Macleans did a story on the NS shooter and man this case is getting weirder and weirder…  The RCMP has publicly stated that they didn’t have any relationship with him but now the press anyway is not so sure.

The withdrawal of $475,000 in cash by the man who killed 22 Nova Scotians in April matches the method the RCMP uses to send money to confidential informants and agents, sources say.

& later in the article…

If Wortman was an RCMP informant or agent, it could explain why the force appeared not to take action on complaints about his illegal guns and his assault on his common-law wife.

A Mountie familiar with the techniques used by the force in undercover operations, but not with the details of the investigation into the shooting, says Wortman could not have collected his own money from Brink’s as a private citizen.

“There’s no way a civilian can just make an arrangement like that,” he said in an interview.

He added that Wortman’s transaction is consistent with the Mountie’s experience in how the RCMP pays its assets. “I’ve worked a number of CI cases over the years and that’s how things go. All the payments are made in cash. To me that transaction alone proves he has a secret relationship with the force.”

A second Mountie, who does not know the first one but who has also been involved in CI operations, also believes that Wortman’s ability to withdraw a large sum of money from Brink’s is an indication that Wortman had a link with the police. “That’s tradecraft,” the Mountie said, explaining that by going through CIBC Intria, the RCMP could avoid typical banking scrutiny, as there are no holds placed on the money.

“That’s what we do when we need flash money for a buy. We don’t keep stashes of money around the office. When we suddenly need a large sum of money to make a buy or something, that’s the route we take. I think [with the Brink’s transaction] you’ve proved with that single fact that he had a relationship with the police. He was either a CI or an agent.”

So what the hell is going on?  Was the shooter an RCMP asset and that’s why they didn’t take his illegal guns away or investigate the allegations of domestic assault?  I’m very thankful that the Canadian media is not letting up on this case and the RCMP silence is deafening…  There’s definitely something shady going on and the conspiracy theorist in me says our PM announced the gun ban (on false pretenses) to save the RCMP from major embarrassment.

Guns & gun owners have always been political pawns but this is absolutely ridiculous and there needs to be a damn public inquiry.

It’s becoming very clear that the RCMP totally fucked up dealing with the NS shooter and was told many times that he had illegal weapons and had violent tendencies…

Police agencies across Nova Scotia were warned in May 2011 that a denturist named Gabriel Wortman had a stash of guns and said he wanted “to kill a cop,” according to records newly obtained by CBC News.

But the Nova Scotia RCMP can’t say what, if anything, was done with the tip about the man who police believe went on to kill 22 people, including an RCMP officer, in rural Nova Scotia in April.

Source: CBC

Not only were authorities aware that he wanted to kill a cop, he was known for uttering threats to his parents and the police had information that he had guns!  I mean what’s the damn point of the RCMP running the Canadian Firearms Program, is it voluntary only for those who want to obey the law?!?  To me It’s pretty clear that the RCMP failed on many levels and the conspiracy theorist in me says the government is cracking down on legal gun owners to distract from the RCMP’s failures.

I’m glad the media is keeping a spotlight on the failures of authorities, it’s their fault the NS shooter was able to wreak havoc.

So the government & gun control advocates are changing their tactics and are starting to say that further gun control is required to protect women from intimate partner violence.  While I can conceded that it’s a problem, I need to point out that according to Statistics Canada, in 2018 which is the year with the latest available data that firearms were used in less than 1% of incidents for females.

I have no problem if someone says misogynyis an issue that must be dealt with but let’s get the facts straight and deal with the actual issue because guns are not the problem neither is it the tool of choice.

So as I mentioned previously the Liberal government loves fluff and Friday announced that it’s banned 1,500 assault weapons and that sounds impressive doesn’t it.  Looking through the list, man I really wish I bought that Stinger SAM, one of those sexy 120mm mortars and I was just about to pull the trigger on a BGM-71 TOW missile.  Yes that’s right things that are already banned are on the list as well as some heavy crew served weapons.

Don’t you feel safer that arms like this will not fall into the wrong hands?  Not that they could before but man 1,500, that sounds really good doesn’t it.  Like there’s a difference being made, oops!

Damn that TOW missile would have really looked great on my Toyota Prius!

This is what I’m talking about when I speak of fluff, while yes the Conservatives do it too, the Liberals simply do it more.  If someone wanted to do something evil, no list or ban will stop them.  You can easily make ammonium nitrate bombs or chlorine gas with items that can purchased readily or hell maybe they’ll just use a van.

