Toronto Star Letter: Most gun owners are straight arrows
Date: Apr 13, 2007 12:06 PM
PUBLICATION: The Toronto Star
DATE: 2007.04.13
EDITION: Ont
SECTION: Letter
PAGE: A17
WORD COUNT: 306

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Most gun owners are straight arrows

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Sneaky gun amnesty

Editorial, April 12.

It appears that on firearm regulations, your opinion is not universally
shared – not by a long shot. Nor is it supported by facts. When you
state that “Canada’s gun laws are hardly burdensome,” I would beg
to
differ.

Responsible firearm owners have been terribly used by both the former
Liberal government and the popular press, and the travesty is that no
useful control measures are gained by expensive and wasteful programs
like registration.

The Conservative government has maintained that in order to possess a
firearm legally in Canada, one must be licensed to do so. In order to
obtain a licence, one must take safety training, study and be tested on
the laws pertaining to use, storage and transport regulations, undergo a
criminal background check, obtain spousal permission and provide two
character references. I put it to you that this system, while not
perfect, should catch those who obviously should not be allowed to own
firearms, and correctly focuses upon the “individual” rather than the
inanimate object.

While the vast majority of firearm-related crimes are not perpetrated by
responsible owners, there are mechanisms built into the licensing system
for immediate removal of firearms for public safety or spousal concerns
- and again, it is licensing, not registration, that provides the
mechanism.

Licensed firearm owners are fully aware that it is a crime to “loan out”
firearms to unlicensed persons. The Toronto Star has repeatedly shown a
bias against responsible firearm ownership, often equating it with
criminal intent and irresponsible acts, and not differentiating between
responsible and criminal behaviours.

I think that common decency dictates that responsible firearm owners be
shown the respect they have earned by their actions, and criminals start
serving the hard jail time they have earned by theirs.

Strange that I don’t hear you calling for tougher sentences for
criminals.

Robert S. Sciuk, Oshawa

The Second Amendment IS Homeland Security !