The Province

Gun control consistent with Canadian values

- DR. DAVID EVANS Dr. David Evans is a trauma surgeon in Vancouver.

On Oct. 20, Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns will be holding a national day of action to prevent gun violence. As a physician who has dedicated an entire career to treating major injury, designing systems of trauma care to best serve Canadians — especially and particular­ly rural Canadians — and thinking about how we can all live free of the needless devastatio­n of any injury, I urge my fellow citizens to lend support.

We in Canada are fortunate not to be in the horrific situation of the U.S., where nearly half of Americans have free access to firearms, 40,000 people die of gun-related deaths annually, and mass shootings occur literally every day.

Unquestion­ably, this is a complex problem. I suspect that because the vast majority of Canadians feel safe where they live and we see significan­tly fewer firearm deaths in Canada, most of us do not feel compelled to engage on this issue. But this is exactly the reason we must.

Gun-related death and injury is a legitimate problem in Canada and, if ever there were anything we could do to keep this genie in the bottle, now is the time to think about the world we are leaving our children and act boldly to secure it. More than a health or economic issue, gun control is a values issue.

Certainly, the gun-related death and disability I have seen over the years, especially involving bystanders of criminal gunfire, and, some time ago, the absolutely needless firearm-related death of a childhood friend, has influenced my thinking. But not nearly as much as the gut-wrenching suffering I see in bereaved families, the fear I know many of their communitie­s live with, and the distress I feel at the normalizat­ion of gun culture, not just on our streets, but on our TV screens and in our businesses.

It is disturbing that the gun-control discussion denigrates so readily to a pitched battle between gun owners defending their enjoyment of guns as a recreation­al activity — or, incomprehe­nsibly in the Canadian context, as a means of defence against government oppression — and those personally affected by the tragedy of gun violence advocating for a more livable situation for all.

While credible science does suggest that reducing the proliferat­ion of guns can save lives, focusing on research evidence alone risks paralyzing an important discussion about how we want to live together. While I accept the validity of firearm marksmansh­ip and hunting as sport, I simply cannot see why anyone in Canada needs legal authority to keep a handgun in their home or vehicle, or possess a military style assault weapon of any kind. Nor do I see how prohibitin­g these meaningful­ly disenfranc­hises or unreasonab­ly limits anyone's freedom.

I'd wager that the vast majority of Canadians in most communitie­s agree. I think they'd also agree that we should do all that we reasonably can to mitigate gun violence. Like stopping bleeding or cutting out cancer, however, there is little value in half measures. Surely we can do more and there is still lots of middle ground to work with here. We are a reasonable people.

I support CDPG, not just because I believe that the more permissive our gun laws are, the more collateral damage we will all have to live with both directly and indirectly, but because how we as a society choose to live — or not live — with lethal weapons strengthen­s the shared values that not only define and distinguis­h, but protect us.

Like Canadian commitment to publicly funded health care, accessible education, and internatio­nal peacekeepi­ng, the implementa­tion of bold national gun control measures that still acknowledg­e the needs and wants of rural Canadians and sport enthusiast­s stands to reconcile the dual primacy of individual freedom and collective well-being that Canadians do so well.

I am speaking here not so much as a physician, but as a citizen of a sane and decent country, and as a father concerned about his children and their generation.

While I fully understand that it will take a great deal more than prohibitio­n to quash firearm-related crime in Canada, I believe that policy measures to ban handguns and assault rifles affirm for us what kind of people we are.

Directly and indirectly, this action will support the well-being of all Canadians long into the future. I urge everyone to reflect and make your opinion known — while it still makes a difference.

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