LINES OF FIRE

Readers respond to gun series

Our multi-part series by the Regina Leader-post and Saskatoon Starphoenix,

Lines of Fire, attempted to lay out the landscape of guns in our province from a number of perspectives: Indigenous people, gun owners, competitive shooters, women, police and more. We also tried to go behind the stereotypes, examining how guns currently fit into our culture — and how they might in the future. We also asked our readers to share examples of a time when guns had an effect — either positive or negative — on their lives. Here is a sampling of the letters and emails we received ...

“Hunting is a right of passage in Saskatchewan. Each year, family and friends go afield to bond together and fill the freezers, later gathering to make sausage and tell tales of the past. I would have lost contact with many friends if it wasn’t for the annual hunting trips.” —Rick Kloss

“Shooting sports can help us achieve goals, increase selfdiscipline and concentration.” —Peter Hildebrand

“I use guns three or four times a week. I am a clay target shooter and shoot probably 200-300 rounds per week. I live in an urban city and am 15 minutes from my gun club where I compete with other sports shooters. We have over 800 members, many from the GTA who have guns in their homes, because that’s the law. Handguns must be stored at your residence, and in the over 20 years I have belonged to my present gun club, there has never been a shooting incident despite the fact that we fire literally millions of rounds per year. I have been shooting since I was 14 years old, and I am in my 76th year. I have never had an incident involving a firearm because I was trained at an early age about how to handle them. They are no more dangerous in my hands than a golf club, or a hammer, or a circular saw.” —Douglas Bailey

“Marijuana was legalized by largely using the argument that it would decriminalize its usage. Is it not hypocritical if this argument then would not be valid for the continued legal ownership of firearms? Both are dangerous when in the wrong hands; but it is the wrong hands that will always have access if so desired.

It all should come down to personal responsibility and proper consequences applied by law when misused.” —Dan Patten

“A gun probably saved my life when I was attacked by an armed robber who was a cocaine addict and who had a Bowie knife hidden under his parka. According to the forensics data he was six to 12 inches from the barrel of my gun when I fired into his thigh to stop him as was running toward me. He did have a history of violence as I found out following the incident.” —Norman Gardner

“I bought my first .22 from the local magistrate at the age of 12. I participated and earned every award Dominion Marksman offered. Today I’m a recreational marksman and grateful the voices that have never owned, held, or shot a firearm will never be able to dictate to the majority.” —Garry Bratland

“Traditional resource users in northern Saskatchewan depend on guns to feed their families. It is an essential part of our existence and not a luxury!” —Vince Natomagan