Throughout history there have been lives lost and communities devastated by the use of firearms. In rural Canada, the risk of death or disability by the inappropriate use of guns is increasing.
This is dear to me as I continue to grieve a friend murdered on a rural property; feel for neighbours who have lost children to rural shootings, and visit with friends paralyzed from gunshot wounds. It takes a split second for life to change or end — and the permanence of it is so difficult to accept.
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A young farmer called to say they were terrified to go outside because of the neighbour’s use of guns. This was not single-shot target practice or gopher hunting with a .22 calibre. This was the use of assault weapons, rifles, shotguns, multi-round munitions, and handguns. It was like living in a war zone. When approached, the gunslingers threatened the farmer and his little children, raising their weapons and challenging them to press charges. A complaint was filed but the police called said the culprits could do as they pleased, which they did.
A few dead cows later, the police could not prove the attack even though the “target” was just a few trees separating properties.
Good neighbours use guns responsibly and ensure they are co-operating with the needs and desires of their communities. And good neighbours take care of one another, knowing that collectively they must protect their families and their farms.
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I think of the time a young teenager lost her life during a shooting at a ranch near ours. She was an innocent passenger in a vehicle that passed over a property line. Neighbours had been too frightened to collectively challenge the risk. What was the sense of that response? How do you explain to those parents that the law and the constitution do not protect the victim?
To add to the danger, our province has serious problems with gunslingers who come out to the country for shooting parties. Drugs and alcohol may be involved and there is no protection for the neighbouring properties. The ‘farm’ is used as a shooting range for hours on end without any consideration of the safety or security of the neighbouring families.
It takes very little to be a good neighbour, and most of us are surrounded by good people.
But if you are one of those who is ‘gunning for action’ then consider this: Of the 740 gun deaths in Canada in 2003, three per cent were children who died from ‘accidental’ gun action.
On farms, guns are often handy and in some homes, loaded. Older children can be especially curious about them — those aged 10 to 14 years are most likely to be involved in an accidental shooting. For males, death from a long or short gun climbs again from 15 to 25 years of age when rage, drinking, and drugs become contributing factors.
It is not just farming families that suffer when guns are inappropriately discharged. There is a huge cost to animal life and reproductive performance in animals as well. I recall the investigation of dead beef cattle in a pen near Edmonton where the cattle had been shot during the night for sport. It was devastating and traumatic to view the carcasses of that careless act and the economic impact on that farm was nearly devastating. Guns discharged without warning cause horses to bolt and this may result in serious injury to the rider. It brings breeding to a standstill and is highly disruptive to birthing mothers, wildlife, and for our children playing in the front yard. Farm pets panic, run away, hide or scratch through the front door.
Guns that are not used for the purpose of hunting, protection, or carefully conducted sport are a risk in their community and the law of averages will support the eventual death or injury of someone.
I cannot get our beautiful young friend out of my mind. He was gunned down on a farm. The man who shot him was known to boast about his guns. The gun parties in our communities represent the same risk. Mad, drunk, stupid, or high — all are an explosive cocktail when combined with a firearm. Bullets do not stop at fencelines.
The societal cost is extraordinary with the average gunshot wound in Canada costing taxpayers $435,000.
Is this what we want our children to know? That they will bear this cost, that they are not safe playing in the front yard when the neighbours get shooting, that they cannot ride their horse or drive the tractor and do so with the confidence that they will be safe? That they are not safe standing on the road waiting for the bus or going for a nature hike? That it is OK for their pets or income animals to die because someone else has the ‘right’ to party with a gun in hand?
I see a different future and a safer rural community for Canadians based on respect. It starts with communities saying no to the inappropriate use of guns and continuous vigilance in reporting suspicious behaviour to police.
We don’t have to wait until someone dies. Rural communities welcome good neighbours.
