Scientia est potentia

I couldn’t resist dissecting this post by  gun control supporter “Alberta Gordon” on Elizabeth Mandelman’s blog. Before I quote it, let me note that this was originally 3 seperate posts by “Natasha”, Paul Thiessen and a 3rd poster whose name I don’t recall. Elizabeth merged them into one post under a 4th name, once again showing how little integrity she has.

Hi Elizabeth,

Please don’t get discouraged because of all of the negative posts.

You see, there is a well organized gun lobby at work that attacks anyone who favors the registry. Check out CanadianGunNutz.com (a rather fitting name)to see how organized they are.

The other sad thing is that the Reform/Conservative party used misinformation and fear tactics against the gun registry to gain votes in past elections.

Now that their poll numbers are dropping it appears the same misinformation and fear tactics used in the past are being recycled. This is morally wrong!

For your info, Elizabeth, and for the info of the “GunNutz”, a very informative and factual “Stats Canada report on Homicides in Canada 2007” can be found at http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2008009/article/10671-eng.pdf .

Particularly interesting are pages 8,9,10, and 22 in the report. The data shows that long gun homicides have declined since the Registry.

The report also shows that the rates per 100,000 population are highest in MP Garry Breitzkreuz’s western Canada, especially in Manitoba.

Is it not paradoxical that areas of Canada populated by “law abiding gun owners”, who believe there should not be a registry, have the highest homicide rates!

Personally I am not “anti-gun! I am “pro Gun Registry” and believe it is as useful a program as the Vehicle Registry and that all Canadians should support it. The human and monetary resources invested in the Registry must not be wasted!

I find it incomprehensible how those who register vehicles without complaint or concern cannot do the same with their guns!

Every positive reason for having a Vehicle Registry can also apply to the Gun Registry.

It is intended to keep vehicles out of the hands of unsuitable drivers.

You must pass a test to get a license to drive. You must register the vehicle and obtain a license plate for it. And you must have valid insurance to operate the vehicle.

Police can trace vehicles stolen or involved in accidents.

If you operate your vehicle irresponsibly, i.e. drive under the influence, cause death, or have numerous violations of the Traffic Act, your License and right to operate a vehicle can be taken away.

Conversely, every frivolous negative argument used by opponents of the Gun Registry sound ridiculous when applied to the Vehicle Registry!

It penalizes law abiding vehicle owners. Criminals will not register their vehicles. The registry has not prevented a single traffic death. The cost is astronomical. With the money wasted on the registry we could hire more traffic police and fix potholes. Etc, etc.

I urge Conservatives and their “GunNutz” supporters who oppose the Gun Registry to do the right thing. Get in their registered vehicles, check to make sure their license plates, insurance, and drivers license are current, and go register their guns!

KEEP UP THE GOOD FIGHT ELIZABETH!

Let’s go through this piece by piece:

1. There is a well-organized gun lobby.

Yeah, we have an internet forum for our hobby. I’m not sure how this translates into a “well-organized lobby” (I’d love to hear who the president of it is, or how much this supposed lobby’s budget is), but ok. Even if it was a well-organized lobby (and I wish it was), so what?

2. The Reform/Conservative Parties have used misinformation against the gun registry.

That’s entirely possible (after all they are politicians), but we need look no farther than a few lines down for some misinformation…

3. The StatsCan report.

I guess you were figuring that I wouldn’t read the report and just take your word for it, eh? From the report:

Although the overall rate of homicides committed with a firearm has generally been declining since the mid-1970s, the use of handguns has generally been increasing since the mid-1980s. However, the use of rifles or shotguns continues to decline (Chart 5).

Wait… you’re attributing a trend that started in the 1980s to the long-gun registry which was brought into force in 1998? And you were saying what about misinformation? Here’s the chart for those who don’t want to dig through the report (click for full size):

Chart from StatsCan report, clearly illustrating decling trend in firearms homicides

Do you see the start of a new trend in 1998? Because I sure don’t.

I’m not even going to bother addressing the asinine comment about Manitoba’s homicide rate. It’s not even true anyway, as anyone who bothered to read the report will have noticed. Note that this particular comment was originally penned by Vancouverite Paul Thiessen and re-attributed to “Alberta Gordon” by Elizabeth. Liz, next time you’re gonna make up bogus comments, make them consistent, OK? Try not to have an Albertan slagging Western Canada.

4. Gun/vehicle comparisons

This one is as old as the hills.

a) Why are gun owners opposed to registration of firearms but not cars?

Well answer me this: in all the time cars have been registered in Canada, has any of the following ever happened:

• a particular model of car, which is mechanically no different from those commonly available at the time, is banned without any justification being offered, and the registry is used to track down owners of said car and confiscate their vehicles without compensation;
• a bureaucracy is set up to approve car purchases (even though you already have a driver’s license), which sometimes makes you wait weeks or months to approve your purchase, again with no justification offered;
• a person who has been charged or is simply under investigation for an entirely unrelated offence (say fraud) has all their cars confiscated (with the assistance of the car registry of course);
• you are required to register your tractor which you only ever use on your private property.

All of those situations have happened with guns in Canada. Now you know why gun owners are a little tense about registration. But that’s not all.

b) “[The vehicle registry] is intended to keep vehicles out of the hands of unsuitable drivers.”

Wrong. The licensing process is what screens drivers, not registration. Since you don’t need a driver’s license to acquire, possess or register a car (only to operate it on public roads), I can’t fathom how this statement can possibly be true. Let me put it in bold: the DRIVER is LICENSED, the CAR is REGISTERED. YOU ARE LYING.

c) “You must pass a test to get a license to drive. You must register the vehicle and obtain a license plate for it. And you must have valid insurance to operate the vehicle.”

More lies. None of these statements are true, unless you add on “… on public roads.” The entire licensing and registration system for vehicles and drivers is predicated on the Crown’s authority to regulate what you do on it’s property. Firearms are entirely different because those law extend to what you do on private property. You do NOT need a license to own a car. You DO need a license to own a gun. You do NOT have to register every car you own. You DO have to register every gun you own.

d) “If you operate your vehicle irresponsibly, i.e. drive under the influence, cause death, or have numerous violations of the Traffic Act, your License and right to operate a vehicle can be taken away.”

And this has absolutely nothing to do with registration.