American Tourist Scared of Canadians Wants Gun

I live in the middle of NYC and wouldn't dream of carrying a gun. Thankfully it is really really really hard to get a concealed carry permit here.

Too many people, not enough space for bullets to fly benignly.

When I hike or bicycle alone I carry because, sadly, we do have a large homeless population, many living along the bike path, that includes many who are mentally ill and unstable and have been known to attack each other and other people randomly. I have fed them, occasionally put them up in hotels, and clothed them, but would also not hesitate to defend myself if one came at me with a knife, or I was attacked by a group while I was out biking. I hike alone and we have bears and mountain lions here, so I carry then also. We have a huge gang problem here, which has included drive by shootings in my middle class neighborhood after the gangbanger bought the house down the street. I don't always feel safe in my own home. When I was growing up, I roamed my neighborhood and the surrounding neighborhoods alone from the time I was four! Four!!! We left our front door unlocked, even at night. Its not the same world I grew up in. Bummer.

But that guy did sound like a whack job. People should have to pass a psychological profile to get a gun permit.

My husband and I are in small town saskatchewan but I was born in Toronto and we spent the early years of our marriage in St Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Before we moved here, there were drive by shootings down the road from my house. I thought it was a car backfiring the first night, because there was only one shot but the second night there were three and the paper said the first night a man was killed and the second night a woman walking with her baby was injured while the baby was unharmed. Needless to say this made me feel very nervous about moving to a new place.
My second night in town I was walking home from a nearby church. The walk is 15 minutes at worst, but I could hear a snowmobile nearby and I didn't want to get hit. I didn't know how good their lights are. So I hear the snowmobile getting closer. I started speed walking. Before I knew it I could see their lights on my ankles. I tried to get over, and when I turned the corner and the lights followed I started running. I ran up the steps to my house and the snowmobile pulled up behind me and the driver stepped off!! I'm thinking forget drive by shooting, this guy is going to kill me! I throw myself into myself and lock the door behind me just in time to hear the banging on the door. My pulse racing and my heart beating so loudly, I can hear "ma'am? It's Rod from next door. There have been some coyotes in the area and I wanted to make sure you made it home safe." we laugh about it now, but it was obvious that my previous experience influenced my behavior.
As a policeman for 20 years, I'm sure he's seen and heard his fair share of stories of people getting attacked in the park. His past experiences have obviously influenced his thoughts on strangers. I'm not saying his prejudices were a good thing. I'm just saying we don't know what he's been through. For him the calgarians very well might have brought up memories that For him warranted the need to protect his wife and in his mind, even carry a gun.
Maybe some words on behalf of the "thugs" like, "I'm sorry to bother you folks, I hope you have a pleasant day" might have given him a better idea of what Canadians are like.
In Canada we know we're nice, and especially in the west, we are polite to a fault. But some Americans are apprehensive of strangers. I think we need to do our best not to judge based on their behavior since we don't know what past experiences could have coloured this current one.

Have to say, really happy to be Canadian. It's just not in our mindset to even think about owning a gun (except for those that legitimately hunt). Everytime I head south of the border, upon my return home, I literally feel a sense of ease wash over me as we cross back into Canada. I could cross back into Canada miles away from where I live, and be in unfamiliar territory, but it's home and I instantely feel safe.

Now, I will add that I have never some across any suspect situation while travelling in the States...it's a good thing that my brain doesn't even register, "...that person might have a gun on them."! All the people I have ever met and interacted with have been great, but just glad to live on this side of the border. And I have to add, your Border agents scare the CRAP out of me, be it travelling by air or by car. And I have NOTHING to hide, so really, nothing to be afraid of, but they make me so nervous, I get tongue-tied trying to respond to their questions!

Meh... they just annoy the hell out of me... them and TSA... Though I will say, the border agents on the south border have a right to act all suspicious... they have to deal with the dumbass human/drug/gun runners...

