If a motorist leaves his car running unattended, with the keys in it, and goes into a convenience store for a quick purchase (this can and does happen) and a "young offender", (who else), jumps in the car and roars off at high speed eventually running a red light and killing two people, they do little or nothing to the teenager and do not even reprimand the car owner. A gun owner goes out of his locked home for a couple of hours, and a thief breaks in and steals a rifle or a shotgun. The thief is subsequently caught, and may or may not have used the guns in a crime. If he tells the police that the gun was easily accessible to him, and not locked up so that it could not be stolen, then the police charge the owner under the criminal code with improper storage. If convicted, the gun owner could receive a five year jail sentence and a $10,000 fine. This would be about five times the penalty that the thief would receive. Do you see anything wrong with this scenario? Mr. Rock does not.
On the weekend of June 29, 1992, Wes Young and Santo Michelin stopped to help a motorist on highway 117 in Ontario. Both 19 year olds were shot n the head with an illegal, unregistered gun. The two murderers were later stopped, by an OPP officer doing a routine check, while driving Michelin's stolen pickup. The officer was shot three times by the thieves, but lived. The thieves were later caught in Hamilton, and were charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. We don't know if they were charged with having an unregistered smuggled hand gun or with using a gun to commit a felony. After much plea bargaining and reduced charges, the one man pleaded guilty to two counts of man slaughter and one of aggravated assault, which could have got him a 39 year jail sentence. HOWEVER, - He will be eligible for "unescorted temporary absence" in March 1996, "day parole" in September 1997, and a "full parole" in March 1998. Do you see anything strange in this scenario? The honorable Warren Allmand says that if you make a murderer serve his 25 year life sentence, then he will become unruly and cause riots! The honorable Mr. Rock says that there is nothing wrong with the justice system, all that is required is to register and then confiscate and destroy the property of the dishonorable seven million law abiding gun owners of Canada.
The Calgary Herald editorial writers say that the gun owners of Alberta "had no interest in democratic dialogue" because we would not be intimidated by Mr. Rock at his recent 'town hall meeting'. These writers, like Mr. Rock, believe that gun owners do not have the same kind of rights that other people take for granted. They say that we declared that gun laws must be "our way or no way". As a matter of absolute fact, this is what Mr. Rock told us. He said yes, he had listened to our views, objections, and advice, and still intended to proceed with his proposed laws as if he had never heard a word. Then why did he bother coming to the meeting? Mr. Rock was given a whole lot more respect and consideration than he has ever extended to the gun owners of Canada.