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Originally Posted by GFG#1
I don't believe that to be true in Canada. Then take into account if those shootings are committed with a legally obtained firearm it is going to be reduced. So far, the info on Tumbler Ridge appears it was not a legally obtained firearm, and the Nova Scotia Shooting was also committed with illegally obtained firearms. The focus should be on disarming criminals and stopping illegal firearms coming into the country.
I am not denying that a firearm is a tool designed for killing, I am denying that most people in Canada that own a gun purchased that with the intent of Killing Humans. It is a tool, used for sport or hunting animals for food/furs.
The way the person who is in control of the tool decides what it is going to be used for, that isn't always what it was designed for. A vehicle might be designed to get from point A to Point B, but it can be used as a weapon.
If you just compare impaired driving to firearm deaths Madd stats say 2025 was the cause of over 500 deaths.
Firearm Deaths in Canada were around 300 with 45-60% of those related to gang activity.
That is only DUI deaths related to vehicles, a lot more people are killed in Canada Every year by a motor vehicle accident.
My son competes in Both Steel Challenge and IPSC, With the new laws IPSC is going to go away as no new people can be introduced to the sport, as under current Laws you can no longer purchase a handgun in Canada. being OK with the government banning items because you don't use them should not be OK.
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I find these sort of responses kind of frustrating, as there seems to be a certain kind of gun owner that just refuses to be honest about what guns are, how dangerous they are, and how laws are actually to their benefit as opposed to their detriment. To be clear, I'm not about taking away your guns. Do your thing. I know a few gun owners who are responsible and level headed about this tool. But you need to be honest with yourself about what you're dealing with. Anyone who can't be shouldn't be trusted with a gun.
Bringing up Tumbler Ridge as an example of "illegal guns" probably hurts your argument more than it helps. For one, how the guns were obtained isnt confirmed (I dont think, maybe today they were). Two, this was a situation where this person was formerly licensed and where legally obtained guns were in their home. This is a mass shooter who was trained and gained experience with legal guns. If it makes you feel better than their license had lapsed, good for you, but not sure how that saves anyone's life.
In terms of deaths or mass killings being lower in Canada than the US, for example. Well, no kidding. That is due to gun laws and gun restrictions. We see it pretty much everywhere in the world: the less restrictions there are, the more deaths there are, and vice versa. Saying "oh well it's not as bad in Canada" is advocating for stricter gun laws.
When it comes to guns vs cars, it's an entirely stupid argument. Cars are a part of life. People drive vehicles for anywhere from minutes to many hours every single day, and there are 25 million+ licensed drivers in Canada. Trying to make some comparison between the two where you just look at total deaths without any consideration of usage is completely silly. In 2017, for example, there were 7.2 vehicle-related deaths per 100,000 licensed drivers. In the same year, there were 36.5 firearm-related deaths per 100,000 licensed gun owners. So like-for-like, guns are at minimum 5x more deadly than a car. And that's not even considering the fact that there are thousands and thousands of cars on the road every single day and the prevalence of actual gun usage accounts for a minute fraction of that. If you could compare deaths per time someone has their hands on a gun vs deaths per time someone has their hands on a steering wheel, you wouldn't even try to make the argument.
Being ok with the government banning things because you don't use them is not OK. You're right. But being ok with the government banning and restricting things because they are a categorically unsafe weapon that designed solely to kill and requires high levels of restrictions and responsibility to use safely, and are overrepresented in deaths compared to their usage, is perfectly acceptable.
If you can't be honest in a conversation about guns you aren't responsible enough to own a gun, period. And since it's a comparison you like, it goes the same for vehicles.