Guns, Guns, Guns...

[Wittgenstein]

One of the many reasons I've always been so attracted to Canada is the feeling of safety I have in my homeland. However in the past few months there has been a shooting of a skateboarder in Vancouver as well as a boxing-day shopper in Toronto. There has been many reportings of gang violence throughout our country. I understand that it is impossible to be rid violence, but many of these aweful crimes have been committed with some form of firearm. Which can prevented. Canada tends to pride itself in its "no firearms policy" as opposed to our gun-nut sisters in the south, but the fact remains that we feel increasingly insecure. It feels like our humble country is adopting the United States way of gun violence. I don't want our wounderful country to go towards this direction and I want parliment to put alot of effort into getting rid of gun & gang related violence in our country.

What are your thoughts/concerns?

[PocketRocket]

This is already being discussed in a couple other threads.

[Canuck Monk]

One of the many reasons I've always been so attracted to Canada is the feeling of safety I have in my homeland. However in the past few months there has been a shooting of a skateboarder in Vancouver as well as a boxing-day shopper in Toronto.

Yes, Lee Matasi was the young man in Vancouver. He used to go to my school and he graduated. We had a little memorial by the drama studio. I now have heard that his killer is out on bail and in his mother's care and his trial will not start until next year. Our government has become too lenient with criminals, that's for sure.

[geoffrey]

Yes, Lee Matasi was the young man in Vancouver. He used to go to my school and he graduated. We had a little memorial by the drama studio. I now have heard that his killer is out on bail and in his mother's care and his trial will not start until next year. Our government has become too lenient with criminals, that's for sure.

Welcome aboard Canuck Monk.

My thoughts on the gun violence is that it was only a matter of time. A revolving door justice system, lax border controls and a large immigrant population (not saying many immigrants are gangsters, but read the newspapers, alot of these gangsters are immigrants) go a long way to speeding along the process.

Heres the deal. One gun offense and minimum 15 years. Two gun offenses and your in for life. Reverse onus bail. Immigration laws that prevent anyone that has even 1 violent offense from moving here, and preventing anyone that has associations to gangs or terrorist groups, including the Tigers, from moving here. And border guards with guns and expanded authority.

Banning guns won't do anything. These people own them illegally anyways.

[justcrowing]

One of the many reasons I've always been so attracted to Canada is the feeling of safety I have in my homeland. However in the past few months there has been a shooting of a skateboarder in Vancouver as well as a boxing-day shopper in Toronto. There has been many reportings of gang violence throughout our country. I understand that it is impossible to be rid violence, but many of these aweful crimes have been committed with some form of firearm. Which can prevented. Canada tends to pride itself in its "no firearms policy" as opposed to our gun-nut sisters in the south, but the fact remains that we feel increasingly insecure. It feels like our humble country is adopting the United States way of gun violence. I don't want our wounderful country to go towards this direction and I want parliment to put alot of effort into getting rid of gun & gang related violence in our country.

What are your thoughts/concerns?

Did you not know that the Liberal Government spent millions - billions perhaps on a gun registry. That was supposed to get the guns off the street and reduce crime and help police. Guess they never thought that criminals would not register their guns. -

[betsy]

One of the many reasons I've always been so attracted to Canada is the feeling of safety I have in my homeland. However in the past few months there has been a shooting of a skateboarder in Vancouver as well as a boxing-day shopper in Toronto. There has been many reportings of gang violence throughout our country. I understand that it is impossible to be rid violence, but many of these aweful crimes have been committed with some form of firearm. Which can prevented. Canada tends to pride itself in its "no firearms policy" as opposed to our gun-nut sisters in the south, but the fact remains that we feel increasingly insecure. It feels like our humble country is adopting the United States way of gun violence. I don't want our wounderful country to go towards this direction and I want parliment to put alot of effort into getting rid of gun & gang related violence in our country.

What are your thoughts/concerns?

That's why I fume everytime I'm reminded that we're still wasting taxpayers' money on a gun registry that obviously does not work. That money could've easily gone to other social programs....such as re-opening community youth centers that the Liberals had torn down.

Harper's plan for tax cuts for children enrolled in physical fitness and sports is topnotched brilliance at work. Two birds in one policy:

Promotion of healthy lifestyle through encouragement of physical activities (our children are becoming obese)....and getting these young children used to being involved with positive activities in our community.

[tml12]

One of the many reasons I've always been so attracted to Canada is the feeling of safety I have in my homeland. However in the past few months there has been a shooting of a skateboarder in Vancouver as well as a boxing-day shopper in Toronto. There has been many reportings of gang violence throughout our country. I understand that it is impossible to be rid violence, but many of these aweful crimes have been committed with some form of firearm. Which can prevented. Canada tends to pride itself in its "no firearms policy" as opposed to our gun-nut sisters in the south, but the fact remains that we feel increasingly insecure. It feels like our humble country is adopting the United States way of gun violence. I don't want our wounderful country to go towards this direction and I want parliment to put alot of effort into getting rid of gun & gang related violence in our country.

What are your thoughts/concerns?

You seem to be adhering to established stereotypes here. The fact is Canada has a gun culture and the U.S. has a gun culture. You also seem to refer to Canada as a "humble" country, while insinuating that the Americans are gun crazy.

The fact is, it is the Canadian who is shooting with a gun that may or may not be from the U.S. My take? We need to overturn the federal gun registry and replace it with something that will cost less. We need to create a "Made in Canada" gun control plan in this country that will take into consideration other parts of the country that have different cultures and attitudes in dealing with guns, and finally we must impose mandatory sentences on those who have used guns inappropriately. Heck, I'd even bring back capital punishment...which most Canadians are in favour of.

