Posted on 05/10/2010 8:55:54 AM PDT by neverdem
A Conservative Party MP’s private member’s bill to scrap the long-gun firearms registry is inching toward Parliament for its third and final vote in a few weeks.
The only reason it got this far in a minority Parliament is that the Liberal and NDP leaders allowed free votes on it. That’s changed, as Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has announced he’ll punish any of his members who vote their conscience or for their constituents on this matter.
NDP Leader Jack Layton has thus far remained silent. On previous readings, 12 of his caucus voted in favour of scrapping the registry. So it might pass.
But the battle is far from over. With the brave and notable exception of Calgary police Chief Rick Hanson, Canada’s serving cops seem to just love the $2-billion boondoggle that is the firearms registry.
On the other hand, cops love a lot of things that aren’t good for society. That’s why nobody wakes up in the morning to exult: “Oh goodie! I live in a police state!”
OK, nobody except for guys such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong Il.
And you just know the guys on the dumb side of this issue are on the ropes when they make an impassioned call for us all to just get along.
Charles Momy, the cop who is president of the Canadian Police Association, had this to say last week: “We need to stop pointing fingers at one another. This should not be about us versus them or rural versus urban or even police versus politicians.”
Horse crap.
This debate was always about us versus them. And it was always about pointing fingers.
After loner loser Gamil Gharbi, aka Mark Lepine, killed 14 women at a Montreal engineering school more than 20 years ago, public policy on guns was hijacked by shrieking urbanites.
Anyone who objected to draconian gun-control legislation — citing practicality, lack of efficacy or civil rights — was written off as a psychopathic redneck whose idea of formal wear was to iron a crease into his army surplus fatigue pants, then plop down in the couch in front of Ted Nugent’s hunting show on the big screen while eating deep-fried pork belly with his arm around his sister.
So, Momy, you want to oppose the gun registry because you think it makes you safer at the expense of the people you purport to serve ... fine. Just don’t fib about it.
When it served your political purposes, you and all your friends were more than willing to stand by and allow law-abiding gun owners in this country to be demonized.
You don’t get to decide to play nice at the 11th hour because you’re afraid you’re going to lose.
We spent more than $71 million per person killed at L’Ecole Polytechnique to set up the gun registry.
Momy, in a flight of idiocy the likes of which is rarely seen, also said: “If the registry can prevent one person in this country from either committing suicide, from being injured or killed, or that a crime is solved as a result of information obtained by the registry, isn’t that worth it for all Canadians?”
No. It is not worth it. You can’t run around spending $2 billion to save a single life. Can’t do it. Unsupportable. Unaffordable. Moronic, moronic, moronic.
But if you were really worried about the deaths of innocent people and had $2 billion to spend, you’d be better off paving over swimming pools than worrying about guns.
In the U.S. — where they have more guns than people — there’s a fatal drowning of a child for every 11,000 back yard swimming pools, compared to a fatal shooting of a child for every million guns. Swimming pools are more dangerous to children than firearms — 100 times more dangerous.
Can’t wait for the swimming pool registry.
Britain banned most guns and its rate of violent crime jumped 50% in the 1990s alone.
That nation has a rate of violent crimes such as aggravated assault and the burglary of occupied homes that is greater than that of the U.S.
Finally, our auditor general pointed out the Canadian Firearms Centre couldn’t provide “evidence-based outcomes” showing the registry minimized risks to public safety or reduced deaths.
What that means is there’s no evidence the gun registry does any of the things it’s supposed to do.
Time to get rid of it.
ian.robinson@sunmedia.ca
OK, nobody except for guys such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong Il.
:::::::::
Don’t forget Adolf Hitler — worked for him too.
There’s something deliciously ironic about Canada’s seeing of the light. If we look across the pond, the UK’s crime rate is the highest of the western world since they outlawed firearms. The Canadians are probably looking over there and thinking, “No need to go down that path, they’ve already done it.” Whereas here in the US, our current Regime is saying, “Well, they’ve done it wrong, we can do it better!”
*sigh*
One of my favorite lines of discussion involves liberals pointing out that gun related crimes are reduced thanks to this sort of legislation.
“Gun related crimes?”
So.. mugger doesn’t have a gun, he just beats you with a bat. Then he steals your gun.
I am not against regulation of firearms on some level, but not to the extent that some people want it. To me, the best “regulation” of guns is that law abiding citizens “regularly” have guns.
—wow!—wisdom from the North-—
Paging Captain Obvious!
Captain Obvious, please pick up the "white phone"!
“as Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has announced he’ll punish any of his members who vote their conscience or for their constituents on this matter.” Good to see elected politicians are representing the people . . . . .
It’s not supposed to work. It’s supposed to be a reasonable gun control measure, which, when it fails, shows the need for outright confiscation.
Thanks for the ping, Neverdem.
Clive, ping.
Since when have Liberals ever halted a program that doesn’t work?
Thanks for the ping, fanfan
these types use the same logic when wanting the US to dismantle its nuclear weapons...if we do it, everyone else will too! NOT!
Thanks for the post and it is a Captain Obvious news item.
You’re welcome, Clive.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.