Drizzt
Member
The Leader-Post (Regina)
January 29, 2003 Wednesday Final Edition
SECTION: Letters; Pg. B8
LENGTH: 553 words
HEADLINE: Control over firearms mark of a 'civilized' society
SOURCE: The Leader-Post
BYLINE: John W. Warnock
BODY:
The provincial NDP government has announced that it will offer no support what-so-ever to help the federal government implement the national Firearms Act.
This is reprehensible, but not surprising. From the very beginning, the NDP government has strongly opposed the registration of firearms and has challenged its legality in court. In the 11 years that it has been in office, the NDP governments of Roy Romanow and Lorne Calvert have only tried to mobilize the population around one issue: opposition to gun control. Opponents of gun registration conveniently ignore the reasons for the legislation in the first place. The Coalition for Gun Control, formed originally by women's groups across Canada and now supported by a wide range of other organizations, was in response to the Montreal Massacre and the shooting and harassment of women and children by men with guns. This is a serious problem. It is a problem in Saskatchewan, which has more guns per capita than any other province.
I know a woman who broke up with her male companion and he started stalking her. He threatened her over the telephone, reminding her that he had guns. She got a peace bond against him, and the police confiscated his guns at his house. But he called her and threatened her again, saying that he had guns on his farm that were hidden from the police.
Very few men know what it is like to be terrorized like this. And it is not uncommon.
I personally have known three young men who committed suicide by using a gun that was lying around the house. They did this in a period of depression, stemming from common problems that likely would have changed over time. One shot himself because he was afraid to tell his parents that he was failing at university. If the shotguns and rifles had not been present, these three young men would probably still be around.
In a recent Leader-Post column, Doug Cuthand pointed out that guns and violence are a serious problem among the aboriginal population. Firearms are the second leading cause of death by suicide, after hanging. In accidental deaths, they are the second highest factor after automobile accidents. This is why women do not like to have guns in the house.
The 1991 and 1995 Firearms Acts require the licensing of gun owners, the registration of firearms, and the safe storage of guns and ammunition. They ban certain weapons that are only used to kill people. In my personal opinion, they do not go far enough.
Control over firearms is a common practice in civilized nations. The United States, which has no similar legislation, has a murder rate using guns which is seven times higher than that in Canada. Why would we want to go that way? European countries with gun controls have lower levels of gun-related murders, accidents, and suicides.
When the Firearms Act was passed in Parliament all members of the NDP but one voted against it. Bill Blaikie opposed it. Lorne Nystrom has said he would have voted against the legislation if he had been in Parliament at the time. The Canadian Alliance stands behind the NDP on this issue. So does the Saskatchewan Party. But there is one party which supports the firearms legislation, the New Green Alliance.
John W. Warnock
Warnock was a candidate for the New Green Alliance in the last provincial election.
Regina
January 29, 2003 Wednesday Final Edition
SECTION: Letters; Pg. B8
LENGTH: 553 words
HEADLINE: Control over firearms mark of a 'civilized' society
SOURCE: The Leader-Post
BYLINE: John W. Warnock
BODY:
The provincial NDP government has announced that it will offer no support what-so-ever to help the federal government implement the national Firearms Act.
This is reprehensible, but not surprising. From the very beginning, the NDP government has strongly opposed the registration of firearms and has challenged its legality in court. In the 11 years that it has been in office, the NDP governments of Roy Romanow and Lorne Calvert have only tried to mobilize the population around one issue: opposition to gun control. Opponents of gun registration conveniently ignore the reasons for the legislation in the first place. The Coalition for Gun Control, formed originally by women's groups across Canada and now supported by a wide range of other organizations, was in response to the Montreal Massacre and the shooting and harassment of women and children by men with guns. This is a serious problem. It is a problem in Saskatchewan, which has more guns per capita than any other province.
I know a woman who broke up with her male companion and he started stalking her. He threatened her over the telephone, reminding her that he had guns. She got a peace bond against him, and the police confiscated his guns at his house. But he called her and threatened her again, saying that he had guns on his farm that were hidden from the police.
Very few men know what it is like to be terrorized like this. And it is not uncommon.
I personally have known three young men who committed suicide by using a gun that was lying around the house. They did this in a period of depression, stemming from common problems that likely would have changed over time. One shot himself because he was afraid to tell his parents that he was failing at university. If the shotguns and rifles had not been present, these three young men would probably still be around.
In a recent Leader-Post column, Doug Cuthand pointed out that guns and violence are a serious problem among the aboriginal population. Firearms are the second leading cause of death by suicide, after hanging. In accidental deaths, they are the second highest factor after automobile accidents. This is why women do not like to have guns in the house.
The 1991 and 1995 Firearms Acts require the licensing of gun owners, the registration of firearms, and the safe storage of guns and ammunition. They ban certain weapons that are only used to kill people. In my personal opinion, they do not go far enough.
Control over firearms is a common practice in civilized nations. The United States, which has no similar legislation, has a murder rate using guns which is seven times higher than that in Canada. Why would we want to go that way? European countries with gun controls have lower levels of gun-related murders, accidents, and suicides.
When the Firearms Act was passed in Parliament all members of the NDP but one voted against it. Bill Blaikie opposed it. Lorne Nystrom has said he would have voted against the legislation if he had been in Parliament at the time. The Canadian Alliance stands behind the NDP on this issue. So does the Saskatchewan Party. But there is one party which supports the firearms legislation, the New Green Alliance.
John W. Warnock
Warnock was a candidate for the New Green Alliance in the last provincial election.
Regina
