Misinformation from Canadian Press
This week The Vancouver Sun offered a multi-part feature on guns, titled: “Part 1: Tighten controls on civilianized military-assault weapons.” That is a new one for us, “civilianized military-assault weapons,” which attempts t suggest that these military guns are still somehow “military.”
The article offers this interesting passage:
“Some Canadians are alarmed that registered firearms users such as (Dan) Styles have legal access to such weapons, which are considered ‘civilianized’ models of modern military-assault rifles. Although these high-powered rifles are seldom used in crimes in Canada, many gun-control advocates want them banned in the name of public safety.”
This sounds familiar doesn’t it? The guns are “seldom used in crimes” but in the “name of public safety” the anti-gun zealots want them banned! We also note that once again, the adjective “high-powered” is also used erroneously to suggest these weapons are even more sinister.
The Gazette Explains Canadian Gun Laws
Ask most Americans about Canada and guns, and they’ll quote Michael Moore that the country doesn’t have the same love of guns as America. But this week The Montreal Gazette offered a piece that that shows that guns are big in Canada too.
The article notes:
“According to the most recent statistics from the Canadian Firearms Centre, there are more than 7.6 million registered firearms in Canada, or about one gun per four Canadians. More than 1.8 million Canadians — about six per cent of the population — have valid gun licences, with the largest concentrations in Atlantic Canada and the North. The Yukon stacks up as the most gun-loving area of the country, with more than 84 guns per 100 people.”
This piece also explains how firearms such as the AK-47 are officially banned, but notes “Czech-made CZ 858 Tactical rifle, which appears almost identical to the infamous Russian-made AK-47 assault rifle and shoots the same 7.62-calibre NATO bullet,” is legal in Canada.
In other words things north of the border aren’t all that different.
National Post: Gun control, homicide rates not linked: study
This week the National Post of Canada offered some news that many anti-gun zealots won’t want to hear, namely, “Gun control, homicides rates not linked: study.” The post notes:
“Criminal record checks, 28-day waiting periods, the long-gun registry: none has done anything to stem Canadian firearm homicide rates, according to a new study by an emergency-medicine academic.”
This is an interesting bit of information and we’ll be fascinated to see how the media in the United States responds, that is if at all.
Should U.S. Follow Canada’s Example? Editorial Says So But Fails to Make Point
Writing as a guest columnist for the News-Press.com of Fort Myers Floria, retired newspaper editor Rick Diamond gets straight to his point:
“Taking on the gun lobby is an exercise in futility. No politician – Democrat or Republican – will risk having the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA) campaign against them at election time.”
In that one sentence Diamond fails to make his point in his entire column. What does the NRA have to do with the “Canadian” system? Only at the end of his op-ed does he note:
“Hopefully someday, as a way to reduce gun violence in this country, Congress will find the courage to follow Canadian law which has no loopholes for unregistered guns.”
And here we circle back to a point that Diamond and many other anti-gun zealots fail to understand. The NRA is powerful because it is how the people vote. Congress doesn’t lack courage, Congress acts in response of what the people want.
So what Diamond and others of his ilk really mean is that they want a Congress to say, “To hell with the will of the people. Banning guns would be better.”
Canadians Show How Easy it is For Americans to Get Guns
Gun bias isn’t limited to America we know and a piece from The Montreal Gazette shows as much. The story offers this interesting insight:
“Undercover investigators have exposed how easy it is in the United States to buy high-powered weapons — even when the buyer admits to being unable to pass a background check.”
This story, like most we’re seeing, doesn’t bother to point out that private sales don’t require a background check. But we like how the paper adds in the term “high-powered weapons.” Again, “high-powered” is not – and should never be – a blanket term for all guns. Not all guns are high-powered.
This story also attempts to make it seem that laws were broken at the gun show in Tucson, and the fact is whether you like it or not, laws were NOT broken. Of course this point is never actually made clear in the report.
