My U.S. gun surprise.

For the first time since I was a child, I took a trip down to Minot North Dakota for a weekend getaway. And to be completely honest, I was completely taken aback at how much I loved it there. Sure I expected to have a good time, but I think I expected Americans to be more... I don't know.... xenophobic maybe? But whatever I expected, I had no encounters this trip to justify anything close to what I had preconceived!

There was a point in our trip where (as an outdoor enthusiast) I went into a local sporting goods store located in the mall, where I happened to walk by the handgun section to notice 3 customers purchasing assorted handguns. I happened to overhear one customer ask what it required, and to my utter shock, the salesperson said "do you have a driver's licence? Then you're all good". The one thing I didn't see during my trip, was any sort of fear, or violence. But it made me realize how the Canadian Government has oppressed the rights of ownership for average Canadians. So needless to say I was a little frustrated with my own Country.

My frustration made me go "off book" in one of the shops we were in, where after some friendly banter between a young saleswomen and my wife and I, I broached the subject of her opinion of conceal and carrying sidearms. Being a 25 year old young lady, I naturally assumed her to be an anti-gun Liberal. Boy did she blow my socks off (funny thing about that statement, we were in a shoe store! lol)! Not only was she pro-gun, SHE had a conceal and carry licence!!! She explained that she had gotten it for protection at 18 when she left home, and then proceeded to ask me about gun laws in Canada.  I have to say I was both so embarrassed and furious at my Countries willful erosion of personal rights that it was getting hard to keep my voice moderate, but I managed to explain all the restrictions, to which she just shook her head and said it seemed "unreal".

Are we too willing up here in Canada to let our Government and it's officials run roughshod over our rights? How did we get to the point that we allow the Government and it's agencies to dictate ownership and self defense right to us? We have gone over the rails, sacrificing personal rights for the appearance of security by Government agencies.

Time to repeal the "do nothing" Gun laws (not all laws do nothing, I believe we should toughen penalties, and laws for crimes committed with a firearm, and allow self defense), to allow Canadians to be free.

Ten thousand regulations.

I was wondering to myself last night: "When was the last time having a police force made me feel safe, rather than nervous?" I was thinking this because I had a dream where I had been given something that I wanted (A handgun from someone who had passed away), but then had fear of the police for not having the "proper paperwork" to even take it home. As someone who tries to abide the law, yet believes in personal freedom this was very conflicting (this was literally a nightmare), simple due to the severely restrictive nature of Firearm's laws in Canada. Even the other day on a Highway trip I knew I wasn't speeding (had the cruise set), yet when the I saw the red and blues come up behind me (and pass me) I had no feelings of safety or protection. What I did get was a ball in the pit of my stomach, even though I knew I wasn't breaking any laws!

Now I've already explained (previous post) how law enforcement is incapable of protecting the citizenry from crimes upon the person, but what they are supposed to do is enforce infractions to the laws, so to be honest the only problem I have with the police in this post is their compliance to enforce laws that actually restrict the freedoms of what we obviously mistakenly think of as a "Free Society". The problem itself comes with the incompetency of (knee jerk) lawmakers who put forward restrictive legislation which only affects those who respect law.  Winston Churchill once said "If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law", and to be honest I believe for a lot of responsible gun owners it has come to that point. We now had the potential for 10,000 "paper criminals" that were facing mandatory time in prison, for owning a firearm that has been recently deemed "scary" (arbitrarily reclassified from non-restricted straight to prohibited) See here.

When did we start giving up freedom for the perception of safety? And let's face facts, right now all you have is the "hope" that some criminal won't somehow victimize you, not the security that they won't (which no one ever has). For one thing penalties for "actual" criminal offences are so short that they are no deterrent for a real criminal, yet there are those that the mere thought of doing something administratively wrong, yet not even truly criminal,  is enough to give them nightmares. Does that sound right for a free society? The Government has the power to either protect rights or oppress them, and in the case of responsible gun owners they have gone the way of oppression.

How safe are you?

This may come across as more personal than political, but remember we live in a society that believes it is "mostly safe" with help from civil &/or Federal law enforcement agencies. This is a dire misconception.

Last night my son and his girlfriend were mugged by a man with a knife as they were out together on a walk.  Thankfully my son took the initiative  and talked his way out out any harm, and in total they only lost the $10 cash they had on them.  It could have been much, MUCH worse, and I am so grateful that he had the wits to handle the situation to what I consider the best possible outcome.

But here's the thing; Where were the police? Could he have called them and not have had this happen?

Look around you for a minute. When you walk down the street, how many people are walking around with you that may be the next "Vince Li"?  Where were the police when Li beheaded his victim?  How about "Luka Magnotta"?  Sure these are extreme cases, but it goes to show that there is a need as an individual to be responsible for your own safety and well being that does not rely on Law enforcement agencies.

Don't get me wrong here, our men and women in uniform deserve both our respect and our support, but I also believe that they deserve a fair assessment of their abilities (because they can't be blamed for things that are beyond their control, like a mugging.) This is because the Police Services (as I have said before) are "reactive", and generally are only called after a situation has already occurred.

This is where I advocate personal defense; not just physical self defense (Although this cannot be left out should the need arise), but the knowledge and ability (assessment) to handle a situation completely to bring out the best outcome.  Because we live in a society where there are criminal elements that prey on those of us that are either unsuspecting or perceived as vulnerable.  I believe your personal safety, is your personal right and responsibility.

I'm proud of my son, he took appropriate measures to not escalate the situation, and took initiative to lead the mugger with a polite manner to accept what little cash they had between them.  They walked out of it with a little less cash, but unhurt.  This isn't always possible though, and I think it important that people know how to defend themselves to whatever point it is necessary to protect themselves and their loved ones.


Update 11:23a.m. June 24;

The RCMP now have an official account on twitter now, and even they acknowledge with a tweet that individuals need to be proactive in their own safety.