We need a program or campaign to educate those ignorant of current gun laws. I had discussions with a co worker starting about a year ago who was telling me he heard automatic machine gun fire in the distance in the woods near his home where there is a spot where locals have built an informal range and have shot their guns for years. He tells me AR type semi automatic machine guns need to be banned, nobody needs a machine gun to shoot a deer. When I told him machine guns have been banned for probably 90 years he said bullshit, I seen them guys more than once with their AR's out there. In his mind any black gun is a machine gun.
I educated him on the differences, still thought I was bs'ing him. Told him if it actually was a machine gun he was hearing that the new gun bans will not stop someone from using them. He says if they are banned how will they get them, I repeated that they are currently banned and have been and that if these 'guys' have machine guns they will not turn them in and these guns are coming into Canada illegally, just like drugs and every other thing that is illegally smuggled in or clandestinely manufactured for the black market. It will not stop with a ban but will only increase as that is what prohibition does with anything ever prohibited and always has. The rules only apply to honest people not criminals and gangs.
Anyway our discussions went on for a while and you could tell it made him mad but some of it was starting to sink in after many discussions. He's the typical uneducated left wing liberal fear mongered victim. We have had many discussions since and his attitude is changing and one day he said yah, the gun laws are a waste of time and money which could be better spent on cracking down on the illegal market and locking criminals up'.
Education is the key to beating this these felonious gun grabs by the left and we somehow have to open the eyes and crack the minds of the thoughtless who have had the wool pulled over their eyes and simply believe a gun ban will fix the problem.
I asked him what he thought about the local Canadian Tire putting hunting knives in a locked display cabinet. He thought it was probably a good idea, might keep some meth head from grabbing one and harming someone else. I then asked him what he thought about the kitchen and butcher knives in the kitchen ware section 2 isles over on open display that anyone could grab, even a 3 year old, he looked at me funny but you could see the light go on in his eyes. Told him it's kind of like guns, some are demonized and others are not, you could see the rusty seized cogs start to turn in his head, but they don't like to admit it.
The general public opposing guns need to be educated, a lot of people supporting or indifferent to the bans only do so because they've only heard one side of the story for decades. It has been ingrained in their minds without question. When they are exposed to a reasonable and undeniable view of the other side of the argument they are opposed to hearing it simply because people don't like being told they are wrong. Somehow we have to get through to these people, they aren't stupid but their ignorance is overwhelming. Writing letters to politicians is a waste of time, they are dedicated only to what gives them the most votes. We have to tap into the voter pool, educate, open their minds to the stupidity of these bans. Only then will the politicians pay attention.
