Gun Control III

The national homicide rate crept up last year. This, despite the National Gun Registry introduced by our Liberal government. The gun registry forced everyone in the country who owned a gun to register them so they could be tracked down if they were ever involved in a crime. It covered hand guns as well as long guns (rifles and shotguns)

Somehow, it never occurred to the Liberals that long guns are not the weapon of choice between rival gangs or the bozo who holds up the corner store. Farmers who rely on long guns to rid their fields of varmints (gophers, coyotes, wolves) would automatically become felons if their guns were not registered. And forget about handing your prized 30-30 Winchester with the engraved burled walnut stock down to your grandson. You registered it, you own it and when you pass away it becomes fodder for the foundry, to end up as part of a fender for your new Ford. Hunters would be penalized the same way. Anyone who went out to shoot a duck, goose, bear, deer, moose or pheasant, bring the meat home to put dinner on the table would be treated just as harshly. Not registering, or not giving intent to register your gun could have you doing 10 years in prison. We don't give rapists that much time.

Hand guns are a different matter. Handgun registration has been required (in Canada) since 1934, with possession of handguns limited to collectors, target shooters and those who can demonstrate a need of guns to protect their lives. This entailed a police check on your character, an approved usage course on the handling of the instrument and an approved certificate from the government saying you were allowed to own the weapon. So the Liberal government has put a redundant ministry in place to do what? Nothing. They crowed about how this scheme would cost taxpayers $119 million. It has, so far, ballooned to over $2 BILLION. Then again, what can you expect from liberals? It never fails to amaze me how the left wing has never cottoned on to the idea that throwing money at something doesn't make it go away. It only feeds the fire.

Justice Minister Vic Toews is again bullying his bill to get tough on gun criminals. Critics say the Conservative response is a misguided effort at a time when the homicide rate is well down from the levels of 30 years ago. Try to remember that thirty years ago we were under the rule of Liberal PM Pierre Trudeau. In the intervening years we have had governments run by Conservative leaders like Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney, so the question is begged: Who is bringing gun crime down?
The national homicide rate inched up to 2.04 per 100,000 population in 2005 from 1.95 in 2004. Granted, that's still well below the peak of 3.3 reached in the late 1970's, but why was it so high in the first place under a Liberal government? Police reported 658 homicides last year, up 34 from 2004. Last year, we had Liberal PM Paul Martin running the country. The increase in homicide would tend to point to the fact that his misguided gun registry was not working. Most of the increase in deaths was driven by a jump in gang-related homicides, particularly in Ontario and Alberta. Police reported that 107 homicides were believed to be gang-related in 2005, 35 more than in 2004. Maybe the gangs don't register their guns as much as the Liberals would like them to.

Two-thirds of gang-related homicides involved a firearm, usually a handgun, and police report 83 per cent of recovered firearms used to kill were not registered. Those nasty old gangs don't seem to be playing by the rules, do they? Toews said this means he's on the right track with Bill C-10, which would impose mandatory minimum sentences for a variety of gun and gang-related offences. "What we need to target on is the use of handguns, especially by gangs," he said. "That is what C-10 is really focused on. The areas of increase in gun crime is specifically the use of handguns by gangs."

Martin Daly, a psychology professor from McMaster University, said, "If you do a sort of history of hysteria, they've (politicians) been saying that for 300 years as the homicide rates have come down steadily. Seriously, for 300 years homicide rates have been coming down steadily and politicians have been going on about, 'Ain't it awful, the rising tide of violence.' " I don't know about you, but 300 years ago, I wasn't alive and if I believe Mr. Daly, I should think the 'tide of violence' or homicide rates he refers to were so high we would have extinguished ourselves and left the planet to all the flora and fauna the tree huggers want us to believe are more important than humans. Toews argued the federal firearms registry hasn't worked because since 1997 the numbers show that "Mechanisms like the gun registry simply have been ineffective."

Rosemary Gartner, a criminologist from the University of Toronto, said crime statistics easily become political footballs. "Almost any politician could use them to tell a variety of different stories," she said. I suppose this means that Liberals could twist them as easily as the Conservatives. She also pooh-poohed Toews contention that his get-tough legislation will reduce the crime rate. "All of the research on mandatory minimum sentences shows that they don't make a difference in the crime rate," she said. I beg to differ. California's three strike law has proven its effectiveness and breaking it down to simple terms, if the gunslinger is behind bars, wouldn't the rate of gun crimes go down automatically. That seems to make sense to me. Daly said that income inequality is the single biggest predictor of homicide rates. What a great liberal idea this is. Raise the amount of welfare we are giving these losers and they will lay down their guns and get a job on Bay St. Right. Wanna buy a bridge?

Toews said the numbers clearly show that more gang members are using more guns and it's time to act. "Why aren't we taking positive steps to get the gang members who are using the guns, especially on a repeat basis, off the streets?" he said. The number of homicides committed with handguns has increased in six of the last seven years. In 2005, handguns accounted for almost six in 10 firearm homicides. A man arrested in the Yonge St. shootout that left Toronto teen Jane Creba dead was under three gun bans following convictions at the time of the Boxing Day incident. And the Liberals seem to think their gun registry works.

It's time the Conservatives get rid of this white elephant and do something constructive. Like keeping those convicted of handgun crimes behind bars.