Another interesting interview on how the law is enforced indiscriminately in Canada.....
Where's the common sense? : Prime time : SunNews Video Gallery
Where's the common sense? : Prime time : SunNews Video Gallery
Canada's laws on the storage and handling of guns and ammunition are so complicated that a veteran judge needed to adjourn court to allow two experienced lawyers more time for legal arguments and a search of case law to help parse and dissect them.
Mr. Mahler said Mr. Thomson was "less than forthcoming" and "secretive" when police arrived. He suggested Mr. Thomson even picked up the spent shell casings from his porch and hid them in his bedside table.
Seeming confused, Mr. Thomson said he didn't understand.
"Didn't they fall to the ground?" Mr. Mahler asked, apparently thinking shell casings from a .38-calibre revolver were ejected from the gun with each shot.
"No," said Mr. Thomson as the crowd of gun advocates watching from the public gallery chuckled and guffawed at Mr. Mahler's mistake.
Spent shells from a .38 remain in the gun's cylinder until it is opened and they are removed. Mr. Thomson took the casings out at the same time he opened the gun to reload it, which was at the bedside table, where the casings were when police arrived, he said.
The judge MUST be a Liberal appointee, or he'd have already sent these dummies home with their tails between their legs, and dismissed all charges.....as well as issued an apology to Mr. Thompson.
I agree the whole ordeal is a sham but I think it's a bit of a stretch to imply the judge is some sort of McGuingty shill. Seems to me, this is one of the last steps toward his eventual exoneration.
I sure hope so....but I'm laying no bets.
More Lorne Gunther.
Yes, I'm obsessed. So Sue me!
Lorne Gunter: Canada’s laws on the safe storage of firearms need clarifying | Full Comment | National Post
I agree the whole ordeal is a sham but I think it's a bit of a stretch to imply the judge is some sort of McGuingty shill. Seems to me, this is one of the last steps toward his eventual exoneration.
My understanding of law is as follows.....
non restricted firearms have to be either in a secure locked container, OR disassembled in a way that makes them impossible to fire, OR trigger locked. They must be stored unloaded, with the ammunition stored in another place.
restricted firearms must be locked, unloaded, in a secure container.
If the container is a safe designed for the containment of firearms, ammunition may be stored in the safe as well.
That's how I understood it, and taught it.
First of all, it's not a good idea to lie to the cops or lawyers.
I think it's pretty obvious that he didn't attempt to call 9/11.
He couldn't get his phone working? If the lines were down, that can be checked. If he couldn't get it working because of his emotional state, it's going to be difficult to make the argument that he wasn't able to operate the phone, but had no trouble locating his guns, loading them, and firing shots.
But, it's sad that he feels compelled to lie about this. He shouldn't have to.
His home was being attacked, and his dogs were at risk. If, as he says, they were only warning shots, I think he acted responsibly.
He took the necessary action to protect his property and dogs, while not putting lives at risk.
If however, he aimed at the attackers, then he has crossed a line. Lobbing these bombs at his house is a serious crime, but it does not warrant a death sentence. No reasonable jury will believe that his life was in danger. No one will believe that police and fire would not respond in enough time to ensure his safety. Furthermore, with his video surveillance equipment, he can easily see when the attackers leave, and exit his home at that time.
Absolutely, they have to be stored that way...... but my point is that you have to take it out of the box to use it or clean it ect....or protect yourself with it like the gentleman did.
Pretty hard to replace the bolt in a bolt action after cleaning it with a triger lock in place.
I've alway stored my ammunition and reloading powder and primers in a locked mini fridge (with the compressor and freon removed:smile with a 25 watt light buld on all the time to throw just enough heat to keep everything nice and dry in the basement...also have a 25 watt bulb in the gun locker.
Doesn't dry firing a firearm damage the firing pin? I never did it when I owned firearms.
Also do you have loaded firearms laying around your house? I stored my firearms unloaded and the safety on, with my ammo in a locked tool box. If I owned firearms today, I'd probably keep them in a locked room. My main fear isn't someone trying to kill me and having a firearm ready for self defense, but a child playing with a loaded firearm and shooting themselves or someone else by accident.
This week, a toddler fatally shot himself after finding a gun in his parent's car. According to Jackson, Miss., authorities, the 3-year-old was sitting in the car at a gas station when he found the gun in the front seat and shot himself in the face. Police questioned the boy's parents, but no charges have been filed. But these aren't freak accidents. More than 500 children die annually from accidental gunshots. Some shoot themselves, while others kill friends or siblings after discovering a gun. Here are more scary stats: Americans own 200 million firearms, and 35 percent of homes contain at least one gun. Last year, a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found more than 1.7 million children live in homes with loaded and unlocked guns.
Gun Accidents Kill 500 Kids a Year | momlogic.com
Causes of Death > Accidental Firearm (that's 0 - 18 years)In 2000, 174 children (0-18) in the United States died from unintentional firearm-related injuries. Unintentional injuries are usually caused when children play with guns or are hunting.
Will he even have any money left by the time the exoneration occurs?8O
George Jonas: The state’s protection racket | Full Comment | National Post..........the law is in the hands of citizens in free societies. Citizens delegate the powers of law enforcement to the police, not the other way around. Whatever a cop could legitimately do to prevent Mr. Thomson’s farm house from being firebombed, Mr. Thomson can do himself. And if he does, the state must pin a medal on Mr. Thomson instead of mobilizing gowned minions and martinets to obfuscate him into oblivion.
There’s a Kafkesque provision in the Criminal Code that makes it unlawful for gun owners to store their ammunition in the same hemisphere as their weapons — certainly not close enough for a gun to be of any but decorative use. The mere fact Mr. Thomson had time to fire indicated to the prosecutor he must have broken the law. Anyone who obeys, couldn’t have. Gotcha!
After counsels’ submissions, the judge adjourned till the summer. Evidently, he needed a few months to figure out just how much of an ass the law really is — a luxury not available to Mr. Thomson, who would have had to decide the same thing in seconds while being firebombed.
Not a clue, he could always try suing the crown for malicious prosecution.
Laws are patterned to prevent irresponsible behaviour from doing harm to innocents OR they should be!
This man fulfilled his obligations to the extent he satisfied all legal requirements for ownership of the various guns in his possession so could we not assume he hadn't been on the police radar as it applied to his firearms prior to this event?
Multiple miscreants who have the time to light off a FEW firebombs of the molotov cocktail variety have displayed their intent on doing harm. Had the home owner merely stayed within his dwelling; it would be small comfort to him that they be charged with actual murder after the fact.
Second guessing all of this is a luxury he didn't have at the time and it would be the rare individual indeed who, owning firearms and having access to them while faced with this set of circumstances would simply rely on a 911 call.
I daresay anyone indulging in the legal ownership of firearms, faced with similar circumstances would have reached for the biggest baddest weapon in his arsenal and perhaps even fired from cover within the house. I'd be arguing the merits of his behaviour on running outside to confront with weapon in hand and STILL having to fire off a shot or two to get their attention focused on their eminent demise if they continued throwing firebombs. These guys were determined A-holes!
Seems to me much has been made of the laws and not enough about the circumstances leading up to this confrontation. These guys were targeting him and with police mere minutes away he had only seconds to confront guys who came with structured firebombs intent on burning his house with him in it.
Hope the judge rules he broke the law and fines him an amount to make an example of him (hundred bucks oughta do it) with a suggestion that he sue his protagonists for compensation in the amount of his legal fees and hardship endured when they are found guilty of attempted murder.
First of all, it's not a good idea to lie to the cops or lawyers.
I think it's pretty obvious that he didn't attempt to call 9/11.