rob@arcsun.UUCP (02/25/87)
The topic of Canadian culture has been fairly well flogged recently, and seems to have descended into train anecdotes, but Jim Robinson and others have brought up the topic of handguns: In article <2751@hcrvx2.UUCP>, jimr@hcrvx2.UUCP (Jim Robinson) writes: > >... Compare the crime rates and the rates of ownership > >of handguns, and again you see cultural values being manifest. > > Handguns are effectively illegal in Canada so it seems rather unlikely > that Canadians would magically develop an affinity for them due to free > trade; especially since this country was not borne out of a revolution > nor did it have a "wild west" frontier type past. Some Canadians do have an affinity for handguns. The fact that they are essentially illegal keeps them from foisting their affinity on the rest of us. On the other hand, why should the U.S. weapons industry sit back quietly when a supposed "free" trade agreement will not let them sell us a product which is legal in the U.S.? In all likelihood, the gun lobbyists will use the Americans natural love of firearms to get handgun laws on the bargaining table. In a wild-west town like Calgary, the thought of easier access to guns is scary. Rob Aitken "All I know is what my Daddy taught me -- the right to bear arms" - anonymous Calgarian, TV news
chapman@fornax.uucp (02/26/87)
> > Handguns are effectively illegal in Canada so it seems rather unlikely > > that Canadians would magically develop an affinity for them due to free > > trade; especially since this country was not borne out of a revolution > > nor did it have a "wild west" frontier type past. > > Some Canadians do have an affinity for handguns. The fact that they are > essentially illegal keeps them from foisting their affinity on the rest of > us. On the other hand, why should the U.S. weapons industry sit back quietly > when a supposed "free" trade agreement will not let them sell us a product > which is legal in the U.S.? In all likelihood, the gun lobbyists will use the > Americans natural love of firearms to get handgun laws on the bargaining > table. In a wild-west town like Calgary, the thought of easier access to > guns is scary. > > Rob Aitken > "All I know is what my Daddy taught me -- the right to bear arms" > - anonymous Calgarian, TV news I'll say! One of my more vivid memories of the states comes from one of my visits to San Francisco. Just south of the city I passed this store with a big sign reading "GUNS & LIQUOR" Just what we need. *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***
jimr@hcrvx2.UUCP (Jim Robinson) (02/26/87)
In article <174@arcsun.UUCP> rob@arcsun.UUCP writes: >In article <2751@hcrvx2.UUCP>, jimr@hcrvx2.UUCP (Jim Robinson) writes: >> >... Compare the crime rates and the rates of ownership >> >of handguns, and again you see cultural values being manifest. >> >> Handguns are effectively illegal in Canada so it seems rather unlikely >> that Canadians would magically develop an affinity for them due to free >> trade; especially since this country was not borne out of a revolution >> nor did it have a "wild west" frontier type past. > >Some Canadians do have an affinity for handguns. The fact that they are >essentially illegal keeps them from foisting their affinity on the rest of >us. On the other hand, why should the U.S. weapons industry sit back quietly >when a supposed "free" trade agreement will not let them sell us a product >which is legal in the U.S.? In all likelihood, the gun lobbyists will use the >Americans natural love of firearms to get handgun laws on the bargaining >table. In a wild-west town like Calgary, the thought of easier access to >guns is scary. Considering that handguns are illegal in New York state I don't think Canada would have any problems defending her position. J.B. Robinson
henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) (02/26/87)
> Some Canadians do have an affinity for handguns. The fact that they are > essentially illegal keeps them from foisting their affinity on the rest of > us. On the other hand, why should the U.S. weapons industry sit back quietly > when a supposed "free" trade agreement will not let them sell us a product > which is legal in the U.S.? ... There are areas in the US that have handgun laws every bit as restrictive as those in Canada, so this is a non-issue. (It should be noted that Canadian gun laws inconvenience law-abiding target shooters and hunters a whole lot more than they inconvenience criminals...) -- Legalize Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology freedom! {allegra,ihnp4,decvax,pyramid}!utzoo!henry