Friday, September 3, 2010

Assault Riffles and Gun Control



Well it would appear the Conservatives are trying to get rid of gun registry and seem to be fighting the police on it. Now why on earth would the police support gun control? Perhaps it's because they are the ones that have to deal with guns on the streets.

However, some argue that gun control just takes the guns away from law biding citizens. It does nothing to remove them from criminals because a criminal is not going to commit a crime with a registered gun.

Now there are different reasons for opposing gun control and they are indeed political and ideological. Originally the Americans "Right to Bear Arms" was entrenched in the constitution for two reasons. To allow citizens the right to protect their constitutional right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

The other was to help prevent a democratic nation from being conquered by a foreign power or a corrupt government. Hitler supported gun control and disarmed the nation before he seized dictatorship.

The Americans big fear was godless Communism. If the general public is armed and has guns, it's harder for a foreign government to invade and take over that country. Kinda like how it was difficult for England to invade and control Scotland when everyone and his dog had a sword. They'd take their claymores with them everywhere. Even to church on Sundays.

Then there's protection of persons and property. In America, if a criminal breaks into someones home and threatens their family, that home owner is legally justified to defend himself and his family. If he shoots the invader he is a hero. If a Canadian did that he would be a criminal.

I used to be a strong advocate for the right to bear arms for those two reasons. Many in Canada are less vigilant when it comes to that right. They are concerned with gun violence. When guns are in the home, fatalities from domestic violence increases. When guns are in the home accidents happen especially when children get a hold of them. When guns are in the home street violence rises when those guns are stolen and used to commit crimes.

The gun registry debate has resurfaced and Harper made a statement about not wanting to turn farmers with rifles into criminals. Fair enough but we do know that the real reasons behind the right to bear arms are ideological as I've mentioned and have nothing to do with farmers.

Now, on to assault rifles. Semi Automatic Assault rifles are a restricted weapon in Canada. That means you may buy them but you have to have it registered and you may only use it on the gun range. OK what if you buy one and you use it to commit a crime? You basically get a slap on the wrist and a lifetime firearm ban which really doesn't mean anything because like i said, people aren't going to use a registered firearm to commit a crime.

There needs to be a more severe penalty for someone who uses a firearm to commit a criminal offense. Registered handguns in Canada are not for self defense. They must be stored unloaded, in a locked container with a trigger lock. You are not allowed to use a registered handgun as self defense even though we are legally authorised to defend ourselves with reasonable force against a lethal attack.

Logic would infer that if someone was attacking you with deadly force, you would be legally authorized to use deadly force to defend yourself. I.E. if someone was shooting at you you would be allowed to shoot back as that would be reasonable force against a deadly attack. Yet the gun control laws prevent that from happening. So in reality, if someone was shooting at us, we would be legally authorized to snap their neck with our bare hands not shoot back at them.

I fully agree there are too many guns in the hands of criminals on the street. Not just .22's. We're talking about automatic weapons, semi automatic assault riffles, rocket launchers and hand grenades. I kid you not.

Right now I can go to my local sporting goods store and buy an AR 15 or a M&P 15 semi automatic assault riffle as long as I don't buy it with a banana clip with a large capacity. However, nothing would stop me from buying the assault riffle with a small magazine and later buying a larger banana clip for it afterwards.

Don't get me wrong. I think the idea of getting an AK or an M&R 15 and taking it to the gun range to blow shit up would be a blast. I'm just wondering how we get guns out of the hands of criminals.

Typically a right wing conservative government supports democracy and less government meddling into the lives of private citizens. However, that is a stereotype. True the Liberals are really making a big deal about nothing when the Harper government wants to make census information less intrusive.

The Liberals making a big deal about that is bizarre and a red flag. Why does the government need to know all that information about it's citizens?

Then we have the patriot act. Isn't that an oxymoron. Overriding the US Constitution by removing civil liberties and calling that Patriotic. This done by a right wing government that had abandoned democratic principles just like Hitler did. A right wing dictator is the same as a left wing dictator.

Harper's obsession with his idol Brian Mulroney and his deja vue push for the HST is very undemocratic. The HST is killing the housing market. Despite huge public opposition the government is determined to press forward unilaterally. That is a clear example of how the stereotype is wrong and shows a right wing government abandoning the principles of democracy it so dramatically boasts about defending.

I will add that no one is going to commit a criminal offence with a registered firearm unless they plan on committing suicide. If someone plans on committing suicide, they aren’t going to care if the registered firearm is going to be traced back to them.

Likewise if someone was going to commit a Bowling for Columbine murder suicide, they aren’t going to care if the registered firearm gets traced back to them. I think everyone would like to see less guns in the hands of criminals. Except for the companies that make guns of course.

8 comments:

  1. A lot of grist here for comment. Only police administrations that follow the political line of their city councils support keeping the long gun registry. Talk to some front line police as I have and your hear nothing but critism about waste of resources and lack of use of the registry. If you donate to the Chiefs Association you can have Bill Blair stand there and say he would rather have the registry than more boots on the street. All this from a Chief with more than 80 street gangs, many of them violent. Registration has done nothing to solve Toronto's problems but if you follow the money you see where Blair's loyalty is.

