Yeah, Canadian gun laws are just...complicated.
Coming from New Jersey you would probably not find them restrictive. I believe New Jersey is at least as restrictive as Canada. But people from New Mexico, say, or New Hampshire, probably would find them restrictive.
A big part of the problem is that all Canadian firearms law is technically criminal law, and all criminal law is federal. Consequently, we have middle-ground laws that are not as restrictive as Quebec would like, but much more restrictive than the West would like - probably similar to how it would be in the US if one set of gun laws had to cover both Alaska and Massachusets.
There are three classes, non-restricted (most non-black rifles and virtually every shotgun, including shorties) restricted (scary black rifles and most handguns) and prohibited (full auto, small handguns, some random guns that appeared in a movie and gave a legislator a scary dream once.) All three are legal to own and enjoy...but prohibited stuff is pretty complicated to get if you weren't grandfathered in to the current laws (1996 vintage.) But like everything else, where there is a will, and ready money, there is a way.
Let me just preface this little rant with the statement that it is not directed at anyone here, but just that I was thinking about related events as the result of this thread. Nobody said anything that I find offensive at all, this is purely a random outburst I thought you might find interesting.
You know, people often question Erin's choice of clothing in the outdoors, and elsewhere in fact. But to be honest it's pretty practical. If it's hot, she's not wearing much, and there's really no reason shorts would be better than a skirt. I was wearing pants, and I was way too hot.
When we hiked the Grand Canyon a few years ago, some local guide person gave her this big lecture on account of the fact that she was wearing a spandexy mini-dress that would look more normal in a nightclub. Well, sure, it looked different than what other girls were wearing, but lots of girls we passed on the trails were wearing shorts and a tank top, and while the shorts were probably a little longer than Erin's dress, I have a hard time imagining exactly what serious injury an extra four or six inches of fabric on a person's thighs is supposed to prevent. The guide just looked at her in this dress that looked out of place and concluded it was impractical, and started criticizing her for it. Being a guest in the country, I was fairly polite and ignored the person. But if that had happened here, I would have just lost it! Don't be telling my girlfriend what to do about ANYTHING unless it is specifically infringing on someone else's personal rights - which is pretty damn unlikely to be the case. I don't go around telling everyone to carry knives or wear cowboy hats, so anyone who thinks they ought to be making decisions for me or anyone under my protection is free at any time to headbutt a series of increasingly large, abrasive concrete blocks until they collapse.
We were at a movie a while ago, and Erin went and got seats, and I went back to get seventy-dollar popcorn or whatever they charge now, and in the line ahead of me were a couple of women in their mid-thirties. When I got in line, one of them was in the middle of saying, "I know! I mean you could practically see her panties. Like, could that skirt BE any shorter?" and the other one said, "and what's with the heels? Like how could she even walk in those? I would NEVER leave the house like that."
"She was a slut," said the first woman. Okay, that was it for me.
"Hey," I said. "If you want to feel better about yourself, don't put other people down. Why not try doing something positive, like going to the gym? You'll feel better, and you'll look better, and after a while, you might start feeling like you could dress however you want, too. You could lose a bit of weight, put more effort into your appearance, and then, when you saw girls walking around that looked like that girl, you wouldn't have to call them names to feel better. You could probably be happy for them, that they are doing what they want to do and being who they want to be."
They looked like I'd punched them both in the stomach. They didn't say anything at all, and when they got to the counter, they didn't order any food. One said, "no, nothing for me," and the other said, "I'm okay" Then they walked away from the concession stand, and talked for a minute, and walked back out the front door towards the parking lot.
Why be negative? Just be happy there are hot chicks walking around in skimpy clothes. I know I am!
(Mine complains cause i make her wear sleeves in the woods and on the motorcycle)
