scooter
07-04-2008, 03:50 PM
Firearm owners in the United States have reason to celebrate. Last week in a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Americans have the right to own guns for self-defence and for hunting.
This ruling came about due to a 32-year-old District of Columbia ban on the ownership of handguns in the home -- except by those who owned one prior to the ban. Part of this law also required that any rifles or shotguns kept in a home be registered, kept unloaded and equipped with trigger locks or made unusable by being disassembled.
After the District refused his request to keep a handgun in his home for protection, security guard Dick Heller sued the D.C. government. Winning this landmark victory settled once and for all a long-standing dispute as to exactly what the Founding Fathers of the United States meant when in 1791 they ratified the Second Amendment of the constitution, which reads: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
Some have argued that this meant that the right to bear arms only referred to those serving in the military, and not the individual. Yet this ruling has clearly come down on the right of the individual to own and keep a handgun or other firearms in their home for protection. Part of that also reaffirms that U. S. citizens have the right to own and use firearms for the purpose of hunting.
Will this ruling have much effect on Canadian firearm ownership? As far as can be ascertained, not much, at least not at this time, although it's likely to have an impact on any future efforts to create more stringent gun laws in Canada.
In many ways Canada and the U.S. are different with gun laws. But to see why this is so, we must turn to history to see where these differences originated.
Back in the 1700s, England was a very rich country. Most of that accumulated wealth came about due to the British colonizing many sectors of the world rich in natural resources. The wealth generated by the exploitation of those resources flowed back into England, with large estates and great wealth being created in this manner.
Yet the Founding Fathers of the United States were more than a little upset at this. They felt that they were being taxed and even robbed by those an ocean away of what they considered theirs and theirs alone. Wealth that they generated but that was being taken from them. The result was the Boston Tea Party, the subsequent American Revolution and the formation of a free and independent United States.
We Canadians, on the other hand, tended to go with the flow, accepted the system as it was, and while we consider ourselves more laid back, this may well be simply an excuse for allowing others in the form of large companies, with the blessings of our governments, to profit from our resources and to charge more.
Is this why, despite a dollar at parity, vehicles sell here in Canada for as much as $5,000 more than the same vehicle in the U.S.?
That's changing, (just ask Danny Williams in Newfoundland) but we still have lost a great deal over the years in terms of the rights of the individual versus the large and powerful. In Canada, owning a firearm is considered a privilege, not a right. And we have Bill C-68, which was to cost a mere pittance, but ended up costing taxpayers over $1 billion while doing nothing to reduce the criminal use of firearms.
Both in Canada and the United States, protection of the individual is, first and foremost, up to that individual. While when a home is being invaded one can call 911, it can be from a few minutes to as long as half an hour, especially for those living in the country, before the arrival of the constabulary.
Since 1971, the United States has observed Sept. 23 as National Hunting and Fishing Day. Now Rick Norlock, MP for Northumberland/Quinte West, has made a proposal that will result in a motion to be raised and debated in the House of Commons. The motion calls for the government to designate Sept. 23 as National Hunting, Trapping, and Fishing Heritage Day here in Canada.
To quote Norlock: "This day would be in recognition of the important contributions of Canadian hunters, anglers, and trappers who made the development of our country a reality by mapping and traversing the prairie, forests, streams, and rivers from coast to coast: and in recognition of the important part they play in the sustainability of ecosystems and in the economy of the country."
All too often many of our population do not fully comprehend or appreciate how much our natural resources contribute in terms of the recreational activities involved in hunting, fishing and trapping. Under the management of the DNR, these resources renew themselves each year and contribute greatly in terms of meat for the table, the furs and leather goods that are used by almost everyone, and the jobs created by these activities.
For support of this proposal or for more information call Rick Norlock, MP at 613-483-8181 or e-mail Norlock.R@parl.gc.ca
n Everett Mosher is a Sackville-based writer and avid outdoorsman. His column appears on Tuesdays.
