Misfiring over and over again Christopher Di Armani
On Dec. 8 Prime Minister Paul Martin announced he will ban handgun ownership in Canada. He also announced the creation of a national snitch line (or the GunStoppers Program as he calls it) that will pay cash to people for ratting out their gun-owning neighbours.
Competitive shooters will be eligible for an exemption, but before target shooters jump for joy theyd better read the fine print. Paul Martins version of target shooter means Olympic or Commonwealth Games only. IPSC, IDPA or any other shooters need not apply.
Puffing his chest appropriately, Paul Martin said that mandatory minimum sentences would be doubled. Apparently he wasnt paying attention when his own attorney general, Irwin Cotler, stood in Parliament and said, When it comes to mandatory minimum (sentences), we will not go ahead and introduce something that all the evidence shows is neither effective nor a deterrent. We want to combat crime, but not with ineffective deterrents.
Their integrated federal-provincial teams that prosecute firearms crimes? Another fluffy feel-good announcement. Weve had gun police here in Canada since 1994 in one form or another. Our Gunstapo, however, stays well away from the gangs of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, content instead to harass legitimate gun owners.
For example, on March 13, 1995, they descended upon the firearms business of John St-Amour, complete with a black, unmarked helicopter. Despite Johns repeated plea, Tell me what you want and Ill give it to you, they stormed through his home, seized computers, files and firearms. All charges against St-Amour were eventually tossed out because of abuses by police and excessive trial delays.
Their latest triumph was travelling to the quiet town of Dryden, Ont. (population 8,800), to prosecute gunsmith Bruce Montague and his wife Donna for the heinous crime of owning firearms without licenses or registration certificates.
The Montagues have been at the forefront of the firearms rights battle since the licensing and registration scheme was first implemented. Bruce travelled the country for 18 months delivering affidavits to every provincial justice minister in Canada and to the federal justice minister and prime minister in Ottawa. He was, of course, ignored by them all at the time.
Bruces high-profile arrest at a gun show on Sept. 11, 2004 prompted widespread criticism of the Ontario Provincial Police for their handling of the arrest and support for the Montague family continues to grow. Their case is not expected to come to trial until the end of 2006, more than two years after their arrests.
Since 1977, the Liberal Party of Canada has steadily introduced more and more restrictive firearms laws. Invoking public safety and chanting for the children at every opportunity, successive justice ministers repeatedly tighten the noose around the necks of law-abiding firearms owners while violent criminals continue to roam our streets completely unaffected.
The very shooting violence in downtown Toronto that Martin claims hes attacking is proof that the Firearms Act is a complete and utter failure. Canada has, in case Paul Martin is unaware, required handgun registration since 1934. Despite 71 years of gun control, illegal handguns remain the weapon-of-choice for violent criminals.
While leaving said criminals alone, the government makes a mockery of our justice system with such asinine programs as statutory release, where the offender must be released after serving two-thirds of his/her sentence and a youth offender program that merely guarantees our young offenders graduate into adult offenders.
A typical politician, Mr. Martin is completely out of touch with the country he supposedly governs. He does not care that Canadas firearms laws are already some of the most severe in the world. He also does not care that Canadas law-abiding firearms owners are some of the most scrutinized in all of our society.
Paul Martins Liberal government is the author of Canadas failed firearms registry. Already cost estimates are more than $1 billion. By the minister of public safety, Anne McLellans, own admission, the system is still not fully up and running and will not be until 2007.
Alberta Premier Ralph Klein seems the only voice of sanity on the issue. In a Dec. 19 article printed in the Ottawa Citizen, Klein is quoted as saying, Gun registration has done absolutely nothing to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Thats fine, you can say ban handguns. You can pass legislation to ban them. But its not going to stop the bad guys from getting a handgun and shooting someone.
If only Paul Martin understood that simple reality.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1551237/posts*FW Note:Read carefully and let the plight of our northern brothers soak in for a moment or two.
This is where gun resigration leads. To government abuse and ruined lives.
A prediction:
This is where the Patriot Act will eventually take America. Jackbooted thugs kicking down doors in the dark of night, taking citizens and property into custody, and inevitably, to death.
Then, all of those who think that it's OK for a government to register, track, and eavesdrop on it's citizens will be able to see all of their dreams come true.
:evil:
