Regulation of stricter Gun Control in Canada

Gun control in Canada has been a controversial issue since it was imposed in 1892 by the Criminal Code. Many parties such as anti-gun-control lobbyists challenge stricter gun control while others believe in more strict laws for firearms. Historically, Canada has always had more rigid gun laws and regulation of weapons over the United States. Canadian firearm law is regulated by the federal government. In 1991, Bill C-17 promoted stricter guns laws and required individuals to obtain a criminal record check to acquire firearm However, in 1995 the Liberal government called for the registration for all firearms. Prior to 1892, any individual carrying a firearm without reasonable cause was imposed to six-month sentence. Since 2001, federal gun control legislation passed Bill C-68 which requires all gun owners to obtain a license to possess and acquire firearms. In 2005, roughly 16% of households in Canada possess some form of firearm. Due to the fact that homicide rates are dropping, gun laws disproportionately affect law-abiding citizens and gun control does not address the root causes of gun crimes, increased gun control in Canada not justifiable.

The population of Canada in 2012 was 35 million people and there are about 2 million gun owners. Over the past decade, gun crimes in Canada have plummet. According to statistics Canada in 2006, there was a homicide rate of 0.58 per 100,000 population. On the other hand, the United States stood at 3.40% of firearm related homicides per 100,000 population. In 2006, there were 190 homicides due to firearms which decreased by 16% from 2005 (Statics Canada, 2013). However, vast majority of homicides committed in Canada are not due to firearm but other weapons such as knives. Statistics C...

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...n promoting stricter gun laws, government needs to find out what is causing the problem and addressing it. Parents need to take into consideration what video games there children are playing and which movies they are watching. Spending too much time examining and enforcing stricter gun laws can be costly, while taxpayer’s wealth money can be used on drug warfare or other beneficial objectives for the country. An alternative for strict guns law is a stiffer prison sentences for individuals who commit a crime with a firearm and therapy for the mentally ill. Wayne LaPierre introduced the famous quote “Guns do not kill people, people kill people.” The quote demonstrates that firearms cannot kill an individual without a human intervention. Rather than screening firearms in a negative light, individual should change the concept of human nature from violence to peaceful.