There’s somebody in the mainstream Canadian media who actually GETS IT!!
For years, various groups in this country (CanadaCarry.org is only one example) have been telling the hoplophobes that Canada is in dire need of becoming a “shall issue” jurisdiction. Not in some half-assed, who-you-know fashion, either: nation-wide. Either nobody’s been getting it, or the ones that are getting it just don’t have the balls to do anything about it.
Well, I’m tickled pink to tell you that Marty Gobin gets it, too. The proof is in today’s Windsor Star. Like I always do with really good stuff, I’m putting the whole damn thing here; before it expires on the paper’s site or disappears down some other internet black hole. Read on and enjoy (emphasis, links, pretty pics, etc. are mine; as usual):
Give Canadians right to use arms in self-defence
Marty Gobin, Special to The Windsor Star
Published: Wednesday, July 23, 2008
In a recent Windsor Star article (“Cops see spike in number of crime-fighting do-gooders,” June 25), it was reported that there has been a rise in private citizens defending themselves or others against criminals.
Whether it was a veterinarian fighting an armed robber off with a garbage can, or a bystander chasing a violent mugger who beat a man for his prescription medications, it is clear that Canadians are responsible enough to use defensive force in a reasonable and legal fashion.
That said, it’s time that Canadians be permitted to carry weapons for defence against criminals.
This wouldn’t be such a drastic change in law. It’s already legal under Section 34 of the Criminal Code for Canadians to use necessary force to protect their life, up to and including the use of deadly force.
It’s also legal to own a firearm.
Canada even has a permitting process in place for people to carry firearms at the discretion of their provincial Chief Firearms Officer (CFO). [But, unless the CFO is your drinking buddy, good f*&%ing luck getting one -Dennis]
The only thing Canada would have to do to enable Canadians to better protect themselves is change the issuing process for an Authorization to Carry (ATC) from “may-issue”– a permit issued at the discretion of the CFO –to “shall-issue,” a permit which must be issued to anybody who meets clearly defined, reasonable training and background check requirements.
Such a change in the ATC-issuing process would make it more accountable, in that the CFO would have no arbitrary authority to withhold or grant the right to defend oneself. That kind of authority should never be held by any one office.
The change would also ensure that every similarly qualified and screened Canadian has an equal right under the law to defend themselves, their families, and their neighbors, regardless of whether they have any political ties that would grease the wheels for a carry permit.
Now, some of the more sensationalist politicos out there may suggest that allowing Canadians the suitable means to defend themselves would result in shootouts every day in the streets at high noon. 🙄
This kind of Chicken Little approach to the right of one to preserve his or her own life has been proven wrong time and time again south of the border. Michigan switched from “may issue” to “shall issue” permits in 2002, and yet thousands of Canadians manage to travel across the border daily without witnessing any bloodshed.
Vermont, which has no laws regulating the possession or carrying of arms by non-criminal adults, has the third lowest violent crime rate per capita in the USA. (In fairness, that could be accredited to the similarly lax regulation of public nudity in the state combined with the aging baby boomer population scaring off all of the potential muggers.)
Overall, over thirty states have gone the route of shall-issue permits since the early nineties, and none have seen fit to go back to the days of may-issue. The U.S. experiment has shown that there would be no bloodbath resulting from Canadians being allowed to protect their lives.
Not only has there been no public safety crisis as the result of Americans being able to pack heat, but there have actually been numerous potentially large-scale massacres stopped in progress by those authorized to carry a weapon. [YO! Miller! Pay attention, dipshit! -Dennis]
In 2002, a shooter on a rampage at the Appalachian School of Law in Virginia was stopped after not one, but two students in different locations heard his shots and retrieved their weapons from their cars, returned, and placed him under arrest until the police arrived.
In February 2007, an off-duty out-of-area police officer who was carrying his weapon at the Trolley Square mall in Salt Lake City managed to keep an armed madman under fire until Salt Lake City police officers arrived to assist.
This last December, an armed man went to the New Life Church in Colorado after having left a suicide note saying he intended to kill as many people as possible.
He only managed to kill two people at the church before a parishioner shot him.
One can only imagine how these massacres would have turned out, if, like Canada, off-duty police and private citizens were not allowed to carry guns for self-defence. Certainly the murderers in each case, who were intent on committing capital crimes, would be unlikely to care whether or not any law forbade them from carrying a gun.
Both the American example and the recent case of Canadians defending themselves and others in a responsible fashion have proven that private citizens and should be trusted to carry arms without any resulting chaos.