I demand better from my government than lazy politics, policies designed to sound good rather than do good and more of you should do the same.  Even if you don’t like guns maybe it’ll be something you like next time around.

Well the Liberals through an Order in Council has gone ahead and banned various firearms like the AR15s and now some of the guns I own are paperweights.  Today was just the announcement so details are sparse but yeah it’s not a good day to be a Canadian gun owner.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today announced a ban on some 1,500 makes and models of military-grade “assault-style” weapons in Canada, effective immediately.

Starting today, licensed gun owners will no longer be allowed to sell, transport, import or use these sorts of weapons in this country.

“As of today, the market for assault weapons in Canada is closed,” Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said. “Enough is enough. Banning these firearms will save Canadian lives.”

Source: CBC

LOL the gun list is available and my MK18 doesn’t technically fall under the ban but I’m sure that’ll change soon.  During the press conference both Trudeau and Blair reference the tragedy in Nova Scotia and their need to keep Canadians safe but the shooter wasn’t a legal gun owner nor did he acquire his guns legally!  No law nor the new regulations introduced today would have made a difference but again this is fluff and it’s only designed to fool people into thinking something is being done.  It doesn’t have to work, it just has to sound good.

The government official said that, at the end of the two-year amnesty, gun owners must dispose of the firearm or they may be able apply for the firearm to be “grandfathered.” Details on the grandfather process would be released at a later date, the official said.

Today’s ban does not cover handguns, the weapon of choice for gang members. Blair promised Friday to enact legislation down the line to give municipalities the power to ban these firearms.

Two quotes within the article I want to address, first I don’t need the money so I may as well keep my 3 AR15s.  Next do we really think gangs will give a shit if a city bans handguns?!?  Really this is the absurdity of our political leaders!

Anyway there’s a 2 year amnesty and the government is likely to fall before that so we’ll see what happens.  I’ve never been a single issue voter and have mainly supported the Liberals but no more, I have too much invested in the hobby and as my other rants have show, when they’re elected they govern like Conservatives anyway.

Man I’m pretty damn left on most things but the conservative saying about never letting a tragedy go to waste is very true when it comes to gun control.

People love to listen to former cops except when it doesn’t fit their political narrative.  The gun control proposed would have done nothing to stop the NS shooter from going on his rampage but it’s a great political opportunity to push a bullshit agenda that does nothing but fool the public into thinking something’s being done.

The federal Liberal government is poised to ban some types of firearms — and those new prohibitions could be made public as soon as Friday, sources told Radio-Canada.

The gun control changes come in the wake of Nova Scotia’s recent tragedy, which saw an armed man kill 23 innocents and leave others wounded. The gunman, who was not licensed to possess firearms, used guns illegally obtained in Canada and from U.S. sources to carry out his crimes.

Source: CBC

I think that last line is most important his guns were illegally obtained so how would more laws stop it?  Assault, murder, pretending to be a police officer are already all illegal but hey weapon laws will stop people in their tracks…  What utter bullshit, well you can bet I’m going to be calling my MP tomorrow about this, good thing I’m a Liberal part member!

So gun violence has been in the news, a bunch of people were shot while we were away and Mayor Tory immediately reiterated his call for a handgun ban which I thought immediately was stupid because Toronto Police chief Sanders said the shootings were gang related, do we expect gang members to forfeit their guns?  Anyway I do have a bit of hope because of this response by the police chief.

“We are not going to arrest our way out of this,” Saunders told reporters at police headquarters Friday morning, calling for a “multi-faceted” approach to addressing gun violence in his second news conference about the surge in violence in the past week.

He said of the recent shootings, they “by and large have street gang connotations to them or are street gang related.” He said that doesn’t mean at times innocent people are not impacted and acknowledged it has been traumatic for those people.

There have been 19 incidents since Aug. 3, including a daytime shooting in East York on Friday that killed one man and injured another person.

Saunders said the shootings are a reality for many communities and are primarily located in areas that form a “U” shape of neighbourhoods in the city — parts of northwest Toronto, downtown, and Scarborough — that are stuck in a cycle of poverty and where people lack access to opportunities for education and jobs.

Source: Toronto Star

I don’t like Chief Sanders because I think he’s too much of a politician but he’s right here, if we truly want to deal with the issue of gun violence we need to look at and deal with all the factors that lead to someone picking up a gun in the first place.  This is a start, I’m glad that the police chief is saying the right things and hopefully other politicians follow suit with action rather than just words.

Throwing money at more policing will not solve this problem but at least our leaders are starting to get the right idea.