17 Dec 12, 08:20PM
Being a Canadian, we have very different gun laws up here. As far as I understand it, this is pretty much the summary:
1. Handguns can only be used for target practice. You can only fire them at a firing range, and you need to inform the police of the route you are taking, and at what time you are going when you transport your handgun. Even stopping for gas is illegal.
2. Any rifles with a caliber over .22" can only have a 5 round magazine. You can have as big a magazine as you like for .22" and under.
3. Civilians can't own fully-automatic weapons, period.
4. There are two classes of gun licenses: restricted and non-restricted. Non-restricted are hunting rifles and shotguns and such, while restricted firearms covers handguns and civilian models of military guns. Buying a gun always requires at least a non-restricted license. Restricted licenses are harder to get.
This being said, the US needs more than just stricter gun laws: they need a shift in the way of thinking. People believe it is their "God-given right" to bear arms. This is just crazy. Owning guns is a privilege, not a right. People don't need to protect themselves from the government by stocking up on guns. Realistically, a civilian has absolutely no need for a handgun, or for a civilian model of a military weapon. Hunting rifles and shotguns have a real purpose and a use, and even then the purchase of these weapons needs to be tightly regulated.
I think that tighter gun laws, and a shift in the thinking about guns, will help stop prevent tragedies like this. That being said, it won't prevent murders. I live in Edmonton. Sometimes people call in Stabmonton, since we have the highest number of murders of any city in Canada (and we are 2-3 times smaller than Vancouver and Toronto), and many of those occur by stabbing. Regulating guns more will stop tragedies like school shootings, but it won't slow down the murder rate.
Just my 2 cents. You can take it or leave it, just my opinion.
1. Handguns can only be used for target practice. You can only fire them at a firing range, and you need to inform the police of the route you are taking, and at what time you are going when you transport your handgun. Even stopping for gas is illegal.
2. Any rifles with a caliber over .22" can only have a 5 round magazine. You can have as big a magazine as you like for .22" and under.
3. Civilians can't own fully-automatic weapons, period.
4. There are two classes of gun licenses: restricted and non-restricted. Non-restricted are hunting rifles and shotguns and such, while restricted firearms covers handguns and civilian models of military guns. Buying a gun always requires at least a non-restricted license. Restricted licenses are harder to get.
This being said, the US needs more than just stricter gun laws: they need a shift in the way of thinking. People believe it is their "God-given right" to bear arms. This is just crazy. Owning guns is a privilege, not a right. People don't need to protect themselves from the government by stocking up on guns. Realistically, a civilian has absolutely no need for a handgun, or for a civilian model of a military weapon. Hunting rifles and shotguns have a real purpose and a use, and even then the purchase of these weapons needs to be tightly regulated.
I think that tighter gun laws, and a shift in the thinking about guns, will help stop prevent tragedies like this. That being said, it won't prevent murders. I live in Edmonton. Sometimes people call in Stabmonton, since we have the highest number of murders of any city in Canada (and we are 2-3 times smaller than Vancouver and Toronto), and many of those occur by stabbing. Regulating guns more will stop tragedies like school shootings, but it won't slow down the murder rate.
Just my 2 cents. You can take it or leave it, just my opinion.