Rod talks about the normal reaction to gang crime in Canada; the desire to ban guns.
5 million people in peaceful possession?
The 2015 Commissioner of Firearms Report lists the number of individual licenced gun owners in Canada at 2,026,011 individuals. The number 2.1 million quoted in the video is a projection based on a continuation of the historical increase since the last published data at the end of 2015.
The full report can be found here. 2015 Commissioner of Firearms Report
Dr. Gary A. Mauser is a Canadian criminologist and emeritus professor in the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University. He has done extensive research into gun control and firearms law in Canada. The actual number of gun owners in Canada is impossible to know, however his best estimate of the number of Canadians in peaceful possession of firearms in Canada is approximately 3 million.
Politicians punish law abiding gun owners after criminal shootings?
In May 2015, after a gang shoot out in Hamilton Ontario, the mayor’s idea to fix the problem was to prohibit all gun ownership in the City, including otherwise lawful ownership. This is just one example, but unfortunately these types of solutions are regular talking points after gang violence in Canada.
Read the article here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/hamilton-should-ban-guns-mayor-says-1.3080848
Does the simple presence of guns including those owned by lawful owners cause more violence?
We encourage you to read this Canadian Study published in 2015.
Do Triggers Pull Fingers? A Look at the Criminal Misuse of Guns in Canada
The conclusions in this study include “It is irrational to conflate civilian firearm owners with violent criminals. Civilian firearm owners are not embryonic killers—they are exemplary middle class Canadians. Firearms ownership is compatible with and conducive to good citizenship, and, accordingly, Canadian firearms owners are found to contribute substantially to their communities as responsible, law-abiding citizens. Historically, armed civilians have played crucial leadership roles in their communities, including protecting their country from invasion.
The Canadian findings are consistent with international research. Homicide rates have not been found to be higher in countries with more firearms in civilian hands. Nor is there convincing empirical support for most of the gun control measures in Australia, Jamaica, Republic of Ireland, Europe, the United Kingdom or in the United States. In sum, the proposition that restricting general civilian access to firearms acts to reduce homicide rates cannot be empirically justified.”