The Canadian Gun Debacle
Episode Stats
Words per Minute
168.34973
Summary
Canadians are suing gun maker Smith & Wesson for $150 million in relation to the Danforth mass shooting in Toronto, Canada in 2018, and why it's a good thing they're not suing the U.S. government.
Transcript
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Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. It's a beautiful December 20th, 2019.
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I'm your host, Krusty Canuck, and today's episode, The Great Canadian Gun Debacle.
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Yes, I'm getting information in regards to all the gun stuff happening in this beautiful country of ours
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and a few people in Toronto suing Smith & Wesson for what happened in July 2018.
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All that and more coming up on the Krusty Canuck Podcast. Stay tuned.
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That's right, ladies and gentlemen. We're back for another episode of the Krusty Canuck Podcast.
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I am your host, Krusty, and yeah, today, in a special episode, The Great Canadian Gun Debacle.
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That's the title, yes, and what are we talking about?
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You've heard me spiel onto that before in numerous episodes, and well, here it is.
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You know, I've got a few articles here to read, and I'll leave some references and points at the end of this program.
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But according to, let's see, Vice News, now I'm kind of surprised that Vice actually wrote a detailed article.
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This was written on the 17th, a few days back, based on Canadians are suing gun makers Smith & Wesson for $150 million because Americans can't.
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Victims and families of victims have launched a class-action lawsuit against a gun manufacturing giant related to the Danforth mass shooting.
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Victims of the mass shooting in Toronto are suing Smith & Wesson, a U.S. company that made a gun used in the attack for $150 million.
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A class-action lawsuit was filed in the Ontario Provincial Court Monday.
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If successful, this suit would hold Smith & Wesson responsible for gun safety, even if the weapon was stolen.
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The shooting occurred the night of 22nd July 2018 at Toronto's Busy Danforth Avenue.
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10-year-old Juliana Kozis and 18-year-old Reese Fallon were killed and 13 others were injured.
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The shooter, 29-year-old Faisal Hussain, died by suicide via gunshot after a shootout with the police.
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He had a long history of mental health issues and violent tendencies, and the handgun was used in that crime,
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was made by Smith & Wesson, and was reported stolen from a Saskatchewan gun dealer in 2015.
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Now, I read an article that said 2016, so keep that in perspective.
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The lawsuit claims that Smith & Wesson failed to install smart technology in the weapon, which would have prevented its unauthorized use.
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It was reasonably foreseeable that the defendant's handgun products, like the handgun used in Danforth shooting,
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would be in the hands of unauthorized users, cause substantial harm to, or kill,
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Ken Price, whose daughter, Samantha, is a lead plaintiff in the suit, said on CP24,
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why isn't there more technology that helps to secure the usage of that gun
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so somebody can't arbitrarily get a hold of it and use it as a weapon of hate?
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The suit refers to an historic agreement that Smith & Wesson reached the White House under then-President Bill Clinton in 2000.
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It was a huge deal because it was the first time that a major gun manufacturer committed to changing the way
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In agreement, Smith & Wesson acknowledged the threat of stolen weapons
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and said it would use technology that would limit gun use to authorized people.
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An all-new gun starting in 2003, think of Touch ID, which you probably have on your phone, but on a gun.
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But the American gun lobby fought back and won.
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The PR blitz and boycott of the National Rifle Association nearly drove Smith & Wesson out of business.
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That Clinton-era gun control agreement became toothless in 2006 under President W. Bush.
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He enacted the protection of lawful commerce and arms legislation that shields gun makers from being sued for liability
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That's why this suit could be a game-changer when it comes to gun control and gun safety in North America.
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The suit is open to anyone who suffered physical or emotional as a result of the shooting on the Danforth.
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Price's daughter, Samantha, was out with friends getting ice cream and celebrating a birthday when the gunfire began.
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Her friend Fallon died and several of her friends were shot.
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Samantha's been brave and fierce, and I wanted to do the right thing by her, her father said.
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Well, you know, I can understand the passion and the dedication, and I can also understand where she's coming from, okay?
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Now, I'm not defending a big conglomerate, a big company here, okay?
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Okay, now, how many people do you know personally, in your circle of life, ladies and gentlemen,
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how many people do you know personally have taken it upon themselves to drink a lot of beer or a lot of liquor and drive a car?
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How many people have you known that have drank themselves to a point where they can't function, they can't do anything,
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and they wake up one hell of a hangover, and they wipe out, fall down the stairs, and they break a leg?
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And how many of those individuals have hurt someone, killed someone, smashed something, smashed a property, damaged themselves,
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and yet you don't hear about people suing the motor company that manufactured the vehicle?
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You don't hear someone suing the brewery that, you know, sold beer to the said individual that he or she consumed.
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How many people do you know caught their dink in a zipper while pulling up their jeans?
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Well, you don't hear anybody suing Levi's or Wrangler's or any major brewing company for the above mentioned, do you?
