Miller aims to ban handguns, shut ranges

[eyeball]

The left wing thinks it is OK for people to fry their brains on methamphetamines?

I doubt if the left is really thinking about it in these terms. What it is crystal clear though, is that the right-wing thinks its okay for the state to get on the back of any person who deigns to fry their brain with anything other than state approved and supplied substances.

[Wilber]

I doubt if the left is really thinking about it in these terms. What it is crystal clear though, is that the right-wing thinks its okay for the state to get on the back of any person who deigns to fry their brain with anything other than state approved and supplied substances.

Seeing as these same people are responsible for most of the property crime and not a small amount of the violent crime that occurs in this country, I think it is quite OK. Assuming all these drugs were legalized, how many of these junkies, crack and meth heads do you think would be capable of holding down a job in order to feed their addictions legally?

[kuzadd]

I doubt if the left is really thinking about it in these terms. What it is crystal clear though, is that the right-wing thinks its okay for the state to get on the back of any person who deigns to fry their brain with anything other than state approved and supplied substances.

Yah gotta wonder at all, why it is ok to fry ones brains and body on cigarettes, booze and prescription drugs, but marijuana , is bad.

Other then the state sanctioning, cause there is no other reason.

no ban on the hand guns, legalize drugs.

one thing that seems to get accomplished when drugs are made illegal is the price of them gets very high, therefore making the illegal trade more lucrative then the legal trade.

this is what happened during prohibition also.

http://www.heroinhelper.com/curious/history/timeline.shtml

1914 The Harrison Narcotics Act is passed by Congress. Nominally a tax act, it effectively makes opium and cocaine illegal and stands as the principal drug law of the United States for 55 years.

1914 As a result of the passage of the Harrison Narcotics Act, the street price of an ounce of heroin increases from $6.50 to $100.00 (1500%) while the purity falls leading addicts to switch from "snorting" to injecting.

[Wilber]

So, we need more cheap heroin on the street? People should be able to go into a pharmacy and demand any drug they want without a doctor's prescription?

[eyeball]

So, we need more cheap heroin on the street? People should be able to go into a pharmacy and demand any drug they want without a doctor's prescription?

I'm willing to entertain the idea that recreational substance users should require a medical fitness certificate before they are allowed to buy heroin, tobacco, pot or alcohol etc. Clearly there will always be people who get themselves into trouble. This might stop pregnant women from afflicting their babies with fetal alcohol syndrome for example. Of course you'd also be maintaining a form of prohibition which means you'd also be automatically cultivating the development of a criminal underworld.

There's a fly for every ointment.

[Army Guy]

Why don't we leave things the way they are now, and give the resources needed to our police depts to fight organized crime...

By making all these drugs legal and available to everyone without a prescription in country where everything is based on supply and demand, will we not risk putting the price out of reach of those that truely need it for medical reasons rather than just getting high....

[veggiedawg]

I agree with the fact that this is just smoke and mirrors. If Millar can make it look like he's doing some good then he's off the hook for another broken promise.

Banning handguns will not affect the use of illegal guns in crimes in this city. The handguns obtained by criminals are imported from the states. Drug dealers, criminals will not be affected by this "ban". They will get their guns the same way they did before. Jokes... pure jokes. How can this government think we are this stupid?

[DrGreenthumb]

Why don't we leave things the way they are now, and give the resources needed to our police depts to fight organized crime...

By making all these drugs legal and available to everyone without a prescription in country where everything is based on supply and demand, will we not risk putting the price out of reach of those that truely need it for medical reasons rather than just getting high....

That is about as bogus as a comment can get. The price is ALREADY regulated by supply and demand, the only difference is that there is a huge "risk" surcharge added on top of what the seller can charge. Everybodies prices would go WAY down without the risk of jail for filling the demand with a supply. Ask ANY medical user why the price of cannabis is so outrageously high and that medical user will tell you it is because of prohibition. The cost to produce good quality cannabis is less than 100 dollars a pound. A pound goes for about 2500 dollars at current street prices. A pound of shitty-ass government grown weed is currently sold to terminally ill cancer patients for 150 dollars an ounce, or 2400 dollars per pound.

Let's try to stick to reality shall we?

