[JaredMilne]

Seeing the debate on gun control happening south of the border, I can't help but contrast it with the recent debate over the long gun registry. While the long gun registry was hated by rural Canadians (and I agree with them), I can't recall anyone outside of a very few fringe people who wanted to scrap the long-established handgun registry. In fact, the handgun registry didn't even appear at all during the long gun debate.

More than that, I've noticed how Canada, even the more rural and conservative parts of it, just don't seem to have the same attachment to firearms as many parts of the U.S. do. When it comes to guns, most Canadians seem inclined to use them for sport (e.g., hunting) or as tools (e.g., farmers protecting their livestock) rather than to defend against government encroachment. There doesn't seem to be much appetite for putting an equivalent to the American Second Amendment in the Charter of Rights, either.

Am I correct in this, or am I completely off base?

Thoughts?

[Gunnair]

I don't think there is a comparison...at all. Our gun culture and their gun culture only share the name....nothing else.

[ShepherdsDog]

Most of our firearms enthusiasts aren't paranoid about our government We like to hunt..shoot and collect. We aren't preparing for the end times or the collapse of social order

[Gunnair]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

Most of our firearms enthusiasts aren't paranoid about our government We like to hunt..shoot and collect. We aren't preparing for the end times or the collapse of social order

Guns are a tool here - hunting mostly, sport and defence secondary.

It is not a means to an end to defend one's illusionary vision of individual freedom.

[Jonny_C]

"Does Canada Have As Much of a Gun Culture As America?"

No. Not even close.

The difference is so large that the question is rhetorical.

[DrCaleb]

JaredMilne JaredMilne:

... I can't recall anyone outside of a very few fringe people who wanted to scrap the long-established handgun registry. In fact, the handgun registry didn't even appear at all during the long gun debate.

And it probabally never will. No one I've spoken to has ever thought handguns shouldn't be registered, and that their status as 'restricted' means that extra safety training is required to own them, is a bad thing. That criminals don't register handguns is moot.

The handgun registry is a good thing, since the early 20th Century. But the long gun registry made millions of people criminals for doing nothing at all, while pretending to address gun crime. Lies upon lies, which is why it needed to go.

[Hyack]

I never had to take any kind of safety training in order to possess handguns or any other firearms although I was involved in giving handgun familiarization and safety courses when shooting IPSC.

[Xort]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

And it probabally never will. No one I've spoken to has ever thought handguns shouldn't be registered, and that their status as 'restricted' means that extra safety training is required to own them, is a bad thing. That criminals don't register handguns is moot.

Now you have. Registry have been proven to do nothing to reduce crime, so what reason do you have to register them? The extra training is almost all functional training on how to operate a pistol. Which is funny because you also need the restricted classifiction to own rifles that have been named as restricted, IE useless training in that case.

$1:

The handgun registry is a good thing, since the early 20th Century.

Why is it good? Does it stop gang members in Toronto from killing each other? Clearly not. Does the registration stop someone from saying fuck the world and start shooting people with a pistol?

[DrCaleb]

Hyack Hyack:

I never had to take any kind of safety training in order to possess handguns or any other firearms although I was involved in giving handgun familiarization and safety courses when shooting IPSC.

Neither have I, because the rules for 'restricted' weapons came into effect long after I had an FAC. If you want to get a PAL license that lets you buy handguns or an AR spec rifle now, you have to take additional safety training and undergo additional background checks to get your restricted license.

[DrCaleb]

Xort Xort:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

And it probabally never will. No one I've spoken to has ever thought handguns shouldn't be registered, and that their status as 'restricted' means that extra safety training is required to own them, is a bad thing. That criminals don't register handguns is moot.

Now you have. Registry have been proven to do nothing to reduce crime, so what reason do you have to register them? The extra training is almost all functional training on how to operate a pistol. Which is funny because you also need the restricted classifiction to own rifles that have been named as restricted, IE useless training in that case.

Why do we license people to drive cars? Why do we teach them how to properly operate a vehicle before we tell them they are allowed to?

They may ignore the training afterwards, but to begin with we require a basic understanding of the capabilities of a car in order to operate it safely. The car can just as easily be used to kill someone, and the driver is still able to break all sorts of laws if they choose, but it would be irresponsible of society to give them something capable of inflicting great harm and damage without first seeing if they are capable and competent to use it in a safe manner.

And that is also why we require handguns to be registered. As many people point out, the primary purpose of a handgun is to be easily concealed and to kill other people. It can be used for many other purposes, but that is the reason it was invented to begin with.

Xort Xort:

$1:

The handgun registry is a good thing, since the early 20th Century.

Why is it good? Does it stop gang members in Toronto from killing each other? Clearly not. Does the registration stop someone from saying fuck the world and start shooting people with a pistol?

No, and a drivers license doesn't stop people from street racing either. But having to take an additional safety course and background check can prevent someone from buying a gun and going all Rambo. Again, it would be irresponsible of society to not check that a person is capable of basic safety and is mentally sound before giving them such a weapon.

[Toastmaker]

The vast majority of American gun owners have no fears of having to defend themselves against some kind of "rogue" government, as stated above.

The posters that seem to think that have clearly over-reacted to a few extremists that have made their way onto the media. And. . . it's clear they don't know much about American society at all.

[Gunnair]

Toastmaker Toastmaker:

The vast majority of American gun owners have no fears of having to defend themselves against some kind of "rogue" government, as stated above.

The posters that seem to think that have clearly over-reacted to a few extremists that have made their way onto the media. And. . . it's clear they don't know much about American society at all.

I dunno. Maybe they think you don't know much about American society. They seem to think they need to be able to defend against guv'ment.

[Bodah]

Toastmaker Toastmaker:

The vast majority of American gun owners have no fears of having to defend themselves against some kind of "rogue" government, as stated above.

The posters that seem to think that have clearly over-reacted to a few extremists that have made their way onto the media. And. . . it's clear they don't know much about American society at all.

Makes sense to me, the media always show cases the vocal nutty minority to make them appear larger than they are. We do have the same thing in Canada although you don't hear much about them, there are Quebec separatists militias that "train" on the weekends sort of thing in order to get ready for Quebec's independence.

[raydan]

Bodah Bodah:

Toastmaker Toastmaker:

The vast majority of American gun owners have no fears of having to defend themselves against some kind of "rogue" government, as stated above.

The posters that seem to think that have clearly over-reacted to a few extremists that have made their way onto the media. And. . . it's clear they don't know much about American society at all.

Makes sense to me, the media always show cases the vocal nutty minority to make them appear larger than they are. We do have the same thing in Canada although you don't hear much about them, there are Quebec separatists militias that "train" on the weekends sort of thing in order to get ready for Quebec's independence.

There are something like 2000 members.
But I also heard that there's an English anti separatist militia too.

[Bodah]

raydan raydan:

There are something like 2000 members.
But I also heard that there's an English anti separatist militia too.

That wouldn't suprise me outside of Quebec. But I would think most anglo Quebecers would be on the " sell our shit at any price and get on the get the fuck out of here ASAP" bus though if it happened, instead of taken up arms.