Guns, Guns, Guns, What's the answer?

Since the tragedy at Newtown the issue of gun violence in America has been first and foremost in everyone's mind, and rightfully so. This is just one more incident where innocent lives were destroyed and America's love affair with the gun appears to be the culprit.

Pro gun or anti gun, few are suggesting that the status quo is acceptable after this recent slaughter of the innocent by one unsettled individual. The public and Government both feel an immediate urgency to do something, anything to make America a safer place for its citizens and particularly its children. Unfortunately many of the suggestions on how to prevent future horrific tragedies are based more on raw emotion than they are on actual facts or common sense. Prior to making any decisions the country needs a sufficient period to bury it's dead and to mourn. After that there will be time to determine to think things through and hopefully come up with solution that has some chance of actually curtailing the problem.

In my own humble opinion if America truly wants to ensure that its children are protected from random gun violence simply passing more legislation to control guns is not a stand alone solution that will have any immediate affect. Why? I feel there are a number of reasons

Where's the Justice?

Brian Knight, shown outside the Stettler courthouse with his wife in 2009, will to jail for shooting a thief. CBC
I just read a news article about an Albertan farmer who will be serving 90 days in the slammer for defending his own property from thieves. Here's the article

A central Alberta farmer who shot a man stealing his ATV more than two years ago will serve 90 days in jail.Brian Knight learned his sentence in a Red Deer courtroom Friday after pleading guilty to criminal negligence in January. Justice Monica Bast rejected the defence's argument that the shooting was impulsive, saying she believed Knight was aware to some degree what he was doing.

Knight chased and used a shot gun to fire at a man who was stealing Knight's ATV from his farm near Tees, Alta. In the early morning of March 26, 2009, Knight found three men in his farmyard. Read More

While I fully understand that we do not ever want armed vigilantes wandering our streets, the fact of the matter is that the thief in this case came onto Knights property ( his home) with the sole intention of robbing him. So, how would the justice system have an individual defend his property?

Gun Laws In Canada. Do they actually protect us?

Over the last few months the subject of gun control in Canada has come up in conversation at different times with a two of my associates. Interestingly enough these two individuals voiced opinions that were at two totally different ends of the scale. Funny enough, one from Toronto sat on the side of stronger gun control, while the other, an Albertan felt that there was too much effort on the governments part already.

So, where do I sit on this issue?

Let me start by saying that I am in no way an anarchist, I fully realize that without laws there would be no society. However I am also a firm believer that if a segment of society is creating a problem you deal with that segment in a way that resolves the issue for the rest of society. So, this leads me to believing that in most cases you deal with the criminal, not his tools.

In the case of gun control in Canada I think that the first question one needs to ask is......