It is easy to have an emotional response to an issue like this. On July 22, 2007, Ephriam Brown was playing in his yard in Toronto and got hit in the neck by a bullet as two gangs decided to have a shot at one another. The boy was 11 years old and was killed. His family is from a small town in Newfoundland they started a petition to encourage the federal government to ban handguns. An interesting thing happened the other day when the Mayor of Toronto signed their petion and called the family in Peterview NL and asked if they could combine the two petitions.

Now I don't think a ban will ever happen and I don't think it will stop or even slow the import of handguns. I certainly don't agree the Fed. Gov. should spend a pile of money like the registry fiasco.The Fifth Estate did a documentary which showed just how huge a problem it is south of the border and there appears to be an ample supply. We have a ban on illegal drugs but there's no shortage of them anywhere. However, I do agree with Bentonstocks that a message needs to be sent to the federal government that we need to be tough on crime and particularly handgun offences. Maybe the petions will send that message.

I have three registered shotguns and rifles. Moose license applications just arrived in the mail for next fall. My kids have been shooting at cans at the cabin since they could lift the 22. But there is a time and place.