Canadian Press Blames U.S. for Gun Violence

 

The U.S. press isn’t the only news outlet that blames our 2nd Amendment right to own firearms for criminal behavior. Canada, a country that has some of the most restrictive firearm laws, has a media bias that the New York Times could be proud of. The Canadian Press released a story this week that blames this country for its armed criminal activity.

The Ugly American story is a popular theme in the foreign press. And one of the worst things Americans do is cling to their guns. What the Canadian and other press sources don’t reveal is that gun ownership prevents more crime then it causes. Like many U.S. news stories, the Canadian story is happy to quote gun control activists but refuse to report the other side. This kind of reporting supports the writer’s bias but does a disservice to the public.

The news story in question reports on a new study that claims that most guns used to commit crimes in Canada come from the United States. And yet the study itself doesn’t have concrete numbers.

“It is not possible to determine with certainty the percentage of guns used in crime in Canada or Mexico that have been illegally exported from the Unites States, but there is some relevant evidence available that indicates the proportion is high,” the study says.

It doesn’t take the expense of a study to realize most guns brought into Canada come from the United States. The U.S. is Canada’s largest trading partner and the two countries share the world’s largest non-militarized boarder. One way to significantly impact smuggling would be to militarize this boarder. I don’t think either country wants the expense or publicity such a move would make. Of course there is another way.

The United States should adopt gun laws similar to Canada’s. The story doesn’t say this but it implies it. Wendy Cukier, a gun control activist, is quoted throughout the article. At one point she says that Canada should take a leading role in international efforts to combat the illicit trade in small arms. Translation: Canada needs to put pressure on the United States to shred the 2nd Amendment.

The article ends by decrying the fact that Canada has yet to ratify the UN Firearms Protocol, under which countries promise to do more to fight the illegal traffic in small arms. If Canada wants to surrender its sovereignty to the UN, it can. But I want the U.S. Constitution to remain the controlling law of my country. If Canada doesn’t like our laws, too bad. They can move if they don’t like the neighborhood. Maybe North Korea or Iran would make better neighbors. Or, if Canada is concerned about citizens’ safety, they can allow law abiding citizens the right to buy firearms for protection. Smuggling won’t stop if there are Canadian buyers who think that they can make a profit with weapons.