Canadian Gun Control from an RCMP's perspective

buckee · January 5, 2006

This is a very worthwhile read:

My name is Len Grinnell and I reside in British Columbia. I have been a shooting competitor since age 14, initially taught and coached by World War II veterans. Throughout a 39 year career in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, I continued to compete both Nationally and Internationally. I belong to two Rod and Gun Clubs, as well as being a member of Canada's National Rifle Association and a Provincial Rifle Association, of which I am a Life Member. My years of policing showed me that offences with firearms are rarely, if ever, committed by dedicated, law-abiding gun owners, however recent developments in the upcoming election have given me cause to write to those with an interest in shooting sports and gun owners in general.

Recently, our Prime Minister announced his party's desire to ban handguns, undoubtedly to appease those naive voters who would believe that doing so would end the gun violence in the streets of our major cities. It is unfathomable to associate law-abiding handgun owners and their registered firearms to those senseless criminal acts. This violence has to be laid at the feet of those responsible; the punks who use stolen or smuggled handguns to fuel gang egos and strengthen their position in ongoing drug wars, as well as a justice system that fails to recognize what just about every other citizen of this country does; that minimal sentences for gun crimes does not work! What will the Liberal Party do next to stay in power? They have been in power for 12 years and these problems did not develop overnight. Now, on the eve of an election, they make promises intended only to keep them in power by offering impossible solutions and diverting blame wherever possible.

We have heard more than one member of the Liberal Party state that, "Guns should only be in the hands of the military and the police". We have listened to the continued hysterics from the government funded Coalition for Gun Control. We have seen and endured the Firearms Registry and those who have complied with the law are faced with a proposal to ban their handguns. We have Alan Rock appointed as Canada's Ambassador to the United Nations, who touts the Firearms Registry as the instrument to end gun violence in the world. In the eyes of the Liberals, all firearms are suspect and our ownership of all firearms, not just handguns, is in jeopardy.

My question to the shooting enthusiasts, gun owners, and hunters of this country is; "How can the Liberal Party be trusted?". There are no property rights in our Constitution, and because of this, lawfully owned and safely stored firearms can be confiscated at government whim, and without compensation! No firearms owner is safe from what has to be an immoral act, even if that affront can be made to appear just or in the interest of "public safety".

In the upcoming Federal Election, I will be voting for my Conservative Representative, whose party has promised to end the financial farce that is the Firearms Registry and bring proper sentencing for those criminals committing firearms offences. I see no other choice, as the N.D.P. and even the Bloc Quebecois have sided with the Liberals as far as "gun control" goes. I urge you, the law-abiding gun owner and sportsman, to consider what has happened, what has been proposed, and cast your vote accordingly.

I am sending this email to my friends and associates, shooter and non-shooter alike, with the hope that they will take the time to read this and forward it to their friends for consideration. I believe that together we can make a difference and bring common sense and justice back into our system of government.

Respectfully,

Len Grinnell

Canadian_Goose · January 5, 2006