February 1: When I first saw this picture in the Globe and Mail this morning I thought it was of a militia somewhere in the middle east. I was wrong: It turned out to be a Second Amendment demonstration inside the capital building in Frankfort, Kentucky. Clearly, this is not a gathering of thoughtful and concerned citizens raising a philosophical argument about gun control. It’s about intimidation and the threat of possible consequences.
I’ve seen video of some gun ownership advocates arguing that this type of weapon is really only used for target practice or shooting deer. They must have some seriously aggressive deer in Kentucky if you need that sort of power to bring them down. Whatever their intended use, advocates always seem to speak in a menacing and vaguely threatening tone, as if to say “I have a gun and I’m not afraid to use it ….” Against you.
Until recently, I believed that Canada had a different frame of mind when it came to gun control. Now, I’m not so sure. I recently watched a TV report from western Canada which included interviews with several reps from the gun ownership lobby and the parallels in argument and language with their American counterparts was striking. I found it extremely worrisome because, unlike the United States, we have no “right to bear arms”. It’s a privilege.
At one time, long guns were registered. But, in what was clearly a move that pandered to rural voters, the long-gun registry was dismantled by our former Glorious Leader Harper, thereby removing one tool that Police might have used to track dangerous weapons. Roughly 7.5 million weapons were removed from government records. I suspect that, here in Canada, relatively few citizens are killed by rifles or shot guns. So arguably at least, perhaps there was not a lot to gain from registering these weapons. Farmers and hunters have a legitimate reason to arm themselves; life here in the city is different.
In Toronto last night, 3 people were shot to death at a house party. Little is known as I write this. The victims are all in their early 20’s. They were at a rented Airbnb when things went sideways. For whatever reason, someone felt sufficiently aggrieved to haul out a pistol(s) and try to settle the score. Clearly, the guns in question were not intended for hunting or target practice; I suspect they were “rented” from organized crime (like gangs) and smuggled into our country from the USA.
The Toronto Police Service reported 492 shootings last year resulting in 44 deaths and 246 people injured – that’s roughly 10 shootings a week with at least 5 people wounded or killed. The Police suggest that if we are not involved with gangs or crime, the chances of being a victim are slim, yet I am now seeing reports of “unintended victims” with greater frequency. Mayor Tory has been pushing for a handgun ban for some time, and the Federal parties have both been ragging the puck for far too long. The gun lobby would suggest that banning handguns would only penalize law-abiding owners, and to an extent, I understand that argument. That said, I think the time has come for us to do something about the spread of weapons in this country. I don’t ever want to see an armed militia on Parliament Hill. We are better than that.
The Globe and Mail weighs in:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-on-gangs-and-guns-politicians-are-missing-the-point/