Editor, the Times;
Re: Wes Morden’s Feb.15 letter to the editor, “Opportunities for the NRA.”
In the USA, the second amendment gives citizens the “right to bear arms.” In Canada, it isn’t a right. It’s a privilege. Buying a handgun in the USA and in Canada are as different as apples and oranges. In many states, to buy a handgun all you need is a current driver’s license for that state and proof that you are a USA citizen. In Canada, you make application with the RCMP for a permit to carry a handgun. This process involves very stringent conditions and a criminal record check.
The difference between the laws of the two countries creates a very lucrative black market sales of illegal unregistered handguns in Canada.
Wes Morden mentions the NRA slogan, “Guns don’t kill people ... people kill people.” I say, “Absolutely correct.”
In this day and age, the gun is just as antiquated a tool as the knife, the spear, and the bow and arrow. Why go to all that trouble when you can go to the local hardware store and purchase everything you need to build a pipe bomb that will wipe out a whole city block?
I beg to differ, Wes. Shutting down the court system is not the answer. However, it certainly is overdue for a change. We need a court system that makes the penalty fit the crime, not just a tax collection agency.
Step #1 should be to reintroduce the death penalty. Step #2 should be to legislate that any terrorist act results in the death penalty. Step #3 should eliminate the “Not guilty due to insanity” ruling. All of these would be just a start.
I noticed that Wes has offered his P.R. services to the NRA, the National Riflemen’s Association, using the same email address that he uses for distributing all his NDP (No Darn Priorities) literature: ww111@commie.com.
Jim Lamberton
The Rambling Man
Blackpool, B.C.