Public can still lobby for a stronger gun bill

I was disappointed with the Liberal gun Bill C-21. It looked like public safety Minister Bill Blair caved to the Conservative gun lobby in some mistaken spirit of bipartisan compromise that gutted strong legislation.

Downloading responsibility to municipalities makes no sense and not retaining the national buyback program is a mistake. But there is still a chance it can be tightened up if we, the over 80% of Canadians who favour more gun control, flood the minister’s inbox.

Geography compels Canada to always tame the rabid American gun culture that seeps in. There is inherent common sense in limiting firearms and it outweighs the stale libertarian debate about individual freedoms.

Data overwhelmingly shows that states and countries with more guns available have more gun-related deaths.

The RCMP reports the connection between reported stolen guns (from autos) and poor storage, (home break-ins) more often put illegal guns in the hands of criminals than smuggling.

The notion of gun rights is an American import, propagated by the National Rifle Association and its international affiliates; there is no constitutional right to bear arms in Canada; gun ownership is allowed, but strictly regulated.

I have never met a single gun advocate who doesn’t claim to be a paragon of gun safety and who always points a finger at criminals and resents being told about guns safety by urban elites or hearing from bleeding hearts about the latest shooting.

Their solution is more corporal punishment; even though prevention gets better long-term results.

The simple truth is, as long as guns are available to the public, no law can stop all firearm violence. However, collectively Canada’s stricter gun legislation has been the prime reason for the vastly different gun culture between Canada and the United States.

Jon Peter Christoff, West Kelowna