but I'm sure there are areas where a person doesn't have the luxury to be able to leave their front door or car door unlocked.
The lack of freedom of speech is pretty interesting. At least they won't put you to death for it though.
We have plenty of freedom of speech. We just don't abuse our freedom of speech and don't use our right to it as an excuse for hate speech and promotion of sedition, bigotry and racism.
I'm not talking about owning a gun (yes, that's not too difficult), but carrying one for self-defense.
Carrying it for self-defense against what, and where?
The worst thing we have to defend ourselves against is ravening hordes of starlings and we have noise cannons for those. Anything else, bear spray will do the trick.
The lack of freedom of speech is pretty interesting. At least they won't put you to death for it though.
Let's keep things in perspective.
Hate speech laws do indeed limit absolute freedom of speech, but then again, so do laws controlling things like slander and libel.
No country, the US included, guarantees absolute free speech for its citizens.
A is more than entitled to make a speech or write an article on a controversial topic. The limiting factor would be the motivation for the speech or article. If sincere debate is the objective, no problem. There were certainly a wide variety of opinions expressed on the gay marriage issue, but folks wern't being tossed into the crowbar Hilton for expressing their views.
If, however, one sets up a web site with the goal of encouraging others to attack a certain group of society based on their race, sexual orientation, religion, etc., then hate speech laws may come in to play.
I'm not talking about owning a gun (yes, that's not too difficult), but carrying one for self-defense.
That's what the police are for.
Actually the "neighbourhood" I live in is a farm, quite far from any help. And unlike Fred, I do know people who have been broken into. There's rashes of these things that go around rural areas. Teenaged boys (usually but not exclusively) siphoning off gas from farmers' storage tanks. We had that happen when we first moved here and then they realized we have dogs.
My parents have had it happen. Don't know a farmer who hasn't had it happen.
A sister who lives on a small rural acreage came home one day several years ago to find her home had been broken into. It certainly does happen.
And I have a brother who is an RCMP officer.
But in the first place, the whole gun culture thing and the paranoia scenarios is a uniquely American thing. Maybe it is just something in your genes that there is something you want to feel you are defending against, whether that over-used word, 'freedom' or something else.
The penalty under the law for theft, isn't death. It's interesting and aggravating all at the same time because it doesn't seem there is a place for a meeting or an understanding of minds when it comes to this subject.
To you the solution to crime is to carry guns openly.
To most Canadians the solution to crime is to step up police presence.
And most people don't want guns. Every farmer has a gun or two around that he may well have inherited from his father or his father's father. Hunters are also usually from rural backgrounds. Gun nuts who are gun nuts for no reason other than wanting a collection of large and powerful phallic symbols are rare. My brother tells me most policemen are gun nuts - as in liking guns for their own sake.
So maybe what happens here is that people who have a huge enthusiasm for guns turn into policemen?
Aside from criminals, who obtain their illegal weapons mostly through the US, normal people don't want guns. So if you want to point out that "when guns are criminalized only criminals will have guns" you are partially correct.
Law-abiding people, even in the inner cities, are not likely to carry guns. But you are presupposing that they are not likely to carry guns because they can't - when it is that they don't want to.
Like Fred Derf I would look very strangely on a neighbour if I lived in a city (and I have lived in cities) who talked about having a gun for self-protection. I would wonder what my neighbour was into in a criminal way that he had need of guns.
I would also like to see statistics from reputable sources stating that householders who have their homes broken into when they are at home, are able to defend themselves with their guns regularly enough to support the notion of self-protection. Even gun-wielding homeowners have been known to be shot by their gun-wielding robbers.
What statistics currently show is that there are less homicides in Canada than in the US where it is easier to carry them and folks are more likely to have them. So if that other over-used phrase 'guns don't kill people, people kill people' is true, than perhaps these which-came-first-the-chicken-or-the-egg statistics are based on Americans being more murderous by nature?
I am not arguing that a gun has never come in handy - I am only saying that I believe there are more wives/husbands/children killed accidentally by these weapons of 'protection' than are saved.
In any case, your country isn't mine, so more phallic symbol power to you guys if you want guns. Canadians don't want them. We have hockey sticks.
I watch Canadian TV and I don't see lots of "USA bashing" nor did I hear it when I was in Canada. I did hear lots of "Bush bashing" there but there were lots of Americans including me that didn't like him either.
Oops sorry, correction: REPUBLICAN bashing is the deal. Democrats are free of this problem. You're absolutely correct. The Liberal press is in force there as I thought.
That singer killed by coyotes could have used a handgun.
Sorry if I'm getting off topic but I really need to respond to this comment.
No, she couldn't have. That's not a good enough reason for carrying a personal handgun. Even if she'd been permitted to carry a firearm in a national park she probably wouldn't have had a chance to draw a bead and use it effectively. Coyotes sneak up and attack from behind to bring their prey down, they don't make frontal attacks. I doubt she even knew what hit her when they brought her down. She would have stood a better chance if she had bear spray to hand.
What happened to that girl was a horribly tragic thing but she made a naive and careless mistake. She walked alone in a Canadian national park, the domicile of many wild animals, without benefit of company (neither human or dog) and without carrying bear spray at a time of year when predators are becoming more desperate for food. From some of the reports I've heard she was listening to tunes on her IPOD, another big mistake for anyone to make when hiking or jogging alone in the woods or in a city park. Those things are known to attract the attention of predatory animals and how can a hiker be alert and aware of what's happening in their surroundings when they're distracted and their ears are plugged like that?
Hopefully, what happened to her will be a good lesson to people who think they can hike alone in Canadian wildnerness without being prepared for wild animal attacks.
I think it stems toward Americans view of government. Most don't want to put all their trust into the government. They would rather have the option to protect themselves in case the police take too long, they don't have access or time to reach a phone, or if the dispatcher thinks the call is a joke. That's one of the main reasons why universal health care hasn't passed in America because many Americans don't want to trust the government with providing health care, they would rather choose their doctors themselves from hospitals not managed by the government. (however, this view is beginning to change). Why is crime higher in America? There is no straight answer...I believe it has a lot to do with the divide between rich and poor and the culture in the projects. A person who is born in the projects is more likely to join a gang and/or commit crimes statistically speaking. Most of the serious crimes in America are gang related. Most Americans who own a gun will never use it in their lives for protection, but it's comforting to know the option is available. You never know if you witness a serious crime and you know the criminal(s) saw you or you have a crazy ex BF, GF, husband, or wife...there are many scenarios where one might feel the need to own a gun for protection. When the person broke into our business, he wasn't armed so the gun was not needed for protection, but many times this is not the case and if I hear noises from the kitchen and I check it out and there is a burglar with a bat, knife, or gun...I would not have time to call the police and wait for them to get here unless I had a panic room.
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So maybe what happens here is that people who have a huge enthusiasm for guns turn into policemen?
