Layton back in the saddle of stupidity

As if pushing for negotiations with the Taliban wasn't stupid enough...

"Ban semi-automatics, NDP leader urges PM

Montreal - The federal government should ban private ownership of semi automatic rifles such as the one Kimveer Gill used at Dawson College, NDP leader Jack Layton says.

"The answer to gun violence is not to end the gun registry - it's to ensure that assault weapons do not end up on city streets," Mr. Layton told a receptive audience during an event organized by the Dawson Committee for Gun Control.

Canada's firearms legislation, which includes restrictions on some guns and mandatory registration of others, is an effective tool in maintaining public safety, Mr. Layton said. There have been 300 fewer gun deaths a year in Canada since the gun rules were adopted in 1995, he noted.

Mr. Latyon urged the audience to press Prime Minister Stephen Harper to maintain and further tighten gun laws.

THE MONTREAL GAZETTE"


Hoo boy.

If anyone has any idea how a registry could have helped prevent this tragedty, please let me know! His guns were registered, it still happened. So...What would losing the registry do to make people safer?

I also like his reference to all semi automatic firearms as "assault rifles"....I guess my semi automatic 22 long rifle is an "assault rifle" now.

Sure, "assault rifles" exist...What are they, by definition? A rifle with FULLY AUTOMATIC capability (okay, that just scrapped his arguement right there) using a bullet stronger than that of a pistol, but weaker than a conventional rifle round.

Is the C-7 variant of the M-16 used by the Canadian Forces an assault rifle? Yeah. Is an M-16 variant owned by a citizen, with a magazine holding 5 whole rounds an assault rifle? If scooters are used in races, does that equate them to a bike like a Ninja?

His statistics about how we've had 300 fewer gun deaths per YEAR since 1995 is similary screwy. Don't just take my word for it though, let's have a look.

According to my Dept. of Justice handbook, which was issued to me during my course to own Restricted class firearms, 81% of "gun deaths" are suicides.

So less guns means less suicides?

Not quite. According to Statistics Canada, deaths by hanging have nearly doubled since (you guessed it, 1995.)

4% of deaths are accidental, and sadly usually involve children. For every retard who leaves a loaded firearm near children, there's a retard who locks a baby in their car, answers the phone while giving their baby a bath, or does not supervise their children as they play near a swimming pool.

Too bad we can't ban "stupid".

The remaining 15% are homicides.

Let's look at our homicide rate... Statistics Canada says it has dropped dramatically since 2005. Does that mean it's because of gun control? Um...not really. Our entire homicide rate dropped!

"

There were 172 homicides committed with a firearm in 2004, 11 more than in 2003 and 20 more than in 2002. However, the 2004 total was still slightly below the average of 176 homicides involving firearms over the past decade.

During the past 10 years, the proportion of homicides involving a firearm has remained fairly stable, ranging from 26% to 34%. In 2004, the proportion was 28%. In contrast, in the United States, two-thirds of all homicide victims were killed with a firearm in 2003, more than double the proportion seen in Canada.

Over the past decade, the highest rates of firearm homicides have been reported in British Columbia and Quebec. However, in 2004, Manitoba recorded 13 homicides committed with a firearm, giving it the highest provincial rate for that year.

Beginning in 2001, handguns have consistently accounted for about two-thirds of all firearm-related homicides in Canada. Last year was no exception, as 65% of firearm homicides were committed with a handgun.

Over the years, the primary method used to commit homicide has varied between stabbings and shootings. With 63 more than in 2003, the most common method used last year was stabbings, accounting for one-third of all homicides. Beatings accounted for 22% and strangulation/suffocation for a further 10%."

Wow...

Guns only account for 28%-34% of our homicides? We need knife control!

Isn't it reassuring that Canadians would rather beat you to death or stab you?

It gets even better though!

"

Mental illness a factor in many homicides

A new detailed profile of the relationship, motivation and location of all 2004 homicides revealed that 70 victims were killed by someone that police believed was suffering from mental illness. The majority of these homicides were committed against family members.

There were 33 victims killed during a robbery, two-thirds of which occurred in the victim's residence. Half of those victims killed in their own home were over the age of 60.

In addition, over half of victims and almost three-quarters of accused persons had consumed alcohol and/or drugs at the time of the homicide. There were also 20 victims killed as a result of an argument originating in a bar"

Gosh...75% of the killers were consuming alcohol and/or drugs at the time they killed someone!

We need to ban drugs! Oh wait...They did. It sure made them harder to find, didn't it!

So what do you figure the odds are then, that these killers were already criminals, and thus barred from owning guns in the first place?

Well...

OF 5,194 TOTAL HOMICIDES BETWEEN 1997 & 2005

• 118 (2.27%) were committed with a registered gun;
• 63 (1.21%) were committed with a firearm registered to the accused murderer;
• 111 (2.14%) were committed by a person that held a valid firearms licence.

OF 1,572 FIREARMS HOMICIDES BETWEEN 1997 & 2005

• 118 (7.51%) were committed with a registered firearm;
• 63 (4.01%) were committed with a firearms registered to the accused murderer;
• 111 (7.06%) were committed by a person that held a valid firearms licence.

OF THE TWO-MILLION LICENCED GUN OWNERS IN CANADA

• 111 (0.00555%) Used their firearm to murder someone

Unfortunately, women are often the victim of a violent crime, and the anti gun side of the fence loves trying to play that up. Also unfortunately, Stats Can has this to say.

(1)	On snapshot day, one-fifth of all shelters referred 221 women and 112 children elsewhere. About two-thirds of these shelters reported referring women and children elsewhere because the shelter was full (See report #1 below),
(2)	Eight in 10 abused women in shelters were there to escape a current or former spouse/common law partner (See report #2 below).

Aren't we glad we spent that 1.4 BILLION dollars on the gun registry now?

People ask me very often "Why do politicians think banning guns will make us safer, then?"

The answer is, they don't! They know it won't do anything! BUT...It does bring in LOTS of votes from the uninformed.