Letter to the Editor: Seay misfires
Dear Editor:
Kerra Seay (in her article titled “What Does Kerra Say?: Let’s get real about gun violence”, published on Oct.16 2017), falsely states that Semi-Automatic weapons are illegal for civilians in Canada to own.
In Canada most semi-automatic rifles are under the restricted category, and as far as a list of weapons that I could find that were used in the Las Vegas shooting, all of them are legal in Canada. Though, some of the modifications (suppressors or “silencers” as they are known as well as bump stocks) and magazine capacity (in Canada magazine capacity is capped at five rounds) are indeed illegal.
Seay also states that there were 19 guns found in his hotel room. In actuality there were 23 guns in his hotel room and a further 19 in his house, as well as a copious amount of Ammonium Nitrate in his car. Ammonium Nitrate is a fertilizer that can be used as a base for high explosives, and was the material used in the Oklahoma City bombings.
As a side note, it is possible to bump fire a semi-automatic using only your hands. It takes a bit of practice, but is achievable. You can see this in action in a video by Vice News with the ATF regulator who accepted Bump Stocks as legal modifications.
Sources:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-04/ las-vegas-shooting-what-do-we-know-aboutthe- guns-that-were-used/9013764
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/las-vegas- shooter-1.4316356
https://news.vice.com/story/the-atf-cantban- bump-stocks-without-congress
Christopher Richards
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
Kerra Seay (in her article titled “What Does Kerra Say?: Let’s get real about gun violence”, published on Oct.16 2017), falsely states that Semi-Automatic weapons are illegal for civilians in Canada to own.
In Canada most semi-automatic rifles are under the restricted category, and as far as a list of weapons that I could find that were used in the Las Vegas shooting, all of them are legal in Canada. Though, some of the modifications (suppressors or “silencers” as they are known as well as bump stocks) and magazine capacity (in Canada magazine capacity is capped at five rounds) are indeed illegal.
Seay also states that there were 19 guns found in his hotel room. In actuality there were 23 guns in his hotel room and a further 19 in his house, as well as a copious amount of Ammonium Nitrate in his car. Ammonium Nitrate is a fertilizer that can be used as a base for high explosives, and was the material used in the Oklahoma City bombings.
As a side note, it is possible to bump fire a semi-automatic using only your hands. It takes a bit of practice, but is achievable. You can see this in action in a video by Vice News with the ATF regulator who accepted Bump Stocks as legal modifications.
Sources:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-04/ las-vegas-shooting-what-do-we-know-aboutthe- guns-that-were-used/9013764
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/las-vegas- shooter-1.4316356
https://news.vice.com/story/the-atf-cantban- bump-stocks-without-congress
Christopher Richards
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
