For anyone to wade into the US debate on gun control, you need to first and foremost deal with the fundamental question, "Should citizens have the right to arm themselves to the degree they could withstand an assault by a totalitarian regime in their own country?" That question isn't even on the table in Canada. Think of this for a second: current estimates in the US suggest that there are between 15 to 30 million illegal aliens residing in the States. How sane is it to arm citizens (including illegal aliens) against a possible reversal of government interests when you permit millions of unknown people to live in your country? By the way, the poster child for the advocates of Second Amendment rights is none other than Adolf Hitler. Now there's credible source of support!
On the gun control the second issue that I have is with the well-worn phrase "guns don't kill, people kill." So I'm the father of three lovely ladies. When they were young we chose to leave knives, loaded firearms and other passive weapons laying around the house. When my good wife said, "Jim, if we leave these things lying around someone will get hurt." "No," I responded, "They won't hurt anyone, people hurt people." Of course I'm being silly. No, everything from household items, to weapons, including potential poisons were stored in safe and responsible locations. As responsible parents we "control" these tools and substances for the good of all. The idea of having a semi-auto or automatic weapon with an ample magazine capacity available indiscriminately to anyone is the definition of insanity.
The third area that I think we've failed to adequately park our cerebral car is under the topic of gun control only stops the bad guys. Now in this point I am distinctly Christian. If we are to assume that laws and legislation are irrelevant because it fails to inhibit crime, we have lost sight of Romans 13:1-3. God does not ordain the government to do what only a changed heart can do. God never calls the government to control its citizenry because it will work every time. Our legislature is not supposed to say, "We will only enact laws that we know before will work." There is an ultimate and Divine purpose for governments to pass and enforce laws for the good and well-being of its people. Unfortunately people will die today and in the future at the hands of wicked people. Gun laws will not stop that, but that doesn't make gun laws irrelevant. As Christians we are promised that poverty will exist until Christ comes; but that doesn't mean we stop feeding the poor.
I'm ex-military and an avid hunter and I want gun control. I want collectors and sportsmen to be able to have and use automatic weapons through to single shot rifles. I want sportsmen to be able to enjoy short-barrelled guns and pistols. I want hunters to be able to happily use their firearms to enjoy the sport of hunting. To assume this liberty can be done without some measure of control is naive. That means that I expect to have background checks done on me and my fellow sportsmen. That means that I will be required to store, handle and transport firearms in a manner that is safe for the public. I register my car, my truck, my cellphone, my business, my boat, my Quad, (even this computer that I'm working with comes with its own unique signature) ... I'm really not that ripped about registering my firearms. And by the way, as a Canadian, I don't expect to maintain an arsenal that would forestall any assault on me by the Canadian Armed Forces.
I will maintain that the current measures in Canada to prohibit, restrict, and control weapons is second-to-none. It's not perfect, but I'm thankful for it.
