well, let me say firstly, i live in canada, and our gun laws are absolutely ridiculous. there were several gun shootings in the city where i grew up,(vancouver, bc) right now i live in a remote little city full of farms and forests, and outdoor life. when i lived in the city, guns meant something else. they meant to do harm to others. out here, guns are for pleasure in target practice, skeet shooting, hunting, personal protection....etc...
i have been out with friends learning gun safety, shooting targets, and it's really fun. i am studying now to get my firearms liscense, and i'm excited about it. .....but, the people in parliment who know nothing about guns have introduced absurd gun laws, so much so that a person who owns a handgun cannot use it, transport it, or even clean the freaking thing. so, in a nut shell, freaks who take guns to schools have set the bar for new legislation, and now everyone has to pay...
not to mention, guns used in crimes ARE NOT REGISTERED GUNS. they are stolen guns.
i could go on and on and on and on about our gun laws, but, all in all......they don't work. they're pathetic. my husband and i, and friends of ours, who are firearm enthusiasts, have discussed many times what they need to do, but we all agree tougher laws don't help. ......or at least, the types of laws canada has introduced thus far are not fixing the problem. i don't know what the answer is, but canada is not the place to look. there are several shootings here. so far, in 2008, vancouver has had 8 murders due to gun violence, and that's just one city...so yes, it does happen here despite our laws.
and about the comments about police officers. yes, i understand you're frustration when stories about time delays have costed lives, but my husband is a cop and i'll tell you first hand that they do the best they can everyday they put their lives on the line for all of us.
in meyerthorpe alberta a few years back we lost four rcmp members due to a psycho attacked them with a rifle.
our laws did not help those men.
as the saying goes....guns don't kill people....people do.
right now, our justice system is the problem. no one gets punished in this country anymore. our judges are way too easy on convicted criminals, and it makes me sick to see what people get away with.
a few years ago, a gas station attendant tried to stop a car who was doing a 'gas and dash', and while trying to stop the car, he got run over, and the gas theives dragged him under the car for 8 blocks until there was nothing left of the poor boys body.
the driver and passenger got about 4 years or something in prision.
now, instead of punishing the criminals properly, we now have a pre-pay policy when we buy gas. it's ridiculous. you go in, guess how much gas you need, pay, then they turn on the pumps and some attendant pumps the exact amount you paid for, and not a penny more.
so now, we are all paying because this is such a hassle...especially if you guess the wrong amount, or need a little more than expected.
if someone is going to steal gas, they're going to steal gas...so now, the criminal is going to go inside the store, point a gun at the clerk and tell him to turn on the pumps...and i'll tell you now, more deaths are going to happen.