Re: Letter: No easy fix for gun crimes
If one follows the opinions presented by the writer of that letter, a society which passes gun laws to produce a safer community, will cause “law-abiding gun owners” to lose their freedoms of choice.
So, if we have to register our guns, we become criminals, eh? Well then, we’re all criminals because we have to register to vote, to obtain passports, to obtain health care from Alberta Health Care, to drive our vehicles, to obtain insurance policies, etc.
Certain professions – such as doctors, lawyers, teachers, police officers, military personnel, nurses, airline pilots, etc. – have to register. If we travel on planes or on cruise ships, we must register.
So, let’s cut to the chase, eh? What he, some politicians, and the gun lobby want is unlimited access to high-powered weapons like our cousins south of the border (America). They want body armour, high capacity magazines, concealed weapons permits, unsupervised armed militias, etc. with little or no regulations.
Yes, restricting gun sales will not prevent certain individuals from obtaining weapons. So, let’s not have gun laws, eh? Laws to prevent drunk drivers from driving haven’t stopped drunks from getting behind the wheel – on average, four people will die today in Canada from drunk drivers, and at least 100 people will be injured.
We have laws against murders, but we still have murderers. We have laws against bank robberies, but we still have bank robbers. Shall we do away with such laws?
The gun lobby folks are not satisfied with just having pistols, hunting rifles, and shotguns like we had in the “bad old days." Us oldtimers were taught to conserve our ammunition since we only had “six shooters," double barrel shotguns, and rifles with limited rounds of ammo like the 30-30s. Now, the gun lobby wants us to believe we need high-capacity, higher-powered military grade weapons (semi and fully automatics) to kill “Bambi” and to protect us from “bad guys."
So, if I buy Arnold Palmer or Tiger Woods golf clubs, will I become a pro golfer? If I buy Air Jordan sneakers, will I become a pro basketball player? If I buy a $10 million dollar sports car, will I become a pro auto racer?
More guns in our hands, like assault rifles, will supposedly make our lives safer. If that were the case, how come America is not the safest democratic country in the world? No place is safe in the States except for maybe the White House. Obviously, the Congress is not. As of March 28, 2023, there have been 131 mass shootings in the U.S. with 9,990 deaths (4,248 from murders/homicides and 5,742 from suicides).
The number of children killed (up to 11 years of age) stands at 55, and the number of teens killed (12-17) stands at 344. Officers killed while on duty stands at 11. (Sources of information: Gun Violence Archives and from 18,000 police agencies -- local, state, and federal agencies -- collected daily).
Bottom line: There will always be folks who believe they’re “entitled” to do whatever they want, and they don’t want to be held accountable for their actions.
George Thatcher,
Olds
