Originally Posted By: CurtisB
Some of these black market weapons are first stolen from legal gun owners.
Yes. Some. Others, like the majority of the hand guns in circulation, come across from the USA.
The same goes for other types of weapons. I'm sure you can buy hand grenades and C4 on the black market too.
Originally Posted By: CurtisB
Legal gun owners purchase firearms which meet the Canadian firearms restrictions.
Yes, and it isn't legal gun owners committing these crimes.
Originally Posted By: CurtisB
I am aware of how easy it is to turn a 3 round magazine into a 20 or 30 round magazine; that's why no-one should be possessing these things outside of military or law enforcement, period.
Because so many crimes in Canada are committed with these weapons? I don't see your logic here. This crime was not committed with an automatic or semi-automatic rifle, let alone one with a 30 round mag. It was certainly a possibility, but it didn't happen. He didn't have an M1 Abrahms or a Bazooka either, both of which are also illegal. This crime was committed with a gun that doesn't even fit your own description of what "should be illegal", and the crime from the other day was done using a car, and was just as deadly.
I can't think of a recent Canadian shooting committed with one of the guns you are describing here, can you?
Originally Posted By: CurtisB
If a person is so enthralled in gun culture they can enroll in our fine armed forces where they will have automatic weapons and range time.
So people who enjoy shooting need to join the armed forces now? I assume you aren't an advocate of hunting then eh?
Originally Posted By: CurtisB
I don't buy into the self defence fantasy where I'm going to defend my neighborhood like Charlie Bronson with a belt fed machine gun, and be some kind of super hero. I respect that you are a legal gun owner, but more of us carrying guns is a recipe for more problems, and provides more availably for nutters like our Ottawa shooter to obtain a gun.
Sorry I can't continue the debate, I have to leave for work.
The majority of the shootings in Canada happen in urban areas and are committed with illegally obtained hand guns. I'm not advocating Canadians carry hand guns (though many people do), but I am certainly all for properly licensed people to be able to defend their house, if, God forbid, they ever needed to. That's not "carrying a gun" however. And since the Ottawa shooter used a long gun, I don't see the parallel you are drawing there. Canadians currently do not "carry guns" and he was obviously quite able to obtain one illegally, just like the Gang Bangers in Toronto are able to get theirs. Chasing the illegal sale and influx of illegal weapons would be far more effective than further restricting the gun rights of law abiding Canadian citizens.
It is like Olivia Chow advocating the banning of hand guns in Toronto. Newsflash: The folks currently committing crimes with these guns and owning them are already doing so illegally; they are already criminals. Since they currently don't follow the law in the first place, what effect is this going to have other than further angering the folks that have gone to the effort to obtain their RPAL and are already storing these items properly? We do not have a rash of handgun thefts happening in the GTA. The guns in the hands of criminals are coming here from the United States. THAT is the problem.
It seems a Canadian custom to, instead of pursuing and punishing the criminals and attacking the ROOT of the problem, just try and legislate something away. Which has proven time and time again to never work. It can't work due to the definition of a criminal! The only people who are going to follow the new law are the same people currently following the old laws, which are the people who are not criminals!
I'm sure we both want to know how and where this guy was able to obtain a rifle and ammunition. And we know it wasn't from a gun shop. Chasing that will at least put us a step further to dealing with the root of the problem.
