There has been much debate over this topic. In the past few days Canada has seen a mass shooting of in excess of 19 victims. This is nothing in comparison to the United States but for Canada, this is devastating. Link to a news broadcast here:
Not long after, our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued another statement about the banning of certain firearms in Canada. Now I am not here to discuss politics, but we do need to take a look at what is a weapon because banning a certain weapon doesn’t take away the desire of some to kill others. So, this leads to the question, is this an effective policy? Will this stop murder? If you remove all the firearms, it will stop shootings. Or would it? I don’t have the statistics on firearms used in a crime and whether they were legally obtained or criminally obtained but that is not what this article is about.
What is a weapon? Is a firearm a weapon? Arguably, yes. A firearm has really only one purpose; to kill. Now a hunting rifle can be used to hunt for food. It is still killing but most of us eat meat so we can understand that. A knife can be used to cut meat, butter bread, cut things to aid in building or creating, but a knife can also be used to kill a person. A hammer can be used to build a house, or it can be used to cave someone’s head in. A shovel can plant a garden, or it can be used to beat someone to death. And on, and on, and on. So, what is a weapon?
In a women’s self defense class, students are often taught to use “improvised weapons”. This term means anything you pick up can be used as a weapon. Anything from a kitchen knife, which would be obvious, to a magazine, to a frying pan, to a tire iron. Anything you pick up can be used as a weapon.
So, what makes a weapon a weapon?
It is the intent of the person holding the item that makes it a weapon or a tool. Intent comes from the person. If people are the issue, why do we think that banning items will stop all this violence. There have been cases where four people in a crowded train station in China have killed a lot more than 19 people and injured many more (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Kunming_attack). If someone really wants to kill someone else, they are going to do it, whether they have a firearm, or a knife, or a shovel, or whatever. Banning items will not stop the violence. There are two things that will, in my opinion:
1) Harsher penalties for people who commit violent crimes.
2) Empower people to be able to defend themselves without fear of prosecution.
For the first point, people need to be punished for what they do, and not for what they could do. Sure, some “weapons” make it easier for someone to kill another. If firearms are the real concern, then why do the statistics show that knives are the bigger issue in Canada. More violent crimes are committed with sharp objects than with guns in Canada. Canadian firearm laws are already quite strict and therefore not as easily available for people to use in violent crimes. As noted by an international news source:
“It is illegal to possess an unregistered handgun or any kind of rapid-fire weapon in Canada. Purchasing a weapon requires training, a personal risk assessment, two references, spousal notification and criminal record checks.”For the second point, Canadian self defense laws are vague at best. I understand that they have to be to an extent so that judges can assess each case based on its own circumstance, but there is a definite feeling in Canada that if you have to defend yourself and you hurt your attacker you face a very real threat of being charged. When I am teaching self defense courses, I point out that depending on where you are and how busy police are, it takes anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes for police to arrive on scene from a 9-1-1 call. Are you able to defend yourself for that long if you have to? You need to be able to follow an active shooter protocol for any violent situation. In any violent situation you have three options:
1) Run – Get away from the attacker.
2) Hide – If you can’t run, hide and barricade yourself in a safe place until help arrives
3) Fight – If neither of the other options are viable then you must fight for your life.
Fighting is always the last option because this isn’t the movies, you are not going to walk away from this situation unscathed, but if you face the real threat of losing your life, or by your inaction, could lose the life of a loved one, you must choose to act.
It is important to note that I am not pro OR anti - gun. I used to own firearms. I have sold most of them. Not because I am morally against them, but because it is a VERY EXPENSIVE hobby that I just can’t afford anymore. I used to practice military style firearms training, how to draw, shoot accurately under stress, transition between primary and secondary firearms. I was quite proficient and have never been in the military. I stopped. I started to understand that this type of training is a waste of time in Canada. This isn’t Texas. Use of any firearm for anything other than hunting or use at a range is prohibited. You will be charged and possibly face jail time if you use a firearm in self defense. Yes, there are one off situations in the Canadian legal system but for the most part that is a true statement. You should spend your time, and your money, learning to defend yourself in more realistic ways.
Getting back to self defense courses, I try to impress on my students that nothing in their hands is a weapon. Everything is a tool. Based on the idea that INTENT is the real weapon, I try to instill in them that if they have to defend themselves and they do manage to pick something up to assist them in this endeavor, there is a high possibility that they could lose that item, that weapon, during the struggle. If they are focused on that item as being their only means of survival, they will shut down at that point. But, if they realize the truth, realize that THEY are the only real weapon, then they will fight until they come out victorious or they cannot fight anymore.
There has been talk around banning certain firearms for years. If they are banned and the violence doesn't stop, then what? Keep banning items? This path does not lead to the intended destination. Taking away “weapons” will not stop the violence. Punish the act. Punish the person. Punishing a thing, an inanimate object, making that thing the evil in the scenario doesn’t take away the initial intent. It doesn’t take away the initial desire to kill another. That is where we should be focusing our efforts. There are evil people in this world. There are also people who become evil due to their actions. If they really want to kill someone, and they don’t have a gun, or a knife, there are a myriad of other tools for them to use to accomplish this.
I tried not the make this a political statement. I’m sure that didn’t work out overly well, but I hope that people understand that bad people are the real threat. An inanimate object isn’t going to spring to life on its own and start killing people. It is the person holding the “weapon” that makes it dangerous. Go after them. Don’t punish people for standing up to them. Train to defend yourself. Train to be strong in every situation. Choose to act! Be a weapon for good!
Brad Dotten
Ronin Combatives