[KeyStone]

Miller aims to ban handguns, shut ranges

Don't hold your breath waiting for the gun violence to stop; criminals will continue to have access to illegal guns regardless if this jerk gets his way. Individuals caught with unlawful firearms should be severely punished. Rather than punish honest people, individuals caught with unlawful firearms should receive a mandatory ten-year prison sentence, and individuals using a firearms to commit a crime should get a mandatory fifteen-year sentence in addition to the sentence for committing the crime and, most important, sentences should not run concurrently. Those individuals convicted of not storing their weapons properly should have their weapons confiscated, and banned from owning a weapon for life. That, combined with a five thousand dollar fine for each weapon stored improperly would be an excellent deterrent for those too cheap to purchase a proper gun safe. I haven’t owned a gun for nearly twenty-five years, but support the right of responsible adults to own firearms.

Well, this poses a number of problems.

First of all, what makes a firearm illegal? Is it because someone didn't pay $75 bucks for a permit?

What if you live at Jane and Finch and you really want a gun to protect yourself?

Are you telling me the judge should give these people ten years in prison?

Secondly, the length of the sentence isn't really that much of a deterrent. Criminals don't plan to be caught

Nobody thinks: Well, if it was only a one year sentence, I would rob this store, but fifteen years - I'll get an honest job instead.

Instead, what you need to do is:

1) Get more cops out there, so people feel safe - especially in the dodgy districts.

2) Limit the influx of certain cultural groups that do not blend well in current Toronto.

Once the problem is fixed, so that youth from these areas are less likely to fall into a life of crime with gangs etc - then open it up.

3) Make it hard to get a gun.

Imagine that you could buy a fully automatic machine gun or an RPG for $20 at 7-11's?

Do you think this would be a good thing so that people could defend themselves?

Or do you think it might be a little scary to put that kind of power into the hands of pretty much anyone.

Now let's say that you only let citizens with no criminal record buy them. Do you think there is more or less chance that these guns will fall into the wrong hands, if they are that available?

So, if we make guns illegal with big penalties for selling them (ie 20 years in jail) or bringing them over the border, then the price of guns will go up. If a gun suddenly costs $2000 instead of $75, there will be less guns and people will have to work for three months to save up and buy a gun.. This means less hotheads and wannabe gang punks with guns.

[Oleg Bach]

Miller seems to be a socialist type...but from what I gather he does the work of the extremist rightist faction that runs the province. Not once have I seen the man be truely sincere...no one could be as stupid as he and his council....Some one in that bunch must understand the true workings of the system - I suspect that he does...and the rest just follow blindly with good leftist delluded intentions. One thing that I know for sure is there are two kinds of leftists - the idealist....and the ones on top who work for the elite...Disarming the public - using environmental issues to gain more profits for big corporations...and so on...Miller is a common henchman - and being a lawyer he knows the score - his council does not have a clue.

[veggiedawg]

I don't know where your getting your information but I don't agree. Street price for a pound of marijuana is more like $1600-$1800 (not $2500). And medical marijuana is not "shitty-ass" it is grown properly most of the time by ex growers with the assistance of qualified botanists. It is grown as well as each strain can be grown so that the medicinal qualities of the drug can be helpful to those that find it helpful can take advantage of it's purpose.

In any case.. I've known a lot of people that have been in the marijuana "drug trade"(though I tried to stay away from these individuals due to it being illegal), some that made a living off it and never have I met or heard of one that made use of guns. I would think the majority of marijuana dealers don't own hand guns or guns in general (i'm sure their are exceptions).

The criminals using hand guns are those that feel threatened by other people in their chosen "profession" that also carry deadly weapons, or just disturbed people that have no regard for life. These people need guns to threaten, home invaders, car thieves, armed robbers, just f$#king weak people that can't make a real living.

Like I stated before, making handguns illegal all together will do absolutely nothing to stop these sort of individuals from getting them. NO crack/coke/heroin/ecstasy dealer, home invader, bank robber, car thief purchases a hand gun from a retailer, they don't have a lock box, they don't register these guns because they are IMPORTED guns that have been stolen for the exact purpose of what they are being used for. The only thing banning these guns (that are purchased by decent people that have a genuine interest and most of the time complete respect for their power) is going to be less protection for the innocent, and another few thousand job loss's (the manufacturer, retailer, ranges, clubs, accessories, so on and so forth.)

Millar is a joke for even thinking we are this stupid.