Gun control: Don’t follow the American example
My friend Peter at the Quarry Golf Club came up to me as I got out of my car in the parking lot recently. He asked me how my summer was and I said “fine.” I asked him and he said “Good." He went on to tell me that his wife’s sister visited recently. I said “Nice to have time with family in the summer." He said they went to the Peterborough Zoo, I said “Great place to go." He said when they came home they said they were so impressed with how well behaved the animals inside the cages and behind the fences behaved." Peter said to them, “Well, the real wild animals are outside the cages." Here we go, I thought. Peter seems to enjoy prodding me on. So I got the point and we talked about the state of the human species. Not your usual pre-golf topic. But Peter is a thoughtful guy!
But he had a point. It seems wherever you look lately we see that humanity is acting brutally toward their fellow citizens. Locally we have witnessed violence with a shooting outside Home Depot. We all know of the health risks such as cancer and heart, but we also should be aware that car accidents and suicide account for a lot of deaths in this country. It seems, however, that violence toward others has picked up. Our capital city of Toronto has not only had more shooting deaths but the tragic truck incident killing innocent citizens shocked all of us.
South of our border the massacre goes on weekly if not daily. Each day there are single shootings, weekly, it seems, mass murders. Recently, more woman are getting into the act. Horrible events.
On the international stage we have the Syrian government annihilating millions of its citizens (with support of other nations like Russia and Iran) and sending refugees out around the world in terror. In Myanmar genocide is taking place. Yemen citizens are dying almost daily from being caught in a war zone.
There is no question that as a species we are the most dangerous creatures on the planet. And this is just reflecting on the obvious. The less obvious to some is the effects of our behavior on climate change where this fall extreme events have killed many and dislocated thousands at a time in China, Europe and North America.
My round of golf was horrible as I pondered these things. When I finished I went in to have a drink and lunch. Sitting down with me were two former police officers. So I asked them what they thought of the current debate in Canada about banning handguns. There was no hesitation on their part.
They asked me “Who needs a handgun? For what purpose do you need a handgun?" They were adamant that no citizen needs a handgun and for that matter no one needs a semiautomatic weapon either.
My friend Mike, the therapist, who always can see another point of view, said: “But even if you banned them there will be all those illegal weapons available. Don’t the police and others need these weapons to protect themselves?”
My police friends jumped on that one, saying to Mike “You have been watching too much American news and TV." In the U.S. they think you have to have these weapons to protect yourself from the state and bad guys. They do not trust the government to protect them. Interesting contrast, I thought, between our two cultures. So why not a total handgun and semiautomatic weapon ban, I asked, along with stricter and harsher terms for those with illegal weapons? At this point we toasted one another because we had solved the problem. If it were only so easy.
I decided to write about this because I want our country to be safe. I trust our police and military to protect us. I do not want to live in the wild west or out of fear. I know and believe the more weapons available the more likelihood of lethal actions to take place. How many kids have to shoot their sisters or their selves to know that this is craziness?
As I watch the NAFTA negotiations unfold I cheer on our team in taking a stand and not signing a bad deal. I hope that we can do the same with regards to handguns and semiautomatic weapons. Certainly I support rifles for hunters and farmers. Let us show one another and the world that sanity reins in Canada. And yes, Peter, the human species is the most dangerous creature but it also has the potential for thoughtful actions. A civil society is based on rational thoughtful rules and norms.
I hope during the election period this fall that we can have this discussion. If our municipal leaders can have a positive voice it will be possible to stop some of the growing violence.