🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <rsutc-1411941532030001@nsc189t100.twu.ca>,
Rick Sutcliffe <rsutc@twu.ca> wrote:
>I wonder if the pro gun lobby would care to try their hand at writing gun
>control legislation that would recognize their hobby and yet improve the
>liklihood of assault victims surviving because there were fewer deadly
>weapons with which to conduct attacks available to the less responsible. 

i'm not sure such legislation is possible.  that was part of the point of
pook's posting.

just passing a law does not change human nature and/or human behavior.

there are some large factors which will need to be addressed.

these include:
- access to firearms and ammunition
    while this is legally covered fairly well by existing legislation,
    there is a large hole in enforcement of the existing laws.
    the existing laws are either unused, or unenforceable in any real
    sense.  the law makers have to realize that we cannot control or
    influence the USA.  the gun control legislation from state to state
    down there makes it trivial to acquire and smuggle firearms into
    Canada.  crimes committed with firearms gain massive amounts of
    media coverage, while the courts don't seem to use the full power
    of the law to sentence the offenders.

- media confusion
    the USA has a totally difference view on gun ownership.  as pook's
    article pointed out, canadians, in general, are confused about the
    differences between canadian and american laws and cultures.  i find
    amazing that a shootout in the USA sometimes initiates a call for
    tighter gun control in canada.  the media, which really doesn't have
    any integrity anymore, seems to focus on the most sensational items
    in order to increase market.  this has the negative effect of misleading
    and/or misinforming the canadian public.  usage of american crime
    statistics or "North American" statistics to justify increased
    gun control.

- aggressive behavior which causes one to inflict harm on another
    regardless of whether guns are available, people will still get
    angered and assault one another.  this is one of the root problems.
    if we can do something about this, we will be a better society for it.
    there are cultures in the world (norway, switzerland, etc) where guns
    are kept in the public's houses as part of the national defense system.
    in some cases, those countries have far lower violent crime statistics.
    this may be because of societal attitudes towards aggression.

- social climates which induce people to commit crime (robbery/break-in)
    the criminal element will always find a way to get guns.  criminals
    don't generally consider the punishment for an act either because they
    don't think they will get caught, or they don't care, period.  no
    amount of legislation is going to change this.

these are just my thoughts, i don't claim to be an expert on law, sociology
or behaviorial sciences.

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[ Jim Mercer                 jim@reptiles.org              +1 416 506-0654 ]
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