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PUBLICATION: Times & Transcript (Moncton)
DATE: 2008.07.01
SECTION: Sports
PAGE: B3
BYLINE: Everett Mosher Outdoor life
WORD COUNT: 883
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This ruling came about due to a 32-year-old District of Columbia ban on the ownership of handguns in the home -- except by those who owned one prior to the ban. Part of this law also required that any rifles or shotguns kept in a home be registered, kept unloaded and equipped with trigger locks or made unusable by being disassembled.
After the District refused his request to keep a handgun in his home for protection, security guard Dick Heller sued the D.C. government. Winning this landmark victory settled once and for all a long-standing dispute as to exactly what the Founding Fathers of the United States meant when in 1791 they ratified the Second Amendment of the constitution, which reads: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
Some have argued that this meant that the right to bear arms only referred to those serving in the military, and not the individual. Yet this ruling has clearly come down on the right of the individual to own and keep a handgun or other firearms in their home for protection. Part of that also reaffirms that U. S. citizens have the right to own and use firearms for the purpose of hunting.
Will this ruling have much effect on Canadian firearm ownership? As far as can be ascertained, not much, at least not at this time, although it's likely to have an impact on any future efforts to create more stringent gun laws in Canada.
In many ways Canada and the U.S. are different with gun laws. But to see why this is so, we must turn to history to see where these differences originated.
Back in the 1700s, England was a very rich country. Most of that accumulated wealth came about due to the British colonizing many sectors of the world rich in natural resources. The wealth generated by the exploitation of those resources flowed back into England, with large estates and great wealth being created in this manner.
Yet the Founding Fathers of the United States were more than a little upset at this. They felt that they were being taxed and even robbed by those an ocean away of what they considered theirs and theirs alone. Wealth that they generated but that was being taken from them. The result was the Boston Tea Party, the subsequent American Revolution and the formation of a free and independent United States.
We Canadians, on the other hand, tended to go with the flow, accepted the system as it was, and while we consider ourselves more laid back, this may well be simply an excuse for allowing others in the form of large companies, with the blessings of our governments, to profit from our resources and to charge more.
Is this why, despite a dollar at parity, vehicles sell here in Canada for as much as $5,000 more than the same vehicle in the U.S.?
That's changing, (just ask Danny Williams in Newfoundland) but we still have lost a great deal over the years in terms of the rights of the individual versus the large and powerful. In Canada, owning a firearm is considered a privilege, not a right. And we have Bill C-68, which was to cost a mere pittance, but ended up costing taxpayers over $1 billion while doing nothing to reduce the criminal use of firearms.
Both in Canada and the United States, protection of the individual is, first and foremost, up to that individual. While when a home is being invaded one can call 911, it can be from a few minutes to as long as half an hour, especially for those living in the country, before the arrival of the constabulary.
Since 1971, the United States has observed Sept. 23 as National Hunting and Fishing Day. Now Rick Norlock, MP for Northumberland/Quinte West, has made a proposal that will result in a motion to be raised and debated in the House of Commons. The motion calls for the government to designate Sept. 23 as National Hunting, Trapping, and Fishing Heritage Day here in Canada.
To quote Norlock: "This day would be in recognition of the important contributions of Canadian hunters, anglers, and trappers who made the development of our country a reality by mapping and traversing the prairie, forests, streams, and rivers from coast to coast: and in recognition of the important part they play in the sustainability of ecosystems and in the economy of the country."
All too often many of our population do not fully comprehend or appreciate how much our natural resources contribute in terms of the recreational activities involved in hunting, fishing and trapping. Under the management of the DNR, these resources renew themselves each year and contribute greatly in terms of meat for the table, the furs and leather goods that are used by almost everyone, and the jobs created by these activities.
For support of this proposal or for more information call Rick Norlock, MP at 613-483-8181 or e-mail Norlock.R@parl.gc.ca
n Everett Mosher is a Sackville-based writer and avid outdoorsman. His column appears on Tuesdays.
--------------------------------------------------
PUBLICATION: Times & Transcript (Moncton)
DATE: 2008.07.01
SECTION: Sports
PAGE: B3
BYLINE: Everett Mosher Outdoor life
WORD COUNT: 883
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------