Posted: 22 September 2008 at 11:11am | IP Logged

Wheeljacktoo wrote: In Canada, we are such a decentralized country and filled with so many bureaucracies that each subsection works with a different aspect of imports/exports. The biggest problem, imo, is consistency and politics.  People don't mind or don't know about arms trading, etc. or what governs that.  People are parents and toys that look like guns were once a politics thing because people didn't want kids to emulate violence.  Plus, in the States and Canada (I think) some kids got shot for holding 'gun-lookalike object(s)" So that's why there is a focus on gun toys and not actual guns.  Plus, it's easier to cover as a media person.  Real guns, hmm, people have strong opinions and we cannot be perceived as having strong opinions.  Toy guns?  Ah, ha!  Easy to cover.  Controversial but no heavy duty controversial.  And everyone hates when some government agency overreacts to something like a toy gun.  One that transforms, lol!  This will be easy to write about, report about, etc. note:  It's very difficult in Canada to get a gun.  It is not like the US, where all you need is an ID and 'clean' record.  Seriously, Wal-Mart sells guns in the US.  effed up.

Ah, thats like that Bill Hicks routine about Political Correctness. 'We have a perfect life but its not good enough so lets find something we can take a stand on, rather than, God forbid take a stand about something that actually matters!'

America is silly with its gun laws. The Chartist movement in UK in the 1800s (i think, my history's a bit rusty these days) wanted the right to bear arms as a means of protection, but the government of the time rejected that outright (along with all their other demands), because there was a recognition of what would happen if you gave the proletairiat weapons to "defend themselves with". Its funny that there is generally a lack of gun crime in the UK in Canada. And anywhere else the sale of guns is restricted.

Now, if we could just work out a way to stop these kids killing each other with knives...

Posted: 22 September 2008 at 2:24pm | IP Logged

That sounds like Bill Hicks.  I discovered him just last year through YouTube and the mention he gets in Tool's Aenima album.  I thought from the album, he was made up.  No, he's quite real.

We don't have that many deaths by knives in Canada.  We don't have many murders at all come to think of it.  Too separated, maybe.  But we do have our share of property crime and violence.