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Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen
Even if they don't act as a deterrent, what about recidivism rate? Somewhat stands to reason that if you have a career criminal get busted with a crime and gets a light sentence he'll be back on the streets a lot sooner if he was forced to spend the next 20 years in jail due to a mandatory minimum.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by burn_this_city
Severe mandatory minimum for possession of an illegal/stolen/imported handgun might make these guys weigh carrying vs spending 10 years in prison. Right now it looks like the max is 5-10 years depending on the offense.
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Regardless of desire for them, the courts in Canada are not allowing mandatory minimums. They started overturning them when Harper tried to institute them and they haven't stopped since. The rules around credit for time served and statutory release are also most likely sticking around. And if people wanted some sort of US type three strikes and it's life rule, chances are a Canadian court would never uphold that.
If the Liberals tried to make an exception and introduce a minimum 10 year sentence for possession of a firearm without a license, it would get tossed in a heartbeat. The justification that would most likely be used by the court is that while it could be used to sentence a gang member with a smuggled Glock in his car, it would also be used against the license holder who had a lapsed license and was only a paper criminal.