You can make fun of Trudeau all you want, but at least he's not running around professing that Canada needs to lighten up when it comes to gun control.
Our very own MP, Bob Zimmer, wants to continue the legacy of the Harper government to reduce the strength of gun control laws.
He presented a 25,000-signature petition to Parliament two years ago to remove the AR-15 from its restricted status.
That is in direct opposition to research which related American deaths between 2007 and 2010 to state gun laws. That study found that the states with the highest gun law strengths had a lower overall gun-related death rates than those with the lowest scores - 6.4 fewer deaths on average per 100,000.
There are 86 prohibited guns in Canada. The one that seems to be getting all the publicity is the ArmaLite Rifle-15, known as the AR-15 - or rather the semi-automatic, civilian version made by Colt and copied by other manufacturers.
According to Zimmer's 2016 statement, the AR-15 is an "innocuous firearm" when handled safely.
Really? Did he mean "innocuous" as in harmless? Tell that to the parents and families of the 17 children and adults killed in Florida recently as well as all the many unfortunate killings that just do not seem to end. That weapon was safely handled, but with malicious, criminal intent.
The M16 is the military assault rifle version. Pull the trigger and it will keep firing automatically until the magazine is spent. The AR-15 is virtually the same rifle, but the trigger must be pulled prior to each firing - automatic versus semi-automatic.
Canadians are much smarter than the neighbours to the south in many areas, including gun control.
The AR-15 is restricted in Canada. That means you must have a proper license to own it and it must be registered with the RCMP. It is only supposed to be used on a firing range. But, when one develops a criminal intent, all bets are off.
The Conservatives overruled the RCMP as they attempted to ban some military assault weapons.
I think the RCMP have superior knowledge on this topic than the Conservatives and Zimmer.
It is the centre of the gun law debates in the U.S. because it seems to be the preferred type of weapon used in mass shootings.
Some say it is because it has that "macho" military appearance rather than that of a "ranch rifle."
In our society we must often weigh individual rights and freedoms versus the common good of protection from others.
When it comes to individual rights and freedoms, a family's hunting practice can be a rite of passage. I totally understand that.
I know a family where the mom, pop and sons go out every year to fill their freezers for winter. It is done humanely. I have never heard that the AR-15 would be a godsend for their yearly tradition.
Methinks that Zimmer has been drinking the Kool-Aid consumed by many Trumpsters in the U.S. lately.
Students in the U.S.A. are the ones standing up to the NRA and government to make considerable changes in gun control laws in the States.
Canada is doing just fine, Zimmer, without your meddling.
Among developed nations, Canada has a poor and worsening problem of gun proliferation.
While considerably lower than the U.S.A., Canada's rate of all deaths by firearms is double the rate in Australia and 10 times that of Britain.
The homicide rate of the U.S. is about seven times higher than the rate in Canada.
I would feel much safer if we kept it that way.
A gun does not kill or maim.
When held in the hands of a person, it is the weapon that gives the person the ability to kill. Without it, the damage done would be limited.
When that gun has a rapid-fire capacity, it can wreak havoc on a crowd.
Mr. Zimmer's balance of justice is skewed too far away from the public good and safety for me.
