Handgun bans and the world of make-believe

[ericire12]

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/07/29/handgun-bans-and-the-world-of-make-believe.aspx

You don't need to be a fan of handguns to accept that a ban is useless unless there is some likelihood the prohibition will succeed in reducing the ability of criminals to get their hands on weapons.

The argument against banning handguns is the slim chance of this happening. Unless the crooks who use the guns are willing to abide by the law -- or can be forced to abide by effective policing -- the ban is a waste of resources. The anti-ban argument  appears to be supported by this:

A new study suggests most of the guns used to commit crimes in Canada have been smuggled in from the United States. The study, published Wednesday in the Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, found that the best available data suggests that about two-thirds of crime guns seized in Canada have their origin south of the border.

[...] "It is not possible to determine with certainty the percentage of guns used in crime in Canada or Mexico that have been illegally exported from the Unites States, but there is some relevant evidence available that indicates the proportion is high," the study says. "There are very few cases that show handguns used in crime coming from anywhere other than the USA."

The story reports that Canadian Customs officials stop about three per cent of the illicit gun traffic. So next time a politician declares the need to ban handguns, ask how the law will be enforced in the U.S., where the guns originate.

Kelly McParland
National Post