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Yeah. No. I can understand the pain and the loss and the fear that the victims of Danforth have gone through.
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I have seen someone get shot. I have been shot at. I know the violence of a gunfight. Trust me.
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But I'm not going to sue the Al-Qaeda for what happened.
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I'm not going to sue the Taliban. I'm not going to sue the Afghan government for allowing such fucking monsters to roam around freely.
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I'm not saying civilians have to encourage that or see that or be in that predicament.
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But in the same sense, it's not going to bring your loved ones back.
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It's not. It's not going to bring the loss. It's not going to cure the loss.
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Right. That's, that's a lot of money, uh, for a handful of people.
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You know, I can understand the frustration. I do. Trust me. I do, ladies and gentlemen.
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But I also understand the lack of insight when it comes to it and powers that be in Ottawa.
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Well, they're looking at it like it's, well, it's a fact to concur and to curtail guns in this country because it's such a problem, so they say.
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And, uh, well, I don't know what to say. It's, I think it's stupid. Really.
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Anyway, you decide. Let me know. KrustyBCanuck67 at gmail.com.
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Or, uh, just say hello, nonetheless. Let me know what you think.
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Right? Because, uh, technology was promised so many years ago.
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And let me remind you folks, too, that the gun that was used in that crime was a stolen handgun.
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Back in Saskatoon, I think it was 2015 or 2016.
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I'll post the links at the end of the podcast here.
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But, uh, interesting. For this festive season, more of the gun debacles are coming up here.
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So, anyway, this is an article that was written, uh, under, from Global News, from a Jessica Patton.
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Uh, this was posted 21st June, uh, this past year.
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So, uh, it says, uh, Dan Forrest Shooter had a lengthy history of violent thoughts, but motive remains unclear, said the Toronto Police.
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Toronto Police said the man who went shooting spree in the city's Greektown neighborhood on July 2018
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had a lengthy history of violent tendencies and thoughts towards himself, but the motive for the attack remains unclear.
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Chief Mark Sanders went over the investigation's finding on Friday into the 2018 Dan Forrest Shooting, which left two dead and 13 injured.
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Uh, police say nothing to suggest anyone else played a role in Dan Forrest Shooting.
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Uh, he said earlier in that day, investigators met with families of the victims, uh, of the shooting,
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and they had been in constant conversation with those affected.
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Although today does not give them the closure for the losses they suffered,
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it will provide some, but not all, of the answers, Saunders said, adding, uh, officers spoke to acquaintances,
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employees, and family members of Hussein over the course of the investigation.
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Officers responded to calls about the shooting near Dan Forrest and Logan Avenues,
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Investigators said 29-year-old Faisal Hussein walked into a busy neighborhood and began shooting.
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Reese Fallon, 18, and Julianna Kozis, 10, were killed in the incident.
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Saunders said Hussein died due to a self-negotiated gunshot wound to the head.
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He said Hussein's history with mental health issues was first documented in 1996.
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Saunders said through researching his background, a picture arose of a very troubled individual
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who was clinically treated for violent acts against himself and an outward expression of violent thoughts.
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Findings revealed Hussein first came into contact with Toronto Police Service in 2010
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when he was transported to the hospital for a mental health evaluation
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The document said Hussein was diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder in 2010.
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However, Sanders and Hussein's mental health treatment was inconsistent over the years.
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With his last documented appointment with a mental health professional dating back to May 2014,
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investigators said they do not believe Hussein had any connection
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to hate groups or terrorist organizations that said he was not affiliated
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with any radical ideologies, even though his mental health played a very, very critical role,
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Saunders added that Hussein did not have any criminal record.
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However, he came into contact with police on three separate occasions.
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Two days before July 22nd attack, Saunders said Hussein was arrested for attempting to steal ice cream,
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Saunders said that while it was clear mental health played a role in an incident,
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investigators were not able to identify a clear motive for the attack.
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Although we have collected all of the evidence that was available to us for this crime,
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the crime where the shooter died at the scene, we may never know the answer to why, he said.
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Detective Terry Brown echoed Saunders' statement,
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At the end of the day, the only person who knows why he did what he did is no longer with us.
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There is nothing that anybody has relayed to us, suggests us that Hussein was in crisis that day.
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So when he left his home that day for the last time, that fateful time,
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there was nothing that we could have learned to suggest that anyone could have foreseen
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that this was going to happen in the next hour.
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Okay, well, the handgun that was used was stolen from a Saskatchewan gun shop, okay?
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So, and the thing is, 23rd of July, they investigated his home.
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They had a search warrant where he lived with his parents.
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There was multiple cell phones, laptops, and electronic devices were seized.
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However, investigators said none contained information that provide any motive for his actions, right?
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So, why so many cell phones? Why so many laptops, right?
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Several guns and drugs were also seized, documents showed.
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Hussein's family has said publicly that he suffered from depression and psychosis.
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Now, there are a few more questions that were posted.
