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ILLEGAL GUN? GO TO JAIL!

I see that the Toronto and Montreal city councils are going to petition Ottawa for an all-out ban on handguns, with the exception, of course, for those who require them for law enforcement or military purposes. How would this have an effect on the use of handguns in the commission of a crime? Legal owners of handguns presently go through an extensive screening process to actually acquire one. And how and where they use those legal handguns is extremely restricted and regulated. How many criminals take the time and effort to go through the arduous process to legally possess a handgun? I suspect none of them. Rather than advocate for an outright ban on handguns, why don’t the Toronto and Montreal city councils press the feds to create a Criminal Code offence that would impose a jail term of five or 10 years minimum for anyone in simple possession of an illegally obtained handgun, whether or not that handgun was used in the commission of a crime? Perhaps then the message might finally sink into those thick- skulled wannabe criminals who might come to the conclusion that the spectre of facing a lengthy jail term may outweigh the thrill of having an illegally obtained handgun.

BOB GRUNDIE

(That wouldn’t stop all criminals from carrying a gun but it would surely deter some punks.)

TROUBLE WITH THE TREES

Rational people, this is for you. Irrational people, you may want to skip over this one. We have all heard by now Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity: repeating the same actions expecting a different outcome. Climate change deniers and Donald Trump supporters say these wildfires on the Pacific Coast have nothing to do with the climate. But according to these same people, what is to blame are environmentalists for not allowing corporations to chop down all the trees. See, according to Ryan Zinke in the Trump administration, if the trees were not there then they would not burn down. Well, aside from the obvious nonsense of this statement, Mr. Zinke seems to ignore that trees circulate the majority of oxygen in our atmosphere. So Mr. Zinke, without trees the human race would have a little difficulty breathing. A few days after that, Mr. Trump tells us the climate has nothing to do with these fires but Canada is to blame for this catastrophe. So fellow Canadians, including those who support Trump, and those who deny climate change, how do you like being blamed for all fires, all the smoke choking our air in the atmosphere, and for those with air conditioning your increase in electrical bills? Climate-change deniers and Trump supporters, what do you think of what Einstein said of insanity? I guess we’ll find out in two years from this November. But if Trump wins at that time, don’t complain about anything bad that may come your way because remember, you asked for it by not learning your lesson.

CHRIS NEVEU

(What a crazy world.)