Guns, Knives and Ammunition

Posted by Susanna McLeod Nov 4, 2007

Travelling in the United States has opened my eyes. While we are so similar, Canada and America, we are so very different at the same time. Apparently our medium-sized city is an oasis. There are no giant billboards, such as those at the beach town, announcing Girls, Girls, Girls, or The Bunny Ranch. (Look for powder-purple or pink striped awnings and the outline of a naked woman to find the buildings.) Escorts, strippers, and whatever-you-want businesses have posted signs everywhere in the popular beach town we holiday in each year. It never fails to surprise me.

Retail stores catch me off guard, too. Step into a little shop with t-shirts and movie-style swords in the window and find all sorts of weaponry, from vicious, jagged-edged knives big enough to stop a bear, to tiny concealed “lipstick” knives. Under the same glass sits a large array of brass knuckles with sharp points that make me cringe. Not so in Canada.

At the Gun Expo, find any weapon you desire, from handguns to rifles to military assault-type weapons, all available at a reasonable price, too. And at the big chain stores, you can find just the right ammunition for that gun you bought at the Gun Expo. While not against gun ownership or hunting, I’m not into freedom for just anyone to get their hands on dangerous weapons.

I wonder if residents of the southern beach town are each armed with weapons, concealed in pockets or purses. Do citizens feel unsafe? Is it because the American Constitution permits, almost encourages, arms? Do weapons have to be so easily accessible?

While grateful to enjoy the wonders of the US, I feel safer in Canada, where I’m pretty sure other passengers on the bus are not carrying weapons.