In the opinion of groups such as the Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (414-769-0760) gun control is a device used to control populations. This control has directly contributed to several major genocides this century: Perpetuator Date Target # Murdered Date of Gun Source Government (Estimated) Control Law Document Ottoman 1915-17 Armenians 1,000,000- 1866 Art. 166, Penal Code Turkey 1,500,000 1911 Art. 166, Penal Code Soviet Union 1929-53 Anti-Comm- 20,000,000+ 1929 Art. 182 Penal Code unists, Anti- Stalinists Nazi Germany 1933-45 Jews, Gypsies 13,000,000 1928 Law on Firearms & & Occupied Anti-Nazis Ammunition, April 12 Europe 1938 Weapons Law, Mar. 18 China 1949-52 Anti-Comm- 20,000,000 1935 Arts. 186-7, Penal 1957-60 unists, Rural 1957 Art. 9 Security Law 1966-76 population, Oct. 22nd Pro-Reform Group Guatemala 1960-81 Maya Indians 100,000 1871 Decree 36, Nov. 25 1964 Decree 283, Oct 27 Uganda 1971-79 Christians, 300,000 1955 Firearms Ordinance Political Rivals 1970 Firearms Act Cambodia 1975-79 Educated 1,000,000 1956 Arts. 322-8 Persons Penal Code. Note that the laws of several countries are part of older and/or wider bodies of law on firearms ownership. Source: Simkin Jay, Aaron Zelman, and Alan Rice _Lethal Laws, Gun Control is the Key to Genocide_, Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, Inc., 2872 S. Wentworth Ave., Milwaukee Wisconsin WI 53207, 1994. This table does not include the recent genocides in Somalia, Rwanda, or former-Yugoslavia. Arguments that "This is Canada, it can't happen here", are simply ignoring world history. The people rounded up by the Nazis had no idea that their government would murder them. When they did realize what was up, they were unable to defend themselves as they had been disarmed. In order to prevent genocides, citizens must be armed. Governments that disarm their citizens are not to be trusted. After all, Governments have been the largest murderers in the world this century. In Canada research by Gary Mauser of SFU has shown that Canadians use firearms for defence just as frequently as Americans. (mauser@sfu.ca for more info) Canadians tend to use their firearms for defence from animals more than people; Americans use their firearms more for defence from human attacks. Gun control as proposed by Allan Rock could actually increase the violent crime rate by preventing some people from defending themselves. Note that most self defence incidents go unreported (as did three that I have been involved in) due to fear of prosecution by the government. A gun control system can only do one thing: deny legal access to firearms to known criminals. Our system already does that. Handguns have been registered in Canada since 1934. Registration of handguns has not prevented illegal handgun smuggling, nor has it prevented the illegal use of handguns in crime. Registration of firearms owners (the Firearms Possession Certificate) and firearms (the Firearms Identification Number) has only one purpose: to prepare lists to allow for easy confiscation. In every other country where registration has been tried it has not prevented criminal activity, there has been a rise in the crime rate, and firearms have been confiscated from lawful citizens. An unarmed citizenry is ripe for abuse from its government. Gun Control is not crime control, it is people control. Sheldon Clare