Sam Wrote:I hail from a hunting region of the country. Most of the people who bitched about registering will be thrilled with the ban. In their eyes, this is targeting the problem gun users and leaving the law abiding ones alone.
Don't think so. I know a lot of hunters, and they're going to be pissed even though they don't own handguns.
Reason being, the ban will take guns away from law-abiding gun owners, and make things yet more difficult for the target shooters who are allowed to keep their guns, all without making an appreciable dent on the problem it's supposed to address. The guns on the streets of Toronto aren't registered handguns, and tough storage regulations have already cut deeply into the supply of stolen weapons. Banning handguns in Canada is not going to take them off the streets.
So hunters and target shooters will see this as yet another case of scapegoating law-abiding gun owners. The gun owners get kicked around, in their eyes, because Paul Martin wants a splashy gesture to add to his law and order package.
Furthermore, many will point to this as a reason they distrust the registry. Pistols have been registered in this country for many years, and now the registration info is going to be used to confiscate the weapons from their owners. This is exactly what many gun owners fear will happen to shotguns and rifles under the new gun registry -- more and more waves of gun control, with the registry facilitating confiscation.
I've received a press release from the OFAH, which is the country's largest hunting lobby group:
"'...the ban reconfirms longstanding concerns by legal firearms owners that the government is intent on confiscating all guns, and many will see this ban as the first step down that road. Despite the fact that the Commissioner of Firearms has suggested that fears of confiscation are unfounded, clearly they are not,' noted [OFAH Executive Director Mike] Reader. "
A lot of gun owners in this country are still pissed off about Bill C-68, which introduced the registry. Martin knows they ain't voting his way anyway.
The proposal itself is very good politics but poor policy, as banning handguns will be ineffective as long as we're next door to the United States.
Why good politics? Note that the NRA has stuck its nose in our election, and on the same day that Martin makes this announcement, we see Brian Tobin turning that into a news story. See what's going on? Martin is exploiting prejudices against gun ownership to sex up his law-and-order package while at the same time trying to back Harper into a corner and make it look like he's a tool of America's biggest gun lobby.
And let's not ignore the cynical timing of the announcement, either: two days after the anniversary of the Montréal massacre, with a teaser going out to the press the day before. Martin is too smart to mention it, because he'd be accused of politicizing the event, but he knows it's on everyone's minds.
Dec 6: Victims' families call for stricter gun control
Dec 7: Martin to announce ban on handguns
Dec 8: Martin vows to ban handguns
Anyone think that's an accident?
cratch: So, it's like collecting stamps that can kill people? Interesting.