The Banning of Guns in Cities
The banning of hand guns is a raging question in Toronto which will flare across the country.
The ‘sentiment’ of banning guns is easy to agree with. None of us want to think of a gun in the hands of a killer. Let’s just ban guns and be done with it! Don’t we all wish it was that easy!!!! It’s not.
Criminals, be they operating individually, or a as part of organized crime, historically have always been able to get the hardware they need. The conceptual problem the majority of us have is to think that like ‘us’, the criminals follow the same laws. We seem to settle on the conclusion: …well if handguns in Toronto are banned and therefore no one in Toronto will have handguns’. Again…don’t we all wish it was that easy!!! It’s not.
The criminals who want handguns or guns of any size will always get them. The higher the level of criminal enterprise, the bigger the gun and more of them. So…if we all think a gun ban of any kind will in fact reduce the number of guns in the hands of the illegal drug networks or street gangs who they work with or any other criminal, let’s pass a gun law which makes it impossible for the criminals to obtain guns. Does that sound reasonably doable? Won’t that stop all ‘bad guys’ having guns?
Did prohibition stop people from drinking beer? Have the drug cartels stopped manufacturing and distributing illegal drugs in our schools and on our streets? Did it stop gambling? Did marijuana being illegal stop people from buying, growing and smoking it? No….No….and No. Not only were these bannings useless, they resulted in hundreds of thousands of Canadians being arrested and given criminal records in activities the government eventually established their own operations not only making the activities legal, but profitable tax incomes.
In short….making hand guns or any gun ‘illegal’ is a useless idea.
WHAT ARE THE LAWS RELATED TO GUNS IN CANADA?
Before running down the street screaming ‘ban guns’, perhaps it might be a good starting point to actually know what the Canadian laws are so here are two links which will show you exactly what the laws are:
(THE ACTUAL LAWS) http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/F-11.6/
(AN EXCELLENT ARTICLE) https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/a-look-at-canada-s-gun-ownership-laws-1.4026397
Should Canadian gun laws be improved? Or course all laws must continually be improved. We should be looking at the laws of Iceland which has a very strong gun licensing process and training program:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/iceland-gun-loving-country-no-shooting-murders-2007-n872726
Like it or not….and none of us like it…it is impossible to keep guns out of the hands of determined criminals.
Isn’t what we are really saying is we want to keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals and should they use guns in a crime, we want to do everything we can to ensure they are caught and go to trial. Perhaps this should be the starting point in the discussion of ‘safe communities’.
Are there things which we as citizens can be doing to cut down the violent crimes? Should we be looking at a higher level of lighting and street cameras? Should we be establishing a higher level of integration of police and citizens efforts? Should we be developing safer reporting systems to encourage citizens to report on criminals without fearing for their lives? Should we be promoting the development of more ‘safe homes and safe businesses’ to which our children and victims can turn? Should military grade gun purchasers be required to provide a type of military service to warrant this right and to be prepared to protect communities should be it advantageous to the police of the military? Should we be elevating this discussion within our schools, businesses and communities?
If we are going to engage in the discussion of banning guns and community safety, it is very dangerous for us to isolate the discussion to the banning of guns alone. We need to discuss all components of the gun and community safety issue.
It is an important and necessary discussion….let’s start it now!
Be Proud