Realigning Our Sights

Sad to say, Ottawa's coming to a standstill today – and over something as simple as a gun registry.  With all the more significant issues going on in the country, but avoided in this town, we are going to permit ourselves to be dominated for a time with something the present government has determined to be of primary concern in Canada.Though difficult to understand in all this “fog of war” the Conservatives have unleashed in the last few weeks, let’s put things in something of a perspective prior to the vote this evening.Often lost in this process has been the development of numerous and diverse initiatives to register or control both long guns and hand guns around the globe.  In Australia, each firearm purchase requires a “genuine reason” for its purchase and a waiting period of 28 days.  In China, most firearms are banned, as they have been in England and Wales since 1997.  Finland requires a separate license for each person, even among family members.  In Japan, handguns are prohibited and long guns tightly registered and regulated.  Germany has now passed legislation to implement an electronic, nationwide registry of all weapons and has approved random inspections of the homes of gun owners.Perhaps the most significant development in gun control is occurring in Europe, where EU legislators overwhelmingly backed tough new gun control rules.  To keep such rules consistent across all 27-member countries, each state is obliged to establish a computerized database of firearms, including details about their model, caliber, serial number, and the names and addresses of both the seller and the buyer.So, we’re not alone, and neither are we adopting some of the more extreme measures taken by some other nations.We should also remember that each time the Prime Minister or someone in his caucus states that the other parties are “undemocratic” for whipping the votes for the registry, the Conservatives themselves are in fact whipped in the opposite direction.  There isn’t a single person in the House of Commons that doesn’t know the government has whipped its members to kill the registry at all costs.  I have mentioned in these pages previously that I have spoken to government MPs who have listened to their police chiefs and wish to keep the registry.  The idea that the government members can vote freely is simply untrue.While some opposition members intend to switch their votes in order to support the registry, it’s vital to understand what drove many of them to it.  Though the government has labeled them turncoats, the truth is that they have been treated more like clay pigeons.  Millions of dollars in Conservatives ads and threats have been posted throughout those members’ ridings.  Such campaigns have debased our political system, and, perhaps more importantly, angered the MPs and their constituents.  By using their traditional means of bludgeoning opponents, the Conservatives may have unintentionally brought about the opposite of what they intended.Many of us are just confused by all of this.  There are strong opinions on both sides – that’s only natural.  But why the need to humiliate members in their own ridings?  How can a government that accuses opposition parties of not supporting our troops in Afghanistan then turn around and not support the police officers and chiefs of the land?  Does it make sense that a government endorsing the need for alleviating women’s security in a place like Africa nevertheless refuses the counsel of a multitude of women’s groups right here in this country, asking that it keep the gun registry for their safety?This is a tempest in a tea party.  Canadians are being whipped into a frenzy by a government that refuses to acknowledge similar developments around the world, or the deep and abiding anguish faced by women across this land caught in domestic abuse situations.Keep all this in mind as you are watching the vote.  It’s not worth all the fuss.  It’s the government playing with your head and your fears.  Differences in opinion we can handle and respect; playing with people’s insecurities in such demeaning ways only insults us as Canadians.  Watch it if you must, but when it’s over, let’s get back to creating jobs, improving our environment, guaranteeing pensions, reforming healthcare, and providing adequate drug coverage for seniors.  Our sights are off and we’re missing the target.