A friend of mine is going through all the hassles with exactly this problem right now.

It's going to cost him roughly $100 just to get his PAL (Possession and Acquisition Licence)... and he has already passed the Hunter Safety program here (Manitoba) which will serve in lieu of the politically-correct (and flawed) Government-mandated course with all the slogans embedded within it. The old Hunter Safety dealt with SAFETY, while the Government course seems more bureaucratically- and politically-motivated, not to mention being aimed at a mentally-disadvantaged 12-year-old. I challenged the Government course because they refused to accept the accreditation I already had: Shooting Federation of Canada Firearms Safety Instructor. I found this amusing, being that the SFC is the governing body of the shooting sports in Canada and has a big office in a Government office building in Ottawa... and this was the highest qualification in the country! I was qualified enough to teach the Olympic team, but not qualified enough to handle a .22! My Army qualifications (including experience and training with tank artillery and machine-guns) also was not considered sufficient.... but the cutesy course with the political slogans IS sufficient. It's also an extra 80 bucks in the Government's pocket, which likely is the real reason.

NEXT, my friend will have to take the Course for his RPAL, so he can get Restricteds (handguns, essentially) and we will have to wait until the next Government Course (at another bunch of bucks, of course) is offered.

Altogether, he will have spent about $300 in cash and taken about 4 months to get his plastic card. It is only that LITTLE because he already had the Hunter Safety course. Without the Hunter Safety it would have cost $400 and taken even longer.

The enjoyment of shooting is worth it, yes. There are few things much more restful than spending a quiet afternoon out on a rifle range, all alone, and quietly testing out or tuning a 100-year-old rifle or just potting at tins cans (which you take home afterwards for disposal, by the way).


As to your "BONUS QUESTION", I have to say "YES". Gun control, as we have it in Canada, DOES make a difference. It increases violent crime, particularly home invasions and muggings.

It makes it far more difficult for non-violent citizens to defend themselves against the depredations of the criminal element. And it makes the violent criminals MUCH safer. The criminals know that if the people in a house don't have guns, it is SAFE for the criminals to invade that home with their knives, machetes, bar-purchased guns, pieces of pipe or whatever and loot, rape, kill, beat and destroy to their twisted little hearts' content.

This energizes the economy by providing more work for doctors, nurses, hospitals, undertakers, police officers (most of whom are really trying to help), judges, probation officers, jail guards, social workers and, of course, lawyers, lawyers, lawyers, most of whom later will run for Parliament and tell us that we need more 'Gun Control' in Canada.

Mind you, it doesn't do a heck of a lot to help the VICTIMS.

Of course, I may have a twisted view of things (I have been told this) BUT, the last time MY home was invaded, I chased them out myself. The police couldn't be bothered opening a file. There was no investigation. I live 3 houses from the police station, on a main street.

Maybe every other year.. yeah, me too, a lot.

Brazil!!!

It isn't much of a burden at all. You need to pass a common-sense test and show and instructor you know how to handle a pistol, then send in your application and wait. The courses and exams are $40 each so it's about $160 if you're starting from scratch. When I got my license I didn't take the courses so I only paid $80 and took both tests at once.

I got my license in the mail about 4 months after I took the test and sent everything in (I'm in Ontario). I do think it's worth it, it would be a shame to give up the Canadian tradition of hunting and sport shooting just because you need to wait a few months for gov't approval. After you get your license acquiring a gun is actually easier than in the US, you just show your license, pay, wait a few minutes for registration (or a few hours/days for a restricted registration) and then pick your gun up and have it sent to your doorstep. Unlike Americans, Canadians can have guns sent to their doors, also there are no waiting periods or anything silly like that.

Gun control has never been shown to be connected to the rate of crime in any way. Everywhere that enacts gun control gets different results as the crime rate has more to do with the society than access to weapons (eg. Chicago's crime rate goes up, Canada's stays the same, Australia's goes down etc...). Usually the rate of crime just follows the trend it's already on and isn't tipped one way or the other by gun control. In my opinion it's just a waste of taxpayer money and an underhanded way to make the uninformed public feel safe while politicians guarantee their own job security.

well idk. i dont think the USA loss would feel as bad. i do think it would boost soccer in america. quite honestly it hurts americans so much cuz everyone will be older and not as good. making it every four years makes the cup more valuable and make u starve more and more to win

As far as your second question goes, gun control is very effective. It allows a criminal to have a good chance of applying his trade without the hazard of being shot by a citizen. Gun control laws are only effective with the people who obey them. Therefore, the very people who are law abiding are the ones penalized. These are the people who can be trusted with guns. So, of course the government doesn't want them armed. It's a big help to criminals and I am sure they vote for the politicians who are for gun control. Also, the politicians who are all for gun control are also the ones who have armed protection.