Dear Legislator:
Could you please help me decide which of my kids lives to save? Here’s the problem:Last night yet another of my kids found himself on the goodbye end of a robber’s gun as the robber slowly counted down
“5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . ”
I know you politicians told us “if it saves one life, then keeping guns away from law-abiding citizens is the right thing to do!” but I’m having a little trouble figuring out which life is the one to be saved. I’ve had most of these kids for 20 years or more, and I’m rather fond of them all.
My kid last night? It was his third time facing armed robbers in Chicago, in Illinois. Can you tell me how many times is just right and how many times is too many?
The one last night was in a convenience store at the time. He and his friend had gone into the store to buy soda, and they hid as the robber stuck his gun in the face of the store clerk and began counting down.
Do you give classes in hiding? Wait, that can’t be right, cause many kids get found anyway, and it’s not always easy to stay quiet if your heart is thudding and you’re afraid. Maybe you give classes in what kids should do if they find themselves around guns. No, that’s not right. State Sen. Annazette Collins proposed that idea, to keep kids safe and deglamorize firearms, and she was roundly trounced for the idea.
[. . .]
(The author’s Facebook page is here.)
You are a strange country. I am very glad my kids live in Canada with me. The only way you can legally carry a handgun here is in a locked box on it’s way to the range.
Makes sense to me.
The only way anybody can legally carry a handgun in Chicago is…
You I wouldn’t trust with a weapon. Most people I know, who are sane and responsible, I would.
Chicago’s gun laws are more restrictive than Canada’s. And of course you’re ignoring the experience of numerous countries that have high rates of violent crime despite, and perhaps to some degree because, they forbid responsible citizens from having weapons.
[My above comment was directed at PenGun.]
Hell, I don’t trust me with certain weapons either!
I’m not bad with a 1911A. I have shot combat courses at Thompson Mountain near Vancouver.
The boys downtown will not use a piece, or even carry one unless it’s really needed. I was at one time a vice president of Satan’s Choice and I do know what I am talking about. If there are very few guns and the penalty for being caught with is quite severe than no one carries. Why would you?
In your country it’s pretty well wide open so the criminals have to carry just for self protection, if nothing else.
You are the only major country with this attitude and your deaths by firearm are an order of magnitude higher than mine for instance.
As your country continues on it’s inevitable decline having a heavily armed, paranoid and economically failing citizenry will produce predictable results.
You’ve ignored all of my comments except for the one about my not trusting you with a weapon, which you misinterpreted. Typical. How do you like living in Narnia?
PenGun, maybe when our country hits rock bottom according to you, that’s when our paranoid citizenry may look north and truck across the border and simply take over and loot your unarmed–or locked in a box on the way to a range weapon–citizenry. We do heavily out gun you, you know.
PenGun: so the criminals have to carry just for self protection, if nothing else
That is really funny. Do you, by any chance, perform in Montreal comedy clubs?
These acts are not beatings – these are expressions of frustration.
These acts are not robberies – these are herartfelt attempts at income redistribution.
These acts are not murders – These a cries for help by an underclass that has been savagely used by greedy capitalist exploiters.
More guns are not the answer. We must show solidarity with these poor unfortunates whose ancestors were brought here ungainst their wills in chains by greedy capitalist exploiters.
“As your country continues on it’s inevitable decline having a heavily armed, paranoid and economically failing citizenry will produce predictable results.”
Does this mean I won’t have to worry about you moving here and making the place even worse ?
I remember when people in Chicago could own hand guns legally. It was a much safer city. Penguin may also not be aware that, if you eliminate the inner city minorities from the statistics, the US is safer than Europe. England, with its radical gun laws and even more radical social changes is becoming unsafe and the midland cities are looking more and more like inner city ghettos in the US.
Mr. Anonymous, if I was the crook who illegally used the gun to rob a McDonald’s, and you were my public defender,
I would be VERY afraid, since a jury would would take your “arguments” as they are, crap to be flushed down a toilet.
Might I add, Chicago is an overwhelmingly democratic city…..
PenGun, I would have thought that the Canadian education system taught geography, and that you might have heard of Switzerland and Finland.
We have very many long guns where I live. Mostly 30-06, often scoped, and they are used for hunting. So hey Morgan come get some with yer 9mm. ;)
No one except enthusiasts own pistols because the hassle of acquiring and storing them makes them pretty well useless as a weapon. That is on purpose.
Your ‘lets give everyone a pistol so they can defend themselves’ is just stupid. You have the statistics, it’s much more dangerous than heavily restricting them for your general population.
It’s a feature of civilization that you do not need to carry a weapon. You could try that … naw.
So you’re OK with government agents being allowed to have weapons while you and other ordinary citizens are not. That’s what you mean by “it’s a feature of civilization that you do not need to carry a weapon”. Many US citizens disagree with you on this point, since we value self-reliance and see government as our servant rather than master. And since we have enjoyed declining violent crime rates for many years, while at the same time we have been buying guns at a mad clip, I see no reason to accept your assertions. If you were anywhere near to being correct, rates of violent crime in US states near the Canadian border would exceed the rates in Canada and they do not.
Pengun, rest assured I would show up with something a lot more substantial than a 9 mm. We Yanks also have a lot of long guns–more than you Canucks–and we overwhelmingly outnumber you as well. Voltaire was alleged to have said God is on the side of bigger battalions, so be forewarned.
Of course PenGun has a long rifle! With Canada’s rich French history, they need the long gun so when the white flag is tied to the end they are safe hiding.
Jonathon: “Many US citizens disagree with you on this point, since we value self-reliance and see government as our servant rather than master.”
Yes, Tradition. The founding of the U.S. re-enforced the tendency to value firearms resulting in the 2nd amendment. A key ingredient of the ultimately successful but long, drawn out, war of independence was the personally owned firearms of the partisan/militias. Written by veterans in the years following the war, the motivation for including the 2nd amendment was clearly result of the perceived need for be a tool with which the people would have last-ditch protection from an overbearing government.
I plead ignorance about Canadian history but it will be interesting to learn in what manner, and when, independence was achieved. (Might be a U.S. “bizzaro world” / alternate history situation up there….)
I am surprised to learn that Canada began to gradually break away from England in the 1860s and, if I understand, was still a colony until sometime after World War I; some 170 years after the U.S. became annoyed about the taxation without representation thing (although I only glanced at some material, I don’t believe they ever had a seat(s) in Parliment). No reason to hurry, eh?
What to make of that with respect to the PenGun’s question of civilization? ( and national character?)
LOL. Guns are really for cowards. A nation of frightened children starting at shadows and shooting at them as well.
If the fuse is missing explosions are rare.
You could try civilization. It works quite well for very many of us.
tyouth I was born a British Subject as are all who pay the Crown allegiance. This means I was part of the British Commonwealth and a member of the Canadian part.
Unless you had a beef with the Crown, as you did, there was no real problem and in fact the benefits of being part of a large family were quite useful for a small country in a vast space.
As we found out a peaceful transition, we do like peace, to full self government works very well.
You can give stirring speeches and assemble your heart land to retake your liberty and we are just gonna laugh at you, because on many levels you are ridiculous.
PenGun – don’t laugh too hard. If our ship goes down, yours does as well. And if the sh1t ever really, really, hits the fan, I know which side I would want to be on.
“LOL. Guns are really for cowards. A nation of frightened children starting at shadows and shooting at them as well.”
Well, I’ve never heard of Canada described that way. I’m glad they did take most of your guns away from you.