LIES! LIES! LIES!

To the Editor:

Does that catch your attention? How about anti-gun groups and a Liberal government that are supporting more gun control using LIES, LIES, LIES?

We live in a society where more than two-million lawfully-licensed firearms owners enjoy their sport day in and day out (that’s more people than play hockey in this country!) AND they are not the ones showing up every week in the paper’s headlines.

A significant number of people reading this right now have very little insight into the current gun laws in Canada and what steps and expense people have to go through to end up the proud owner of a firearm so they can enjoy their sport. And, thereafter, are vetted every day to identify any situation that should cause this ownership to be suspended or revoked.

Those of you unfamiliar with the topic, still must realize that a firearm is just a tool ... just like a knife, a hammer, a chainsaw, a hockey stick, a baseball bat, etc. When a violent crime is committed, it is the CRIMINAL we need to focus on, not the tool. Evil will always be with us ... you cannot outlaw it. What we need to do is tackle the root causes of why this evil exists.

Instead of wasting resources on gun bans and useless bills, such as C-71, that do nothing to address the criminal and gang violence in our cities, the government needs to support resourcing more policing, more border security, more poverty prevention, more mental illness support, more community support for marginalized youth - the root causes that lead to this violence. Focusing on the tool is so wrong and wasteful of scarce resources.

Ask yourself why ...

The maniac who killed many pedestrians in Toronto when he ran them over with a van ... why did the government not push for a ban on vans?

There are thousand of deaths every year from motor vehicle accidents ... why has the government not banned all automobiles or all alcohol?

There are hundreds of rapes every year ... why has the government not required that every male be neutered?

You can see that the logic of focusing on the tool is ridiculous - it is not the problem. Yet that is what this Liberal government is doing ... using a smokescreen in an attempt to convince the ill-informed public that it is doing something meaningful in the fight against gun violence.

You are more intelligent than this government gives you credit for. Do your homework, check the real facts from valid sources. You will see that the lawful firearm owner is NOT the problem. Request that your government focuses on the root cause of this violence and stop wasting time and money trying to further regulate sport shooters, hunters and farmers who are NOT the problem.

Regards
F.R. Vodden
Kincardine