Lax Gun Laws Support Terrorism

Canada's firearms legislation may be its best defence against terrorism.

A Jihad training pamphlet posted on a web site encourages Muslim holy warriors to use lax firearms laws in the United States to get sniper and military assault rifle training. The pamphlet informs jihad trainees, "In some countries of the world, especially the USA, firearms training is available to the general public," and that "it is perfectly legal" to obtain weapons such as AK-47 assault rifles. It urges them to take advantage of those lax laws.

The document zeroed in on specific elements of the American gun culture to exploit for military assault- oriented terror training, including training, obtaining military style weapons and avoiding illegal trading in firearms.

According to the Violence Policy Center in Washington, DC, a.50-calibre sniper rifle is easier to purchase in the US than handguns. This is a weapon which can penetrate armor plate, destroy materiel infrastructure, down helicopters, and when loaded with armor-piercing incendiary ammunition explode high-volume fuel tanks and hazardous chemical storage tanks and pipelines.

In Canada, the firearms preferred by terrorists are prohibited. Sniper rifles and assault rifles cannot be legally owned, purchased or imported.

Moreover, most Canadians want gun control. A Gallup survey in October 2001 found that 63 % believe the law should not allow members of the general public to own a gun, up five percentage points from 2000. Of the 36 % who feel the general citizenry should be allowed to own a gun, nine out of 10 want owners to take training and undergo a police background check. More than 3/4 of Canadians support having a national firearms registry.

The Violence Policy Center, Washington, DC http://www.vpc.org/press/0111jihad.htm
The Gallup Poll, Toronto, ON, November 27 & 28, 2001

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From Safety Canada , April 2002

Fake Guns Pose Real Danger