Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Destination: Sanity


By Miss Kubelik

We cats are heading for Canada soon, and we're looking forward to it. It'll be fun to watch the Three Amigos confab through the eyes of Canadian media, and there's some amusing fighting going on within the out-of-power Conservative Party (a Senator has called for a review of the ever-unappealing Erin O'Toole's leadership, and in response, O'Toole has tossed her out of the caucus). Plus, the food in Montreal is good.

It will also be a relief to be in a country that doesn't have a ton of folks carting AR-15s around. (We have no prediction on the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, except to say that we're braced for a travesty. In the meantime, we're awfully tired of seeing his bratty little face in our news feeds.)

The Globe & Mail nailed the whole Rittenhouse situation in their editorial yesterday. Happy to share it while we head off to pack.

"In the Canadian context, [what happened in Kenosha] is utter madness. It is also completely illegal.

"Yes, several million Canadians own firearms, and hunting is a popular and legitimate activity. There are hurdles to be cleared before owning a rifle, including a safety course and background checks. There are additional hurdles to acquire restricted weapons, such as handguns.

"But if a Canadian goes to a public place while carrying a firearm — if they take their legal rifle anywhere other than hunting or to the shooting range — they are going to be arrested, charged and convicted so fast it will make their head spin. Every legal gun owner knows that, and the vast majority have no problem with it. There are strict rules on storing and transporting guns — and a ban on carrying in public, whether openly or concealed. That doesn’t end all crime or prevent the smuggling of illegal weapons, but on balance, it makes interactions with our fellow citizens less fraught with danger.

"That’s the Canadian verdict on Kenosha." We cats PURR.

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