Woman Saved From Dog Attack By Shooter
Angelita Deleon, 58, was peacefully walking the streets of San Antonio, Texas when she was suddenly attacked by a pit bull mix. A man driving by, whose name hasn’t been released, saw Angelita struggling on the ground with the dog. He parked his vehicle and fired several shots, hitting the dog in the leg.
Police Sgt. Devon Lambert said Deleon sustained bites to her head, neck and face. According to the police report, Deleon was walking down the street when the dog attacked her for no apparent reason, knocking her down. She was taken to the hospital and released later the same day.
The shooter, who has a permit to carry a concealed handgun, may have saved Angelita’s life.
“If he hadn’t come along, it could have resulted in her death,” Lambert said.
The police followed a blood trail which led them to where the pit bull mix had retreated to. Animal Care Services picked up the dog and according to shelter spokeswoman Lisa Norwood, it was immediately euthanized.
The dog had a collar but police haven’t been able to find its owner.
It is interesting to note that in places like Texas, citizens can protect themselves and others from life threatening dangers with firearms. In a country like Canada, which has draconian gun control laws, they can’t. What has Canada done about pit bulls? It has banned them. Not all pit bulls are dangerous and not all dog attacks are made by pit bulls.
A person should be free to own any breed of dog they want. No matter how many freedoms a government takes away from its citizens, it can’t protect everyone from every danger. Let the individual exercise his or her freedom of ownership. When a people are willing to give up rights because that’s what the majority wants, there is a tyranny of the majority that tries to cookie-cut everyone with the same mold. I prefer to hold onto my individual idiosyncrasies rather than be absorbed into the collective. Read more
Canadian Liberals: Evil NRA Attacking Canada
Bloomberg via Businessweek.com reported that David McGuinty, a Liberal Party lawmaker, has called out the ruling Conservative Party to clarify any links with the NRA. This comes as the Conservative Party has announced that it would eliminate the long gun registry in Canada.
According to the story:
“The NRA has been involved in efforts to scrap the Canadian registry for a decade, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported today.” Read more
Gun Business: Canadian court ruling could zap Taser’s bottom line
Taser X3 multi-shot ECD
Canadian Judge Robert Sewell, denied Taser International Inc.’s (TASR) request to reject the previous findings of a governmental inquiry. A public inquiry into stun gun safety began in May 5, 2008 after the 2007 death of a man in a Vancouver Airport. Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) shot the man multiple times with a stun gun and he later died. The inquiry report provided evidence that stun guns also called conducted energy weapons which disable potential targets with up to 50,000 volts of electricity can be lethal.
“It is quite clear to me that there were presentations made to the commissioner by medical experts,” said British Columbia Supreme Court judge Sewell,” and others to the effect that such weapons can cause serious harm and even death in exceptional circumstances.” Read more
Doctors Take Aim at Guns
Watch out, soon the American mainstream media could be reporting the “expert” opinion of doctors on the issues of firearms. In a story from north of the border, CTV.ca offers:
“A group of emergency doctors, nurses and suicide prevention workers asked members of Parliament to vote against a federal bill that seeks to quash the long-gun registry. The group says a significant drop in gun-related suicide since 1995 is evidence the registry works and scrapping it would set them back years in suicide prevention.”
Neither the political motivation, nor the actual size of this “group” is ever actually mentioned, however the article suggests it is at least “61 organizations and medical professionals.” So again, we have to question the motivation, and according to the article the biggest concern is suicide, because a long gun (rifle, shotgun), would offer a far greater success than other methods, notably an overdose. We counter that a long gun would also be better for hunting and home defense than pills.
Who Guards the Guards: Canadian Edition
The anti-gun zealots like to note that every “illegal gun must have been legally owned originally,” and they like to imply that a legal gun owner sold the gun to a criminal. But what about the guns stolen from the police? This happens more often that you think, and it isn’t limited to the United States. Cnews.com is reporting:
“Ottawa police are reviewing how they award contracts to private companies after a security guard became the prime suspect in the theft of a cop’s gun.”
This incident occurred at a police HQ no less.