    The AR-15 seems to be the fastest growing platform for sporting rifles in America. It comes in many configurations and sporting calibres making it the new 'Garand' of the 21st century and all this in a sporting semi-automatic.

    The Liberal Party of Canada's rush to re-engineer the social fabric of Canada should be questioned. Do Canadians really want a police state that includes total disarment of the civil population? I think not but Loyd Axeworth did tell a conference in Norway that total disarmament was the Liberal Party intent. Thoughtful Liberals know the gun registry is a boondoggle but it is a cornerstone of their social re-engineering and that is the real worth of the registry to the LPC.

    Governments at all levels must remove the social conditions and poverty that breed the gangs. As long as there is a demand then someone will service it. It was true of alcohol, drugs and now guns.

    Canadians need more than more of a failed Liberal policy. I say failed because it's supporters continually fail to show in real terms how our society is safer. In the 1960's I could buy war surplus firearms, including a fully automatic firing bren guns and mountains of cheap ammunition with no restrictions. Yes, that was at Hallams Sporting goods on Yonge Street in Toronto. Guns and gangs were not a problem then. Ask your politicians about the failed policies that have led to the sorry state of ethnic based violence in Toronto and Vancouver.

    Bill Blair and his police supporters are part of the problem as they have put their self interest ahead of the needs of their cities. The blame there is also shared with Mayor Miller who never lived in Toronto before the 80's, a man ignorant of the past and incapable of planning for the future. There is no pride in being Canada's biggest slum landlord. His passing from office should be applauded.

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  2. Thanks for the input. The AR 15 is the fasted growing sport riffle in America? You’ve got to be kidding. Sporting what? Why does someone need a military assault riffle to hunt deer? Maybe to defend oneself against a herd of stampeding elephants but that doesn’t happen very often in Canada.

    Ever see Eddie Murphy’s Distinguished Gentlemen? He plays a con man that turns to politics and goes duck hunting with some lobbyists from the NRA. They all have huge automatic weapons. Then a flock of ducks fly by and bam bam bam bam bam… they start frantically shooting every thing that moves.

    Finally one duck falls from the sky. Eddie Murphy takes one look at it and says it must have died of shock. I.E. They couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with their automatic weapons and the noise must have killed it. When hunting ducks one uses a shotgun and sprays the barrel like a water hose so the spray of pellets from the shotgun shell will bring the bird down.

    I will agree that most of what the Liberals say scares me. Including total disarmament. We have gun registry in Canada and that did not do a thing to stop, prevent or minimize the gun related violence from illegal firearms in the Vancouver gang war. Disarming the public but not the criminals is not a good thing. If we want to stop the gang violence we have to stop letting them sell crack in public. As long as we let them do that there will be armies of gangs fighting over the money to be made.

    Oh and it’s not ethnic violence that’s the problem in Vancouver. It’s the Hells Angels and their white supremacists providing the cocaine for all the other groups to fight over.

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  3. Google and read all about Brian Knight from Tees, Alberta.

    They've tried to get him to plead, so it doesn't go to trial... but he's refusing... he wants a jury of his peers to decide his fate. The Liberal justice system we have is about to get hit out of left field... there isn't a jury in Alberta that will convict this guy.

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  4. The farmer that shot and hunted down a thief? I remember that one. Sounds like he’s just charged with seven charges including assault, criminal negligence causing bodily harm and discharging a firearm. None of which for a first offense will amount to much.Ya gotta admit, if more people defended their property like that, theft would go down. Either that or the thieves would just bring more firepower which would make the situation worse.

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  5. It's a messed up story... after the thief got away, he and a neighbor went looking for him, when they found him... the thief stole the neighbors truck and smashed it into a pole(?) and then attempted to run off

    The thief also issued a statement that he would have done the same thing... shot someone who was on his property trying to steal his stuff. I'm not sure how the courts think they are going to get a conviction... especially in Alberta.

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  6. Yeah hunting him down after the thief was chased off the property was a bit much unless he was in possession of stolen property. Leaving him after they caught him by himself in a truck with the engine running wasn’t very bright either. He’ll probably get charged with assault and discharging a firearm. It will be interesting if the jury lets’ him off.

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  7. Would a registry really make a difference ??
    Drive-by shooting victim was targeted
    by Castanet Staff - Story: 56778
    Sep 8, 2010 / 11:35 am



    RCMP have very little to go on in regards to a drive-by shooting in downtown Kelowna Tuesday night.

    A 27-year-old Edmonton man was shot while in his vehicle near Leon Avenue and Abbott Street. He was treated in hospital for non-life threatening injuries and later released.

    He apparently drove himself to hospital.

    Constable Steve Holmes says the man is known to police. He has Criminal Code and drug related history.

    Holmes says police have no evidence the man had gang affiliations.

    "The victim is very reluctant. He is talking, but as far as providing us information that is useful to the investigation, that has not been forthcoming," says Holmes.

    Agent K you seem to be staying away from the Kelowna action these days.

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  8. Good point. I can’t say if gun registry would have helped in that situation. Off hand I doubt it was a registered firearm. Drug related? Then there must be some kind of gang affiliation. Thanks for letting me know. I’ve been out of the Kelowna loop lately. If there’s any new news please let me know. I have heard some disturbing rumors about Dale Habib and Britney. I’d love to get some facts I can print. Cheers.

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