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Well, Hussein did not have a criminal record, arrested a few days before shooting,
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released without charge after attempting to steal ice cream.
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There is an article here that's linked with Mr. Hussein in regards to that.
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And I have two cell phones, mine and my wife's.
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There's nothing racial here, ladies and gentlemen.
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I'm just trying to find out the logic between our leaders and the connections to these gun crimes
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and how they're going to try to justify taking away our guns, if need be.
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The handgun used in a Toronto mass shooting was a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson stolen Saskatchewan in 2016.
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Now, this comes from the 26th July, 2018 broadcast.
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The gun, which killed 18-year-old Reese Fallon and 10-year-old Julianna Kozis,
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was stolen during a break-and-enter at a gun store in the province.
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Both Toronto and Saskatoon police declined to comment on the story.
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In a redacted copy of the National Firearms Database released to Global News under the Acts of Information Laws,
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It was registered by a private individual in rural Saskatchewan postal code of June 2014.
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It was entered in the database as stolen in July 15th of 2016.
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In the data, 24 other handguns and restricted rifles are entered as stolen on the same day in the same partial postal code.
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Okay, now I used to work in a gun store, and we would consign things.
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In order for us to purchase a firearm from somebody in consignment,
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or if they wanted to sell it, just basically, you know, give it away,
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we'd have to have their registration, their ID, their PAL card to make it legit.
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If it wasn't, then we were obligated to let the authorities know that,
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So, the data is consistent with a large-scale theft of guns in a single event,
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Media reports suggested it was obtained legally and was originally from the United States.
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Of course, Smith & Wesson is made in the States.
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A spokesperson for the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms said,
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no information about the weapon or investigation.
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So, the thing being, the question is, how did a man with no mental issues acquire a gun?
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Well, he obviously got it illegally, and when you actually watch the video,
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you can see him stop and take time to reload, too.
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And he obviously had more than 10 rounds in his magazine.
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So, not only did he acquire an illegal firearm,
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he also acquired illegal capacity, which is a big no-no.
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You're only allowed 10 rounds per magazine in a semi-automatic pistol, ladies and gentlemen.
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Especially my listeners out there who are gun owners.
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Now, I have a lot of people in my life that are against guns.
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But nobody that I know personally has gone out of their way to tell me,
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well, you can't have this and we don't want you having that and you can't own this gun because.
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So, that being said, there's nothing wrong with me having a gun in their eyes.
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I have a PAL card that allows me to have them, right?
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I can take them to and from the range as long as I keep them locked and secured as the law dictates.
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And I, for one, am getting sick and tired of people using these incidents as excuses to tell you and I what to do
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Now, I'm also going to add a link here that my friends at the CCFR, Canadian Coalition of Firearms Rights,
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put together back in October, Tracy Wilson and Rob Gilitica, I believe his name is.
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Yeah, Tracy Wilson and Rod Gilitica from the CCFR actually had a sit-down interview with Bill Blair
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And I really, really suggest, ladies and gentlemen, that you watch that video with total clarity,
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And really, really watch a lot of the non-answers that Mr. Blair has given those two individuals.
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Now, Tracy Wilson has done a fantastic job for advocating for firearms rights in Canada.
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Because in Canada, we don't have a Second Amendment, folks.
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But as we see with the whole Western influence and how free speech is being compromised
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and how ideas are being compromised and how thoughts are being stifled and how words are being stifled,
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now they want to take away people's firearms and take away items of property
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I'm threatened if someone used said property to harm me or my loved ones.
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But I don't believe that the only people allowed to have guns in any working democracy
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I don't believe that someone can break into your home and do what they want.
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I believe you should have the right to defend yourself and defend what you love,
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and that includes your property, and that includes yourself.
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But when you actually sit and listen to Bill Blair go on and lie,
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and you can pinpoint yourself where he lies in these videos.
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Here's a guy who is the fucking chief of police in Toronto.
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That has a lot of gun violence from people that have acquired firearms illegally.
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He goes on about the AR-15 being such a dangerous weapon.
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And pay attention to the video where he references
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a lot of the gun crimes that happen in the United States.
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And thank God for Rod and Tracy stepping in, reminding him, saying,
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Letting him know that he's going to start using his head
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And you can kind of see the frustration in his face during this video.
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Anyway, I'll leave a link to that at the end of this podcast here.
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it's just getting fucking ridiculous how the anti-gunners are out there causing this shit.
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hey, you better get yourself a rifle because it's the thing to do.
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It looks pretty cool when you dress up in your cowboy outfit.
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And if you're going to sit there and pull up the old,
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I want people to have their freedom to move around
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and do what the hell they want to do any time of day.
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or go for fucking ice cream on a busy street in Toronto
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without having to worry about some shithead blasting,
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regardless if he was politically motivated or not.
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There's another part of that article where him and his brother
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But when it comes to the whole gun debacle in this country,
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What the hell do you think we're fucking doing?