Originally Posted by Shard (Post 11280663)

Fortunately Alan2005 is not here to shoot me down, but I believe these massacres are at least partially attributable to Hollywood and video games which glorify mass violence. Societal change could start there.

Originally Posted by Shard (Post 11280681)

After 33 years, does that not make one "Canadian" - at very least relative to newer immigrants? Particularly as it is a country of immigrants. FN excepted.

Originally Posted by orly (Post 11280686)

Massacres occur from time to time in the first world because of deranged individuals. Even with tight controls you can't stop everything. In lesser developed nations like the USA the massacres happen more regularly because the society as a whole is generally more violent and prone to idiocy. It's not because they have "more guns". There are plenty of guns floating around in Canada, Switzerland, Finland and basically every other country. It's probably because they're just more aggressive and have a misplaced superiority complex and it leeches into everything.

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 11280704)

By what standard is the USA "lesser developed"? It is, for all practical purposes, just like Canada.

Originally Posted by orly (Post 11280708)

As a society? It's laughably backward.

Originally Posted by orly (Post 11280686)

It's not because they have "more guns".

Originally Posted by orly (Post 11280708)

As a society? It's laughably backward.

Originally Posted by Oink (Post 11280720)

I have some guns locked away, but I see them like old toothbrushes, I’m not sure why I still keep them, but they’ve had and probably still have a purpose but I don’t romanticize them.

Originally Posted by Shard (Post 11280780)

It's a big place. I don't think you can say that. Pockets of backwardness at most.

On the video games / movies thing, it's the 1 out of 10,000 that are affected that I am concerned about. Like you, I'm one of the 9999 that are not. Nevertheless, the whole genre seems wrong footed to me. I appreciate that people get a thrill out of it, but that have been conditioned to do so. Maybe in the same way that we all used to laugh at bear baiting or even public executions. I think the future will see violent entertainment as somewhat barbaric.

Originally Posted by Shard (Post 11280786)

I seem to recall on the last guns thread that you were singing the virtues of guns as objects, their workmanship, etc..

Originally Posted by scootb (Post 11280340)

If you don't like it,it's simple to leave!
What gives anyone the right to enter another country and demand that they change their laws because you don't like something?
Typical Brits!
If you are going to live in another country,embrace that culture,and it's laws,if not then you are clearly in the wrong country!

Confused UK you clearly are confused as you would be denied a PAL if you have a criminal record,your partner or even ex partner must sign your application and you must provide references and a letter or report from the police.
AK47's and M16's are fully automatic rifles which are prohibited in Canada,clearly another case of people talking about things that they have no idea about!

Do any of you know any farmers?
I do and their lands and livestock are damaged by coyotes,wolves,cougar,bear,and wild boar,some of these are pack animals,again you would rather have a semi automatic than a bolt or lever action rifle!
Did you also know that semi auto rifles have magazine restrictions in Canada limiting them to 5 rounds?
Again I didn't think any of you did.
So many people are so fast to chirp in their uneducated opinions,it's laughable.

Please if you are going to post about something then at least educate yourselves on it first,is that too much to ask?

Originally Posted by scootb (Post 11280277)

Oh dear more ******* anti's,you lot are everywhere these days.
Have any of you got a PAL?
DO any of you know the process of applying for a firearms license at all?

I own 13 rifles and a shotgun now,5 of those rifles being semi-automatics.
I enjoy target shooting,my kids love target shooting,even the missus enjoys plinking away at targets.
We do NO one any harm,never have a notion to go out and shoot anyone,and when I come home from work my rifles are all still standing in their cabinets without running out shooting at people,imagine that!
Maybe my rifles are just lazy?
Or maybe it's not friggin firearms that kill people,its idiots,criminals that kill people,and if those people are going to kill people they will do it with bombs,knives,cars,bats,whatever.
When I lived in Scotland there were 3 family men beaten to death by teenage gangs after telling the teens to stop kicking car mirrors,no firearms involved at all!

Originally Posted by bats (Post 11280809)

Bit of a rant there. You automatically lose an argument when you rant on.

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 11280671)

I don't think this is a licensing issue. A mad gunman here could apply for a PAL and then buy firearms legitimately. He likely wouldn't be granted a second PAL after a shooting spree but that's a bit stable door. It seems to me that the only way to reduce the number of shooting victims is to reduce the firepower of available weapons and, beyond that, to take the weapons away completely. Even if scootb is responsible, and having a license says nothing about that, there's no way of knowing if other members of his household are responsible, still less his burglars.

This is, as noted above, really a matter for the Canadians, rather than the immigrants. They're comfortable with a reasonable level of random death as part of the price of freedom to keep arms. We only need to be aware of that before moving here.