Posted on 10/25/2005 12:47:23 PM PDT by cope85
Martin to press Rice to help stop U.S gun smuggling
Alexander Panetta Canadian Press
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Paul Martin says the Americans have an obligation to help stop the smuggling of guns into Canada.
Martin made the comment Monday as his government prepares a series of gun-control initiatives aimed at curbing a wave of violence in Toronto. Those measures, which sources say could include suing U.S. weapons manufacturers, will be announced next month. But the prime minister used a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to press the issue immediately.
He said the Americans expect Ottawa to help keep their borders secure and Canada expects the same in return.
"The Americans ask us to do things in terms of the border; I think there's an obligation on their side to work with us to prevent gun-smuggling into Canada," Martin told a news conference.
The prime minister said up to half the gun crimes in Canada involve weapons smuggled from the United States.
One federal source said the government could file lawsuits against gun manufacturers when they lose track of those weapons.
"If (gunmaker) Smith & Wesson says to us, 'Well, we're not responsible for tracking the weapons once they leave our factory' - that's not good enough guys," said the official.
"At some point in time there's a breach.
"These guns aren't ending up in the hands of folks in Canada by accident. So the question is where did this thing fall apart?"
The official said Ottawa won't take kindly to the suggestion that the guns are being stolen: "If that's the case, start protecting your shipments. Get a Brinks truck."
But federal border agents say they're puzzled by attempts to blame the United States for Canadian gun crime.
They point out that the United States has agreed to open a Toronto office of its Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Department and has promised to share more ballistics data with Canadian authorities.
The national president of the Customs Excise Union said Canada should add border patrols and arm its agents - not point the finger southward.
"We find it difficult to understand why we would count on another country (to stop gun-smuggling) for us," said Ron Moran.
"There's a series of shortfalls on the Canadian side that need to be addressed."
Moran said half the illegal guns in Canada are stolen in Canada, and half are smuggled from south of the border - hardly the Americans' fault.
U.S. ambassador David Wilkins has also called such criticism unfair and officials at the U.S. embassy repeated their position.
But one senior federal official said Canada is only doing the same thing the U.S. does when it's unhappy with Canadian public policy.
"The U.S. doesn't hesitate to speak out about our domestic policies where they feel they have an interest at stake - such as combatting (marijuana) grow ops (and) defence spending," he said. ...Continued
"Fair enough. By the same logic, we will not hesitate to point out that gun crime is an issue of growing concern to Canadians."
The federal government earmarked $433 million over five years for border security in the last federal budget.
That will pay for 270 more border guards - including an 11-member special unit responsible for gun-smuggling investigations.
Martin spoke amid concern about continuing gun violence in Toronto.
Another three men were killed in gun attacks on the weekend - bringing the year's homicide total to 64, with the number of deaths by firearms climbing to a record 44.
One senior Liberal source said political focus groups show gun violence is a front-centre issue for Toronto voters.
A federal election is only weeks or months away - and Toronto has more federal seats than any other city in the country.
The Conservatives dismissed Martin's tough talk as domestic politics designed to gain votes in Toronto.
"I know that this guy governs completely by polls and reacts to whatever the issue of the day is," said Tory deputy leader Peter MacKay.
"But I think he's got enough on his plate that he should be raising (with Rice), most importantly softwood lumber."
If it's the guns' fault, then why blame the gun manufacturers?
"But I think he's got enough on his plate that he should be raising (with Rice), most importantly softwood lumber."
And that would be a good thing to raise. I can't understand why we have laws restricting the import of lumber.
Maybe Toronto cops should actually investigate the murders and arrest the murderers, the guns didn't pull their own triggers.
Martin's liberals waste all their enforcement money on their lovely National Gun Registry.
Canadians should be prepared for wide-ranging boycotts if this happens.
maybe, but all the gun crimes in canada, ARE IN CANADA
"If (gunmaker) Smith & Wesson says to us, 'Well, we're not responsible for tracking the weapons once they leave our factory' - that's not good enough guys," said the official.
Huh? What does he expect them to do? If they want to track them, they should do it themselves.
Martin is Canada's biggest embarrassment. He and the federal government have only themselves to blame for this. They have no moral standing to lecture the U.S. about policing its borders when they refused to help keep terrorists out after 9/11.
WTO
American gun manufacturers should not be doing business in Canada. They can't sue them in Canada, if they aren't in Canada.
It's not our fault that Canadians want to shoot each other.
There should be a trade off: we help Canada stop the smuggling of guns, Canada helps us with the smuggling of pot.
Specifically, Canada cracks down on pot growing and selling in British Columbia.
Irrespective of that, though, the impetus behind this particular effort is racism. Canadians appear to be most fearful of black men with guns~!!
They think we know something about how to control the situation.
I think that a free, armed people have a DUTY to help arm neighboring people who are disarmed by an oppressive government.
They are talking about suing American gun manufacturers for guns that make their way into Canada. How does that translate into suing American gun manufacturers that are doing business in Canada?
THere are some who claim that the Canadian government has been diverting money out of their socialized medicine scheme into the unworkable gun registry boondoggle.
NAFTA
Ive been saying all along that we can't have increasingly open borders with laws that don't mesh. America won't be pretty as a feudal Mexican / socialist Canadian crossbreed society.
The Gun Registry is not working, the Canadian customs attempt to detect guns is not working, and the three (3) guys who shot someone in Toronto last weekend probably were not working either. America's fault!
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