Sport shooters proud Canadians

Re: Two kinds of gun control needed (Jim Taylor column, Feb. 20):

Here’s a view from my side of the fence being a gun owner.

Hunting is a one piece of a large pie in the firearm world in Canada. And the folks I know that do hunt bring a modern firearm with them because a bolt action can’t have a follow-up shot fast enough for an ethical kill. Yes, sometimes it does happen that the animal doesn’t go down on one shot.

We have lots of shooting sports that require, in particular, AR15s, modern guns and pistols. It probably represents the majority of our community.

The AR15 is the world standard for modern shooting-sports guns. Three-gun and IPSC competitions use these firearms to compete on the world stage.

All the practice of manipulations of arms and controls are based on this rifle. Banning these guns only hurts our community of over two million — and doesn’t stop gun crime that involves firearms largely smuggled from the United States.

To add to that, Canadian gun manufacturers design guns based on input from civilians who put thousands of hours into this art form.

Many shooters live in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and other cities and we have very strict, strong storage and transportation laws in place already.

All firearms must be trigger locked and in a safe or cabinet for storage. Restricted ones like AR15 and pistols require that and direct route from travel from A to B.

Taylor sees no firearm owners in the city because we can’t just carry them around openly. Locked at the trigger and locked again in a case is what is required. We do live among you and everyone else, but we don’t show it.

Furthermore each firearms owner has their criminal record checked daily to flag anyone who may have committed a violent offence.

Firearms in Canada is a $10-billion industry that involves lots of Canadians. Restrictions hurt gun stores, clubs, ranges and employment from then, and the tight community.

I encourage your columnist to talk to someone who does it as a hobby and a passion. It’s not just only a hobby it’s a lifestyle, community and heritage.

It’s also very Canadian!

Ben Lee, Vancouver