“You don’t need an AR-15 to take down a deer,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in his press conference of May 1st, 2020.

To that I say: “You don’t need a Hennessey Venom (with a top speed of 301 kph) to travel at 120 kph.”

That is the upper limit of any highway speed in Canada. Nor do you need a Bugatti, a Tesla Roadster, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Maserati or Lamborghini, etc. All vehicles legal to drive in Canada. Let’s be honest: these are beautiful cars, but they are not purchased for their sleekness—they are purchased for their speed. And driving at the speeds these cars are capable of, is illegal, dangerous and, at times, lethal.

So, why are certain guns now deemed illegal, when these cars are not? We all know that fast cars, or cars driven too fast, result in thousands of deaths in Canada every year.

“Assault” style rifles have caused less than 50 deaths in the last thirty years.

But, you say, the owner can take his spiffy expensive racing-style car to a track, have fun, and race safely. Then drive sedately home. An AR-15 owner can take his gun to a shooting range, or his own 2000 acres, have fun, and shoot safely. And then lock the rifle away in the mandatory gun-safe.

(Apparently shooting off a lot of bullets very quickly is fun. Apparently driving really fast is fun. Personally I would rather go, slowly, and pick up a bunch of plants in my old SUV.)

But guns get stolen, fall into the wrong hands, are used to kill. Expensive sports cars get stolen, are then driven by idiots and cause death. Am I missing something?

I do not own a rifle on the Prime Minister’s list of 1500 banned weapons, and I don’t want to. I have never shot one, and I never want to.

I also don’t own a Maserati—but I would love to. I have nothing against fast cars. I am writing this merely for comparison purposes, and to identify the shortcomings of the proposed law.

I am just pointing out how idiotic, close-minded and inherently unfair the proposed ban on guns is. Guns do not kill people. People do. And the people who want to do that, will continue to do so, as long as illegal guns are available. Illegal means guns smuggled in from the USA. Although the law exists, in the form of C 17, the Liberal government has done nothing to enhance border inspections.

Today, in Canada, the purchase of firearms is restricted to people with Firearms Acquisition Permits, which can only be obtained by people who have taken and passed a Firearms use Program and have passed a security/police background check. I personally think that a background check should include a review of mental health, but apparently that is a violation of privacy and unconstitutional. Really? Taking away personal possessions is not?

Anyone with a million dollars can purchase a world-class racing car. No background checks required. Gun owners are required to report any theft of rifles or ammunition. Rifles used in the fatal incidents in Canada involving high-speed rifles were not stolen. Some were acquired before the strict background checks which are now in place. And some were smuggled. I do not believe any were stolen. Gun owners are like Maserati owners—they keep things safe.