Eat your heart out Bob Dylan

Dear editor: On March 24, more than a dozen Canadian cities hosted marches to call for stricter gun control laws in both Canada and the U.S., in the aftermath of the high school shooting that killed 17 people in Parkland, Florida.

Although Canadians cannot obtain guns as easily as Americans, Canada’s Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale recently tabled new legislation (Bill C-71), that introduces new measures to restrict access to firearms.

One of several proposed changes involves enhanced background checks, which would demand the RCMP examine a person’s entire life history for potential red flags, not just the previous five years.

One student at the North Charleston March For Our Lives rally sang Blowin’ in the Wind, written by Bob Dylan in 1962, and released as a single and on his album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan in 1963.

The children’s book Blowin’ in the Wind was published in 2011, illustrated by Jon J. Muth; from the School Library Journal’s book review: “Muth’s watercolor paintings are delicate and beautiful…Teachers of music and/or history, and fans of folk music will be pleased with the book.”

For these times, what follows is my rewrite of this iconic song: BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND 2.0 How many halls must a student walk down Before someone calls 9-1-1? Yes, ‘n’ how many minutes must armed officers take Before they stop a crazed son? Yes, ‘n’ how many times must AR-15s fire Before they’re forever banned? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind The answer is blowin’ in the wind How many years can gun show loopholes exist Before they’re forever closed? Yes, ‘n’ how many years should all people exist Before guns to them can be sold? Yes, ‘n’ how many times can a politician turn his head And pretend that he just doesn’t see? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind The answer is blowin’ in the wind How many years before universal background checks And a gun sale database? Yes, ‘n’ how many tears before mental health services

Are given more funding and space? Yes, ‘n’ how many years will it take to allow Gun research by the CDC? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind The answer is blowin’ in the wind How many times will there be red flags Before they can see the signs? Yes, ‘n’ how many NRA dollars will he take Before he can hear people cry? Yes, ‘n’ how many deaths will it take till he knows That too many people have died? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind The answer is blowin’ in the wind

David Buckna

Kelowna