There is no conceivable reason why an ordinary person needs a handgun, writes Tony Keene.
This column is an opinion by Tony Keene, a veteran reporter with daily and weekly newspapers and national wire services. He served for more than four decades as a military reservist and took part in, and wrote about, multiple missions in Canada and abroad. For more information about CBC’s Opinion section, please see the FAQ.
The government has finally moved to ban military-style assault rifles. Great. So now let’s go to the next step, a complete and comprehensive ban on the sale and ownership of all handguns.
There is no conceivable reason why an ordinary person needs to own a handgun. No reason whatsoever.
Those of us trained in the use of handguns (and I mean properly trained, by the police or the military, not just a weekend course at the local gun club) know that the armed amateur is dangerous. A police officer on a gun call does not want Citizen Rambo whipping out a personal gat to come to their assistance. That officer needs a clear field of observation and fire, and only one potential threat.
Likewise, the term “shooting yourself in the foot” is not just a metaphor. Military medics know well that when you draw a pistol in a panic, the first round sometimes goes through your foot. Or an innocent bystander. If you keep it tucked into your waistband, it will go through something else, but that’s another story.