Stop coddling crime and gun love. Ban handguns, Sept. 26

I was introduced to firearms at a young age and taught to respect them. I got my first BB gun at age 8 and a .22 at age 13. We had a shooting club when I was in Scouts.

Since then I have acquired a collection with an estimated value of $50,000. The firearms are all stored as required by the Firearms Act. I target shoot competitively and for fun. I do not hunt and live in an urban area. I belong to three local gun ranges. I reload my own ammunition and have several thousand dollars invested in equipment as well as holsters and related items to compete.

I served in the RCMP for 35 years and never once encountered an incident where an AR 15 “assault rifle” was used. Nor am I aware of any incidents where one was used in Canada. Any shooting incidents I attended were perpetrated by individuals who did not have a firearms licence and who were not allowed to possess a firearm.

The majority of RCMP members are not firearms experts by any stretch as is demonstrated at our annual qualification where numerous unsafe practices were observed, including pointing a loaded 12-gauge shotgun at other members.

My firearms have never shot anyone. They have enjoyed occasional trips to various ranges a couple of times a month. They are well cared for and looked after.

Why should I surrender my handguns and assault rifles just because local gangbangers and those bent on evil choose to use firearms to do their deeds? I haven’t broken any laws. My firearms aren’t endangering anyone.

Does anyone really think that further restricting law-abiding Canadians of the pleasure of owning firearms for hobby will deter criminals from acquiring handguns? The vast majority of these handguns flow through our relatively porous border, despite the inaccurate report by the Toronto Police Service.

Stop making legal firearm owners the victims.

Dave Jones, Langley, B.C.

Heather Mallick seems to think that banning guns would stop gun violence in Toronto.

Most do-gooder laws exacerbate the problems they try to solve, and banning guns completely would cause more problems than registering them.

I don’t think much of the American right wing, but they have it right when they say “if guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.”

Andy Turnbull, Toronto

No ones does hysteria quite as well as Heather Mallick, but this column of hers really takes the cake. As a long-time firearms owner, I take exception to the following: “Private handguns are different. Used for crime, they are American in nature, making murder easier, faster and more thoughtless.“

I have had a restricted possession and acquisition licence (RPAL) since I was 18 and never committed a crime. Suggesting that constantly screened RPAL holders are criminals is just not supported by the facts or the licensing program itself.

The idea that pistols are “American in nature” is simply puerile. My Glock 17 was made in Austria and my Browning Hi-Power in Toronto. So much for being just an American thing.