one of the things my dad got me for christmas was a subscription to Guns ‘n Ammo. this isn’t the first subscription I’ve ever had to it, I don’t know if it will be the last. As a firearms owner and enthusiast, I like it for all the things it has in it that I wish I could own. As someone with a BA in Communication, I like it for the humour I get out of analyzing the ads and the way the American psyche is blatantly and shamelessly revered. As a person having a Master in Public Policy and generally having personal politics that lean more heavily to the left of the spectrum, I can only roll my eyes at most of the opinion and editorial commentary that fills it. This month’s issue, for instance, includes an editorial shaming Illinois for allowing the city of Chicago to put a handgun ban in place and preventing people from trying to own them within city limits. This, the author argues, is a fundamental betrayal of the constitutional rights of everyone to own a gun. Pair this with another article in the issue which makes no bones about saying that every American has widely accepted for decades that a handgun is the optimal and best option for self-defense. When you put those two statements together, you get a better idea of some of the rhetoric that makes up this magazine. just fyi, this is pretty tame compared to some of the other magazines I’ve seen down there…
When you put these statements in a magazine and I read it, it puts me in a weird state of mind. I completely understand where they’re coming from with regards to ownership and use, but i completely disagree with how they’re approaching it.
If I were to go down to the US and strike up a conversation about guns (actually, this past fall my dad and I sort of did with a guy from Alaska who wanted to build a cabin off the grid and stock it with dozens of rifles ‘because you never know’) it would be “yes, I do own them. yes the rules are more stringent in Canada. no it’s not a fundamental right to own them. yes, there is gun control that can be annoying but you learn to live with it.” you get some funny looks from that. what would NOT be included in that conversation is “yes, I own them. no, I don’t believe it’s a fundamental right to own them. yes, I am in favour of registration and control.” then you don’t get funny looks as much as you do incredulity and suspicion.
Actually, that puts me in a minority of owners in Canada too. Most gun owners I know here hate the Gun Registry, want to see it abolished and don’t want to have any more gun control rules put in place. In my opinion, we have the Registry, yes it’s cumbersome but it’s there, deal with it, find a way to streamline it. No, I wouldn’t want to see it abolished. you register your car, you can register your gun. you need to take lessons to drive, you should learn how to properly handle firearms. owning a car and having a license is not a right, it’s a privilege you are awarded after proving that you are competent. In my opinion, the same should be said and done for gun ownership. Do we need more rules? touchy subject. I would say no, just make sure that the ones we have in place right now are better understood.
if I brought this up in the US, I’d probably be branded a Socialist Pinko Lefty Liberal Looney, or whatever they like to call people with rational sense who aren’t Republicans these days. whatever, they can add that to opinions on social programming, taxation and health care.
These are the things that go through my head when I read this magazine. If I only read the reviews and specs articles, then it’s not so bad. at least that way i can ogle at a two page spread of Smith & Wesson 1911s without wondering how many americans will be openly wearing one on their next trip to McDonald’s.
on another note…
one thing I can afford right now: Ruger SR9
one thing I will be able to afford in the future: Gibson Gordie Johnson SGJ Signature
one thing I will probably never be able to afford in the future: Aston Martin DBS Carbon Black edition