Hopefully our legislators will, in the near future, acknowledge that Canadians have the right to defend themselves guaranteed by the Criminal Code, and modify our weapons laws so that we may have a realistic chance of exercising that right.
Marty Gobin is communications director, Ontario Libertarian Party Member, Canadian Shooting Sports Association in Whitby, Ont.
What a complete and utter crock of God damned bullshit! The Vancouver Sun had the story yesterday about 4 guys on their way to the range, minding their own business, and the abuse that they were subjected to, all in the name of our Great Anti-Gun Nanny State®.
This is a perfect example of just what the hell is wrong with all the anti-gun propaganda that proliferates throughout our country after too damned many years of meddling Letfbot rule in Ottawa and elsewhere. These guys did everything — EVERYTHING — by the book; right down to going along with the idiotic gun registry and taking more care than needed in transporting their firearms (see the photos below).
In spite of all this; what the hell happens? Some hoplophobic (son of a?) bitch sees a gun, shits his/her pants and, the next thing you know, four guys who were doing nothing but heading out for a nice, relaxing afternoon are staring down the business ends of a bunch of 12-gauges with a gaggle of jittery cops at the triggers. Just friggin’ wonderful, eh? Read the story (with my emphasis and commentary added) for yourself and then tell me: is this bullshit or is this bullshit:
VANCOUVER – Police seized five rifles and arrested four men Sunday in a dramatic takedown in the city’s West End after someone called 911 complaining about seeing a gun on the street.
Because, as any sane person knows, just seeing a firearm can sear the soul and damn you to the Eternal Hellfires of Redneckdomâ„¢. Save me, Mister Policeman! Save my little liberal eyeballs from being violated so! Shitskulls…
Police later determined, however, that the guns were legally registered to one of the arrested men and released the four.
The weapons will remain with police until it’s determined if charges are warranted under the Firearms Act.
Oh, gee whiz, will you lookit that? Everything’s in order. Well, screw you anyway; we’re still going to shit on your rights and keep your rightful property … because we can. Heil Chretien! Viva C-68! Move along comrades, nothing to see here…
The 11 a.m. incident on Haro Street, just east of Denman, shocked residents.
“It was a little freaky, I have to say,” said Paul Kay, a supervisor at a nearby confection shop who witnessed the scene.
During the incident, police, with shotguns drawn, pulled over a black four-door SUV and ordered the men inside the vehicle to come out.
Witness Jack Simpson said he saw two young men, both Caucasians in their mid to late 20s, being taken into custody.
Police also removed four weapons from the vehicle, as well as several black boxes, Simpson said. In a media statement issued shortly after 1 p.m., Vancouver police department spokeswoman Const. Jana McGuinness said the four arrested men were released pending further investigation.
Further investigation of WHAT?!?!??? A few guys on their way to shoot some paper and clays?? See some pics from the Sun for yourself (just click on any of ’em to get a better look):
And to think, it was supposed to be a nice fun day at the range…
Never mind that your paperwork’s in order, just get in the back and STFU
Looks like proper transport to me. Hell, the guy’s even got nicer cases than I do
Eek! A gun! Scary Scary Scary! Run away before it jumps up and shoots you!
Complete and utter bullshit. Gangbangers and assorted other scumbags routinely carry concealed and otherwise flout the law but would the cops take them down just for looking suspicious? HELL NO! It’s profiling if they’re not white. But hey, obey all the rules and try to be a law-abiding citizen and you risk getting shot by the cops.
Being the Leftbot patsies that they are, CTV puts an even worse spin on it:
The incident began when an “alert citizen” called police after the person saw two men standing at the rear of a vehicle on Haro Street, holding a long-barreled gun, said Vancouver Const. Jana McGuinness.
[…]
But after checking police found out that the guns were legally registered to one of the men.
That doesn’t mean that the men won’t be charged…
Hey, CTV: GO BUGGER YOURSELVES! Friggin’ moonbats… CP was just as bad:
Witness Walter Muller says he saw the guns on the sidewalk, and one looked like a machine gun.
Yeah, nice going assholes. Way to scare the shit outta the sheeple. Never mind that there wasn’t a single God damned automatic weapon there! Why let a little detail like that get in the way of the Great Glorious Gun Grabber Agenda®?
“One of them looked like a machine-gun, and some of them had super scopes on them,” said West End resident Walter Muller. “The scary part is we could be caught in the crossfire.
Really, Walter? And just what kind of “machine gun” did it look like? And just WTF is a “super scope??” Why is this alleged media outlet quoting some dumbass who clearly doesn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground? Oh, but it gets better…
“With those weapons, serious things were going to happen.”
