Krista: Cultural Learnings of America for make Benefit Glorious Nation of Canada (Repost)
This was my first blog post EVER. Posted to my Myspace Blog on April 12 2007. Unedited. Enjoy.
Chapter 1: Two Tickets to the Gun Show.
As an American "Resident Alien" I decided it was time to exercise my Second Amendment right "the right of the people to keep and bear arms". It's in the constitution. I picked up a fellow Canadian and we headed to The Gun and Knife Show. Despite dressing up for the event (wearing army green, camo and army boots), it was apparent that we were out of place – in addition to being 2 of about 5 women in the entire place we appeared to be fairly far away from the general demographic of the event.
After adjusting to the environment it was time to get to our objective – get educated on guns. Sweet.
Lesson 1: "If you shoot someone, you want to make sure you kill him - otherwise he can sue you...". Note to self - aim for kill - I don't want the inconvenience of a law suit.
Lesson 2: "My ex-boyfriend is stalking me – we're looking for some protection" Is apparently a perfectly acceptable reason to purchase a gun – even if you clearly know nothing about guns and have never shot one before.
Lesson 3: Ideal gun: Revolver No Hammer; compensates for bad aim and won't catch on your purse. After perusing and trying (yes, holding, touching and pulling the trigger of) various firearms it was decided that the ideal form of protection for this situation was a revolver with no hammer. The revolver is ideal because you can fire off a number of shots quickly, which can compensate for bad aim (should people with "bad aim" really be buying guns?), and you don't want a hammer because it can get caught when you pull it out of your purse.
Lesson 4: Carry the gun, loaded with you at all times. Question: So…I would carry this in my purse with me? Answer: Yes - for protection. (OBVIOUSLY). Question: I've heard things about gun safety where you keep the bullets somewhere separate from the gun? Answer: That makes no sense. Why would you do that? (WHY INDEED). Question: So….is there a safety on this…you know, since I would be carrying it loaded in my purse? Answer: No. You just gotta be careful. (RIIIIIIIGHT – there is a better chance of me shooting my foot than whatever I would intent to shoot).
Lesson 5: Licensed dealers will not sell guns illegally; they will only point you in the right direction. Having had all of our questions answered we were ready to move on to purchase. Question: Would I register my gun? Answer: NO! Trust me; you don't want to do that. (Apparently no further explanation required). Question: So what do I need to walk out of here with some protection? Answer: Just an Ohio Drivers License. DAMN! As a Canadian I don't yet have an Ohio license! I guess that I won't be able to get any protection…… we begin to walk away…….. Pssssttttt….(motions us back and leans in and whispers)"I'm a licensed dealer, so I really can't help you out, but if you are serious about getting some protection there are lots of guys here who can help you out". Seriously. At least the guy understands his professional obligation as a licensed dealer.
Lesson 6: It is easier to buy a gun illegally than to just GET an OHIO license (which involved a lot of documentation and testing). Upon further investigation I learned that over 40,000 people die in car accidents every year vs. about 30,000 deaths per year involving guns, so maybe it should be harder to get a drivers license than a gun...........
Lesson 7: I am not "The People" I guess it should be easy to get a gun – it is a Right after all. But apparently "Resident Aliens" don't have the right to keep and bear arms. We aren't "The people".
You don't actually need any of that to purchase a gun. There's no restrictions or regulations on private sales in Ohio, or most states. Hop on craigslist, find somebody selling a gun, and there you go. No idea what the regulations are for French-Canadians though regarding gun ownership.
Posted by: Josh | June 09, 2008 at 05:31 PM
Josh needs to do a bit of reading, methinks...
It's illegal to sell guns across state lines in the U.S., or for someone in the U.S. to sell outside of the U.S. (without a bunch of paperwork). Private sales included. So, sorry, resident aliens are out of luck -- selling to a resident alien is treated the same as an export.
As for Craigslist, you still can't / shouldn't break the law (even though it would likely be pretty easy to).
Posted by: Argos | June 29, 2008 at 02:40 AM