Fear and Gun Use – Thoughts on This International Day of Peace

Today, September 21, is International Peace Day.

To honor this day, I will actually write a column which I haven’t done in some time.

I am, by nature, a passive person. I have always been shocked and dismayed by the random acts of violence, especially gun violence, by our neighbours across the border. I admit I have, actually, felt pretty superior to our southern cousins because of this.

But in the last few months, there has been a shift, at least here in Saskatchewan.

Guns are in the news.

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Locally, many farms have had robberies of not just a few things. Homes and sheds have been cleaned out while the owners were away, vehicles stolen – leaving the owners not just missing property but feeling extremely violated that their homes had been gone through so thoroughly.

This summer, a young man was shot to death on a Saskatchewan farm.  

Today, a teen was arrested for firing a gun in La Ronge.

More recently, there was an attempted armed robbery on a rural road. In a CBC News story, the incident sparked fear enough for one particular farmer to say he keeps a rifle in his combine and suggests that most farmers do the same.

Without taking sides or casting judgement, may I say that, personally, I find these incidents not just terrifying, but very sad.

 Our culture is changing.

So, on this International Day of Peace – I will simply suggest that adding more guns to a situation doesn’t make anything better.

I grew up on a farm. My family consists of farmers. I know how alone rural residents are out in the middle of this vast landscape. Until recently, I think farmers have felt, for the most part, unaffected by the fear of violence.

But as farms grow farther and farther apart – and as police detachments also grow farther and farther, rural residents are not as protected as they should be.

But when do we let fear change the kind of people we are?

Does having a gun in the cab of a vehicle make any situation better – or worse?  That can depend on a lot of factors. It can depend on if the assailant is able to use the victims gun to attack the victim. It can mean that a person who is nervous sees anybody doing anything out of the ordinary – and feels that person can be shot.

As we know from American news…many deaths occur from gun related accidents, from mis-interpretations of a person’s intentions, etcetera. We have seen what happens when troubled people have easy access to a gun.

Honestly, in this climate, if I broke down in a rural area I would not go into a yard to ask for help for fear I could be seriously hurt…could be shot. That is a sad thing.

And we have gun laws and laws about shooting people that are vastly different than what we see in shows on television from the states.

You can find the Firearms Act here: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/pol-leg/act-loi-eng.htm These are laws – not suggestions. Transportation and location of guns is very specific and very restricted.

I understand many reading this will think I am naive.

That is OK.

But how many people who, apparently have a gun in their combine or truck for protection, would actually feel ok about killing someone, particularly if it turned out to NOT be an assailant? What if a kid got a hold of that gun and used it?

At the same time – rural residents deserve to feel and to be safe from those who know that there is little to no police presence for miles and miles and minutes and minutes and minutes.

Guns have their place in rural Saskatchewan without a doubt…but within the limits of the law.

Instead of more random gun usage – may I suggest voters appeal for more RCMP presence…for detachments that have been closed down to be re-opened.

I know for a fact that the RCMP are seriously under-staffed. Rural detachments have closed and the ones we have consist of members that are very overworked.

That is simplistic, I know.

But to my way of thinking – and that is what this column is, just my way of thinking, we need more policing and not more guns.

In the meantime – let everyone be aware that rural residents are nervous. The climate of the innocent farms has, in fact changed.

Let everyone be safe.