Like WHAT, you hoplophobic, agenda-driven son of a bitch?
Oh, wait, I get it now. How could I have missed it before? I must be getting old. I didn’t catch it at first but, now that I’ve had another look at all those photos, I see it plain as day:
They’re all white. With crewcuts or even (gasp!) shaved heads! And at least one of them even has tattoos!! Clearly, such men are the bane of civilization and we can never be too vigilant, whether it be in keeping an eye on them or just plain arbitrarily confiscating their stuff. After all, it’s not as if they have RIGHTS or anything.
Am I being radical? Am I being scary? Tough shit. We’ve been getting screwed in the arse by the do-nothings of this country — and for crimes we didn’t even commit!— for decades so that those parasitic bastards could give the illusion that they’re doing something to make us safe. I, for one, am nearing the end of my rope.
Every time some Leftbot special interest group holds a “protest rally” where the media outnumber the “protesters,” it’s national news and the Nanny State acolytes flock to it like maggots to a dead fish. What do you think would happen if just one percent of us were to hold a march, proudly displaying our guns? What would those totalitarian bastards do in the face of twenty thousand armed citizens?
Contrary to what the gun-grabbers will tell you, going out to the range and spending a day eating through a box or twelve of ammo is actually relaxing, enjoyable, and downright fun. And sometimes, part of that fun is introducing someone to the sport who’s never tried it before. So, with that in mind, my buddy and I, along with his girlfriend, hit the range the other weekend. Neither one of them had fired anything before. Ever. Malcolm had shot a pellet gun when he was a kid, but Bonnie hadn’t even done that.
That’s right: me, two noobs, one beat-up old Cooey, half a brick of .22, and an afternoon to kill. Three people with a deadly weapon and over 200 rounds of ammunition. And guess what? Nobody got shot, nobody got robbed, no drug deals went bad, no liberals exploded (bit of a pity, that one), nobody hopped into a bell tower… nothing. We even left that place cleaner than when we found it. Bonnie got a little sunburnt, though.
SASKATCHEWAN RCMP OFFICER I find that I have to deprogram every cadet that I train when it comes to CFRO checks and their reliability in regards to officer safety.
It does not matter if a gun is registered, if someone is bent on crime they will use a registered or non-registered gun. If no gun is available, they will use something else.
The gun registry places police officers’ lives at risk. The gun registry offers a false sense of security. The gun registry is making criminals out of otherwise law-abiding citizens. The gun registry is eating up resources that the RCMP and every other municipal or first nation force desperately need.
Saying that the guns are the problem in this society is like saying pens are the cause of spelling errors, or that cars are the cause of drunk driving, or like saying fast food restaurants are the cause of obesity.
CALGARY POLICE ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT AL KOENIG Calgary Police Association president Al Koenig is skeptical of the Alberta government’s plan to have people willingly hand over unregistered guns. “To presume that gangsters will hand over their guns, somebody is living in wonderland,†Koenig said.
RETIRED TORONTO POLICE SGT MICHAEL MAYS Your statement that it is used 5,000 times a day by police is misleading. A check of the registry is done automatically every time an officer is dispatched to an address, wanted or not. From its inception, I was advised not to depend on it to make decisions. It is outdated, inaccurate and completely unreliable. To make a decision at a call based on registry information would be foolish at best and deadly at worst.
SERGEANT BOB COTTINGHAM Not once, however, during my career do I recall using the gun registry to solve a major crime. Simply put, the vast majority of criminals use firearms which don’t come close to being included in this bureaucratic jumble of information. Letter-writer Wendy Cukier may also be disappointed to know that I observed that most front-line officers have little faith in the gun registry, and see it as another bloated and failed attempt by the former government to appease its constituents.
CPL. MARTIN GAUDET In dangerous situations, city police preferred to rely on their own information rather than call the registry office in Miramichi. Cpl. Martin Gaudet said officers responding to a potentially dangerous situation always assume there’s a firearm involved. “We don’t check with the registry during a gun-related incident,†he said.
CALGARY POLICE ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT “Wiping the slate clean and not making responsible gun owners into criminals is a good start,†said association president Al Koenig.
A.B.J. (BEN) BEATTY: 23-YEAR VETERAN OF THE ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE I have however been involved in the investigation of countless offences such as robbery, where handguns were the weapon of choice and I must point out Sir, that the firearms registry did not assist in solving one, nor obviously in deterring one. The reasons that the firearms registry is so highly ineffectual are, I believe obvious, but basically it affects the wrong people, law abiding citizens and not criminals.
