As a Canadian, I want you to keep fighting for your right to conceal carry.

Concealed carry in Canada is all but forbidden to civilians. It is explicitly prohibited under section 90 of the Criminal Code. You can't even own a concealable firearm as a licensed gun owner, because handguns with barrels less than 105 mm (4.13 in.) are prohibited, and so are handguns chambered in ".25 or .32 calibre". There is something called an "Authorization to Carry", which allows you to carry a gun for self-protection. But you're never going to get one unless you're a forest ranger or an armored car worker. The law states that civilians may be issued an authorization to carry if their lives are in danger and police protection is insufficient, but the application form doesn't include a means to apply under that provision.The most ridiculous example, which shows how much our gun laws are fear-based, is R. v. Felawka 1993. Mr. Felawka, a licensed gun owner, took his non-restricted firearm to the range, then went home on public transit. So as not to alarm his fellow passengers, he wrapped it in his jacket. Granted, he made some monumentally stupid decisions — like saying he was "going on a killing spree" when first confronted, or reaching for his rifle when the police arrived. He was still unjustly convicted of carrying a concealed weapon. Just listen to these ignorant quotes from the judge.A firearm is quite different from an object such as a carving knife or an ice pick which will normally be used for legitimate purposes. A firearm, however, is always a weapon. No matter what the intention may be of the person carrying a gun, the firearm itself presents the ultimate threat of death to those in its presence.All Canadians have the right to feel protected from the sinister menace of a concealed weapon. If it was ever thought that it was lawful to carry concealed weapons more and more Canadians might come to believe it would be prudent for them to carry concealed weapons in order to defend themselves and their families. This might lead to a vigilante attitude that could all too readily result in an increase in violence in Canadian society.If I've learned anything from this subreddit, it's that statistics are not on his side. But it gets worse than that. In R. v. Kerr 2004, a precedent was established that carrying any weapon with intent to defend yourself if attacked is illegal, under the charge of "possession of a weapon for a purpose dangerous to the public peace". Here is a quote from that case:One might ask what the difference is between possession of a concealed weapon on a daily basis to defend oneself, if need be, specially in a dangerous place, and possession to deal with an imminent threat. I think that in the first scenario the purpose is inconsistent with the duty to avoid violent confrontation by escaping, asking for police protection or even negotiating. It reflects a willingness to engage in physical conflict, if confronted, with a weapon. This purpose is contrary to public peace. On the other hand, possession in a particular situation, on a particular day, to meet an immediate threat to one’s life with no real opportunity of avoiding it is a purpose that is not a threat to public peace as such.So the only fully legal way to defend yourself with a weapon in Canada is to pick up a non-gun that happens to be lying around to meet an imminent threat. Not going to happen.This state of affairs infuriates me. I want to be able to do more than run and cower and hope Mr. Policeman saves me in time. I have seen the difference armed civilians can make from this subreddit. Legal concealed carry in Canada might be out of reach in my lifetime. For all I know the police are going to ban all handguns tomorrow. But it gives me hope that there is one nation where the people are willing to fight for their rights and their lives if need be, where civilian gun ownership is not a thing of the past and gun owners are not evil mass shooters in the making. So I tell you, keep fighting. via /r/CCW http://ift.tt/2xthbyW