I think that if I have a concealed weapons permit, that if I go to any other sort of place I should be able to carry my weapon. For what ever reason I feel necessary. Just like if you get married in Florida, your marriage is recognized everywhere else in the WORLD. So why not be able to carry elsewhere.

riiiiiiiiiiiiiight...because being married and carrying a gun are so similar :huh:
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Sorry sweetie, I have to agree with Dane on this one....when we're referring to life-ending weapons, we must respect the laws of other countries.

What an interesting article! It just goes to show how fear (and other negative emotions) can alter your perception.

Did you ever write to the paper and tell your side of encounter? I wonder if it would make a difference? It probably wouldn't to that fella (he'd justify his fear at the expense of reason), but perhaps it would to others.

Well, I guess I won't be asking anyone if they've seen the stampede then...

This! Or if you do prepare for it to be the last sentence you ever utter.... *pew pew* (that was the noise of my tiny finger guns*

Haha, It's pretty ridiculous that someone could take such an obvious attempt at being friendly as a sign that they were going to be assaulted or something.
What if that tourist had been carrying a gun and acted there?
Would have injured or killed two Canadians just trying to be friendly.
Ugh, people!!

I am in Colorado and we carry open and concealed. It is SO nice to know you are protected.

Personally I prefer knowing that, so long as you stay away from organised crime, you're not at risk of being shot.

I am in Colorado and we carry open and concealed. It is SO nice to know you are protected.

Personally I prefer knowing that, so long as you stay away from organised crime, you're not at risk of being shot.

Not true, unfortunately.

I am in Colorado and we carry open and concealed. It is SO nice to know you are protected.

Personally I prefer knowing that, so long as you stay away from organised crime, you're not at risk of being shot.

Not true, unfortunately.

It is for every part of Europe I've visited. Your mileage may vary according to where you live, of course.

I am in Colorado and we carry open and concealed. It is SO nice to know you are protected.

Personally I prefer knowing that, so long as you stay away from organised crime, you're not at risk of being shot.

I've never gone near someplace that is known for crime or the criminal element. I lived in a nice, suburban community when a gun was pulled on me. I'd rather be carrying my own weapon and be able to defend myself then end up raped and/or shot.

Loving the stereotypical thoughts of what others think of us Americans:( Not all of us carry guns, own one, have fear or the need to own one. I think that media and the NRA have the world believing this. As a matter of fact the only people I know who own guns, own them to hunt wild game.

We absolutely should be allowed to open carry.

2 months ago, I was robbed at gunpoint on the street in front of my own home. Just getting out of my car. We have gun laws here, they werent "allowed" to carry the handgun they had. But they had it anyways, go figure...a criminal breaking the law and owning an unregistered firearm. If I had a gun on my hip, i highly doubt they even would have approached me.

Open gun laws dramatically reduce overall crime. Go look at Britain, zero guns and yet you are well over twice as likely to be a victim of a violent knife crime there than a victim of a violent gun crime here. and yes, knives do kill, quite easily.

I am in Colorado and we carry open and concealed. It is SO nice to know you are protected.

Personally I prefer knowing that, so long as you stay away from organised crime, you're not at risk of being shot.

Uh huh...that's what the anti gun fanatics say here in SF as well. It's been working out real well so far.

And I absolutely agree that is impractical to take guns out of America now they're there. Giving the public the freedom to carry them in the first place was the mistake. Removing them from civilians will still leave them in the hands of gangs and general criminals.

Also on knife crime in Britain; nearly all of it is restricted to gang and drug crime. Random stabbings are exceedingly rare.

Agreed on the knife crime rates in Britain. The murder rate in the USA is higher than that of the UK so it isn't a case of Britain bans guns and everyone goes out and stabs people instead. As this poster has pointed out, random knife crime is rare and there is currently stricter regulations and actions being taken about carrying a knife, too, which will hopefully reduce knife crime further in the UK.

Here you go. Canada has one third the gun kill rate of the U.S. but the same overall homicide rate. Switzerland who has the highest gun ownership rate in the world. Has one third the homicide rate of the U.S. or Canada.
This is because they focus not on the question of "To carry or not to carry."
But because dam near everyone is a member of their standing militia and has a state issued assault rifle. And they have even more handguns in circulation than that.