LEN GRINNELL, RETIRED RCMP STAFF-SARGEANT I have grave concerns about the reliance on the registry for data which could result in death or injury of a police officer.
My experience has told me that the greatest hazard to police officers is complacence and I found it prudent to continually remind my staff of that fact. Relying on a flawed system for officer safety will eventually lead to a tragedy. It is unfortunate that the CACP did not take the time to consider the consequences of their position and the safety of the men and women they represent.
GILBERT YARD, RETIRED RCMP SUPERINTENDENT I am appalled at just how much has been spent to date on the firearms registration process. But perhaps even more disturbing is the misplaced focus on legal firearms.
During my 37 years of policing I carried a handgun as a tool of my profession. I was also exposed to a wide cross-section of collectors and target shooters who used, stored and transported their weapons in a legal and responsible manner. They are not the problem. The misdirection of time, effort and funding is unforgivable. I believe that Canadians are much too astute to believe that either Bill C-68 or the proposed handgun legislation is anything other than a waste of time, effort and money. Wasting public funds that could really make a difference in acute justice issues, in my view, borders on criminal activity.
ERIC W. FERGUSON, Retired Chief of Police and RCMP Officer I was 75 years of age on Dec. 31, 2005. Part of my life’s story was serving 24 years with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and four years as Police Chief for the City of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. For the past six or seven years I have stood by and watched the Liberal Government of Canada mishandle gun control and in the process not save one life, but encouraging criminals to commit more offences and yes, help to turn good honest Canadians into criminals. Now Prime Minister your plan to banish all handguns is real “dumbâ€.
DENIS COTE, PRESIDENT OF THE QUEBEC MUNICIPAL POLICE FEDERATION: “How come if you have a ban, you’re not allowed to possess a firearm for 10 years, how come you can allow it for the hunting season?†asked Denis Cote, president of the Quebec municipal police federation. “If you’re a threat for everybody, make sure you’re a threat for all 12 months in a year.â€
LEO TONEGUZZI, RETIRED CHIEF OF POLICE: Mr. Martin, your government promised that the foolhardy gun registration laws you initiated would end the high amount of violence throughout Canada. That plan failed and now to get votes in the greater G.T.A. area you propose an entire ban on all handguns.
Name n/a “I met with an RCMP officer this week who was told by his superiors to stop sending requests to the gun registry before attending domestic disputes because he ‘was putting his life in danger’. The RCMP officer was told the usual ‘no guns’ response to his query ‘creates a false sense of security’. The young officer was also told that if he ever criticized the gun registry publicly his career would be over,â€
AL KOENIG, PRESIDENT OF THE CALGARY POLICE ASSOCIATION: “The ironic thing is after spending $2-billion-plus trying to register them, the best the government can come up with is to outright ban them — it doesn’t solve the problem,†he said.
JOHN GAYDER, SERVING POLICE OFFICER IN ONTARIO The registry is great at telling me what LAW ABIDING people duly registered their guns. These were never the people I needed to worry about. I don’t trust the registry because it will never be able to tell me what I need to know about the riskier anti social [expletive deleted] I may potentially be pulling over at 3am. Criminals and kooks DON’T REGISTER their guns.
MURRAY GRISMER, SERVING POLICE OFFICER IN SASKATCHEWAN As a police officer with 19 years experience, the last thing I am willing to stake my life on is the information contained in the Firearm Registry. Not only is the information unverified and inaccurate, it has little to do with where a firearm is possibly stored or located. Of greater value is the licensing of owners for this at the very least is an indicator of who may potentially have a firearm in their possession; and yet I would still be a fool to risk my life on negative hit to a query of this information. As a police officer who represented the Saskatchewan Association of Police Officers in opposition to the Firearm Registry, I have spoken with police from across Canada who see little or no value in the Registry. Many have gone so far as to question the rational or motive of the Canadian Professional Police association’s continued endorsement of it.
Name n/a When they went to process my registration for the new firearm they were told that the one I traded in was never registered. Another waste of taxpayers’ money. As a police officer that just confirmed my faith in the current gun registry system and that the current government is doing nothing to protect our members and the general public.
In the frantic scramble to prove once again that socialists just won’t quit until they’re at the top of some heap or other — even if the heap in question is just being plain old bag-of-hammers stoopid — Arsehole Of The Universe Ubersocialist David Miller is still hopping on the Banned Wagon and is now screeching for a ban on handguns and all shooting ranges in TO. 🙄
Yup, that’s right; ol’ Davey never gets tired of scraping the bottom of the barrel of failed ideas. Look for him to ban farting in elevators next. Here’s a few tidbits, with arrangement and commentary by yours truly, of course:
Mayor David Miller announced a plan today that would make all handguns illegal in Toronto, a series of measures that will effectively shut down gun ranges and make it all but impossible to manufacture, assemble or store firearms within city limits.
