Canada has a “criminal” control problem.
Posted on July 25th, 2007 in Canadian Politics, Gun Crime by Sandy (Crux-of-the-Matter)
Canada does not have a gun control problem per se. It has a criminal control problem. We have easy bail, early release, mandatory release and light sentencing, all of which mean that we have a revolving door type of criminal justice system — in at one end and very quickly out the other.
In the last couple of days, many of us, including this blogger, have been talking about the latest shooting deaths across Canada and the necessity for passing the Conservative Government’s crime bills that are stuck in the federal Senate. In response, Liberals and some liberal dominated media, have been calling for a full ban on hand guns even though they are already banned and have been since the 1930’s.
Although I personally don’t like guns, I can look at this problem with objectivity and realize that the main problem is not with legally registered guns of any kind. The problem is a growing criminal and gangster rap culture in this country that is influencing our youth and very few deterrents or consequences to keep them away from those influences.
Moreover, illegal weapons are apparently very easy to acquire, which for some, become a status symbol. Meaning, that neither organized crime or young gang members are going to pay the least bit of attention to any kind of ban on guns. And, it is not only naive to think it will, it is dangerous.
Lorrie Goldstein has an excellent column in today’s Toronto Sun that clarifies the truth about crimes committed with legal guns. As Jack at JN pointed out yesterday in his fisk of the Toronto Star editorial, some newspapers seem to have deliberately confused legally registered hand gun statistics with those of long guns. As Goldstein states:
“Of the 5194 homicides in Canada between 1997 and 2005, 118 or 2.27% were committed with a registered gun, 63 or 1.21% were committed with a gun registered to the accused murderer and 111, or 2.14% were committed by a person who held a valid firearms licence. Of Canada’s two million licensed gun owners, 111, or .00555% used their firearm to murder someone.”
“On the other hand, in 2005, 64% of accused murderers had a prior criminal record, including 6% for homicide.”
The problems with the use of guns in crimes in this country seem obvious to this writer. It is not that we need more gun control legislation. It is that we have a lax criminal justice system. I called yesterday for the Conservative crime bills to be passed, particularly the one with minimum sentences for any crime involving a firearm. Yet, given some of the comments left on my blog, Liberals are still insisting it is a gun control problem.
How many more deaths need to happen before ALL provincial and federal politicians do something to get the criminals off our streets and to keep them off?
Canada does not have a gun control problem per se. It has a criminal control problem. We have easy bail, early release, mandatory release and light sentencing, all of which mean that we have a revolving door type of criminal justice system — in at one end and very quickly out the other.
In the last couple of days, many of us, including this blogger, have been talking about the latest shooting deaths across Canada and the necessity for passing the Conservative Government’s crime bills that are stuck in the federal Senate. In response, Liberals and some liberal dominated media, have been calling for a full ban on hand guns even though they are already banned and have been since the 1930’s.
Although I personally don’t like guns, I can look at this problem with objectivity and realize that the main problem is not with legally registered guns of any kind. The problem is a growing criminal and gangster rap culture in this country that is influencing our youth and very few deterrents or consequences to keep them away from those influences.
Moreover, illegal weapons are apparently very easy to acquire, which for some, become a status symbol. Meaning, that neither organized crime or young gang members are going to pay the least bit of attention to any kind of ban on guns. And, it is not only naive to think it will, it is dangerous.
Lorrie Goldstein has an excellent column in today’s Toronto Sun that clarifies the truth about crimes committed with legal guns. As Jack at JN pointed out yesterday in his fisk of the Toronto Star editorial, some newspapers seem to have deliberately confused legally registered hand gun statistics with those of long guns. As Goldstein states:
“Of the 5194 homicides in Canada between 1997 and 2005, 118 or 2.27% were committed with a registered gun, 63 or 1.21% were committed with a gun registered to the accused murderer and 111, or 2.14% were committed by a person who held a valid firearms licence. Of Canada’s two million licensed gun owners, 111, or .00555% used their firearm to murder someone.”
“On the other hand, in 2005, 64% of accused murderers had a prior criminal record, including 6% for homicide.”
The problems with the use of guns in crimes in this country seem obvious to this writer. It is not that we need more gun control legislation. It is that we have a lax criminal justice system. I called yesterday for the Conservative crime bills to be passed, particularly the one with minimum sentences for any crime involving a firearm. Yet, given some of the comments left on my blog, Liberals are still insisting it is a gun control problem.
How many more deaths need to happen before ALL provincial and federal politicians do something to get the criminals off our streets and to keep them off?
posted by Stephen at 7:20 PM
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