This rise in crime under the Liberals is due to money misspent and a "soft on crime" attitude.

[Guest eureka]

This rise in crime under the Liberals is due to money misspent and a "soft on crime" attitude.

There has been a substantial REDUCTION in crime rates during the Liberal tenure.

[scribblet]

This rise in crime under the Liberals is due to money misspent and a "soft on crime" attitude.

There has been a substantial REDUCTION in crime rates during the Liberal tenure.

But not in gun crimes.

[tml12]

This rise in crime under the Liberals is due to money misspent and a "soft on crime" attitude.

There has been a substantial REDUCTION in crime rates during the Liberal tenure.

I was referring to gun crimes.

Gee Eureka, someone seems nervous...thinking about PM Harper giving you the creeps?

[sage]

Since when did Canada have a "no firearms policy". We actually have a huge number of firearms (between 7 and 10 million depending on the study).

[PocketRocket]

Canada becoming the US?

No, but it seems Toronto is becoming Detroit.

[tml12]

Canada becoming the US?

No, but it seems Toronto is becoming Detroit.

Fair response.

[Harare]

If one assumes that it costs $150k to have one RCMP officer then the billion dollars spent on the Gun Registry would pay for 6-7 thousand extra officers with guns in our streets !!

Gun crime in gun crazy is dropping while in "no gun" europe it is rising as it is here.

[Murray B.]

That's why I fume everytime I'm reminded that we're still wasting taxpayers' money on a gun registry that obviously does not work.

A disarm the victims law can only increase violent crime with firearms but how do you know that the law is not working the way the government intended? I mean, how do you know what their agenda actually is? Fascists and the like would love to know where all the firearms are. Maybe this law is working EXACTLY as they intended it to.

Scary thought, Eh?

Choose your Canada.

[brett 1]

what message is the government sending to honest low income canadians :angry:

awhile back i came into a shortage of work. it was a little ruff goin for a while, i went thruogh two winters without being able to afford heat and i caught a cold that allmost did me in durring that winter. im a honest canadian who has never committed a crime in my life, just like many other Canadians who also have lived thier lives on the right side of the law , even dispite the hard ships that come thier way.

So how do you think i and many other canadians who have a limited income or are working minimum wage jobs, sometimes two minimum wage jobs with a miserable boss yelling at them day after day , feel when we hear that our taxes are being used to give a university education to a criminal like carla humulka. the reward for being poor and honest Canadians is that you CAN'T afford a university education for your kids, but if you committ a crime our govenment gives you a free education. Even worse is the fact that these murders who killed that inocent girl on boxing day are going to go to prison where they will be given all the things that the honest lower wage earners in this country are denied, such as garanteed 3 warm meals a day, garanteed clean clothes, garanteed a bed to sleep in , and garanteed heat through the winter. thats right prisoners dont have to worry about paying heating bills or any bills for that matteer. in fact convicts probably get colour television ,cable TV, and computers too. while honest Canadians on low income or no income are lining up at food banks ,and thier are many honest canadians who are to proud to go to food banks too so what you see at food banks is only the tip of the ice berg.

Oh of course i almost forgot what that convict said at CBC's town hall meeting at the prison system a couple years ago. he told Peter Mansbridge that its "tough on convicts that they have no freedom to do as they want in prison", well im sorry but if thats a convicts biggest hardship in prison thier lack of freedom.then maybe that convict should try working two minimum wage jobs , feeding and clothing his family , puting a roof over thier head and paying the bills. instead of hanging arround bars selling drugs , gettintg high , and shooting guns at inocent boxingday shoppers. If you want to feel a real loss of freedom then try being HONEST and POOR in Canada . or worse yet loosing the freedom to watch your teenage daughter graduate from high school because some gang bangers went gun crazy on boxing day .... one point i must make here too is that the word CRIMINAL and the word POOR do not automatically go together most people poor , middle class, or rich are law biding people.

justice in Canada is dredfully unbalanced when murders and criminals live better in prison than honest canadians do outside of prison. the death penalty may not deter the hardend remorseless killer and maybe it might give some bordeline murders good incentive to stay away from guns. but its just that it makes me sick to know that my taxes are being used to feed, cloth, and shelter members of organized crime ,and murders who without hesitation would rob, steal , or kill inocent honest Canadians. we have had a soft justice system in this country for decades and its gotten us to the point where we have become a laughing stock to the criminal culture of today. the 3 strikes law works, thats why all the criminals in the USA are comming to Canada after they've gotten 2 strikes in the USA. Canada has become a safe haven for international crime. and its got to stop...i live in the lansdowne and bloor area in toronto , where crooks that stabed a cop have been released after only two months in jail , its rediculous...yes we need the return of the death sentence for murders and members of organized crime and also for police who are curupt . for police coruption in my view is basically treason against this nation and should be treated as such...life sentences must be given to gangs like the mofias and biker gangs who are resonsible for smuggling and selling these guns to youth throughout toronto. but unfortunately i feel a liberal governt based on their past years association with curption scandles is not likely the party to count on when it comes to making tough laws against organized crime...

my vote is ....YES....to the death penalty....and make the guns such a hot potato with exremly long sentences that organized crime would weigh the sentence for gun selling and smuggling far bigger and detrimental to themselves than the profits gained from selling guns to street gangs and thugs of any colour, race or creed...

brett from toronto (bloor + lansdowne area)