“I want a safe city,†the mayor told reporters. “The truth is, guns are too easily available and if you talk to some kids in some neighbourhoods they tell you they want a gun to protect themselves.’’ [Well, Dave, maybe if the scumbags that they want protection from were locked up, the idea of carrying a gun might never occur to these kids. Ever think of that??]
Among the recommendations is one calling on council to pass a zoning bylaw to restrict the use of firearms anywhere in the city, including firing ranges and gun clubs.
The report also calls for an end to all recreational shooting on city property, “specifically, shooting ranges at the Don Montgomery Community Recreation Centre (former Mid-Scarborough Community Centre) and Union Station.†[Because everyone knows that shooting ranges are where all the gangbangers hang out.]
“After John O’Keefe’s tragic killing I don’t think there’s any defence for sport shooters any more,†he said. “It’s a hobby that creates danger to others … Guns are stolen routinely from so-called legal owners.†[One legally owned handgun. So, naturally, we’ll blame the other 999,999 legally owned handguns that weren’t used in any crimes. Makes perfect sense, if you’re a socialist.]
“Do we as a society value safety or do we value a hobby that creates danger? And nobody can deny that that hobby directly results in people being shot to death on the streets of Toronto.†[Way to go with the “now that you’ve stopped beating your wife” question, Dave.]
Mr. Whitmore said the mayor is posturing to look as though he is addressing gun violence, but is doing nothing to stop the real source of illegal guns in Toronto.
“This is about the mayor’s need to be seen doing something about gun violence,†he said. “But he’s off on a complete tangent … the vast majority of guns being used by criminals in this city are coming from the United States. They certainly aren’t coming from legitimate, law-abiding gun owners.â€
But in the meantime, Mr. Miller said the city must act. “If we want a truly gun-free city we can’t just ask the federal government to ban the ownership of hand guns … We have to do what’s in our power.â€
Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, Don Valley East, scoffed at the mayor’s handgun plan. “Big deal,†he said. “The people that are using the guns are not going into stores and purchasing them. It helps marginally but in terms of reducing handguns I’m not sure it will do very much.†[That’s because it won’t do anything.]
In one six-week period in the summer of 2005, burglars reportedly made off with 84 firearms from Toronto area homes, according to a Toronto police survey. It includes 42 pistols stolen from the Coburg area. In October, 2005, a cache of 17 handguns was stolen from a Toronto lawyer’s office. [Is anybody else wondering just how thieves knew where to find those nice, big collections? Did they maybe check one of those ammo sales records that Bob Rae thought were such a great idea?]
Global News also reported that Chris Bentley will suggest all imported guns be marked with the date they arrived in Canada, the name of the person or company who imported them and the place they were made. [Of course, more registry shit. That’s JUST what we need.]
Not everybody’s drinking the Koolaid. But is that really a surprise? I mean, come on, now. Even in a place like Toronto, it’s hard to get everybody to be as stupid as Miller…
Inspector Tony Cooper, of the Ontario Provincial Police, said there has only been one instance of a member of an Ontario shooting club using his handgun in a homicide.
“I hear about a lot of shootings in Toronto, but I haven’t heard of any using target pistols,†said Insp. Cooper, the deputy chief firearms officer with the provincial weapons enforcement centre. “And only one by a member of a shooting club.â€
You can bet your ass that I’m not near done with this one. More when I have more time to work with (I’m off to buy some ammo)…
This is me.
There’s somebody in the mainstream Canadian media who actually GETS IT!!
What a complete and utter crock of God damned bullshit! The Vancouver Sun had 
Because, as any sane person knows, just seeing a firearm can sear the soul and damn you to the Eternal Hellfires of Redneckdomâ„¢. Save me, Mister Policeman! Save my little liberal eyeballs from being violated so! Shitskulls…
But hey, obey all the rules and try to be a law-abiding citizen and you risk getting shot by the cops.
When is this bullshit going to stop, you ask? Simple: when gun owners across the country finally stand up and shout, in one voice: “Enough! We are SICK and TIRED of being your God damned scapegoats! You want our guns? Well, SCREW YOU! ΜΟΛΩΠΛΑΒΕ!!”
Contrary to what the 
Mayor David Miller announced a plan today that would make all handguns illegal in Toronto, a series of measures that will effectively shut down gun ranges and make it all but impossible to manufacture, assemble or store firearms within city limits.