gun – mackaycartoons

Wednesday July 25, 2018

July 24, 2018 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday July 25, 2018

Does Canada Have a Gun Control Problem?

July 18, 2012

In the aftermath of the deadly mass shooting in Toronto that left two bystanders and the shooter dead and 12 others injured, a right-wing blogger has questioned whether Canada’s gun control laws actually work.

“I thought they had gun control in Canada,” Laura Loomer, tweeted. “What happened?” she asked.

That tweet was one of dozens of others posing the same question, with many branding the shooting as evidence that gun control laws do not work.

But others have been quick to point out that the number of shootings should speak for itself.

“This is the first mass shooting in our country in almost two years,” one Canadian tweeted. “How many has the USA had just this year? Gun control DOES work, obviously. Just not 100 percent of the time.”

The past year has seen a spate of mass shootings across the U.S., with a total of 154 taking place since June 28 alone, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as any that results in four or more individuals shot or killed in the same general time frame or location.

Sunday’s mass shooting in Toronto was the first in Canada since an attack on a mosque in Quebec City on January 29, 2017, which saw a single gunman kill six people and wound 18 others.

Before that, Canada had not had a mass shooting since January 22, 2016, when a 17-year-old student shot and killed two people at a residence in La Loche, Saskatchewan, before continuing his rampage at La Loche Community School, killing a teacher and an assistant, and wounding several others.

A firearm is nearly seven times less likely to be used in a homicide in Canada than in the U.S., according to Statistics Canada. (More Stats: Newsweek)

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Saturday February 25, 2018

February 23, 2018 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday February 25, 2018

President Trump at CPAC Insists Arming Teachers, Not Gun Control, Will Keep Schools Safe

President Donald Trump reiterated his support for arming teachers during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference Friday morning, saying that keeping guns out of schools makes them targets for mass shooters.

January 17, 2013

“When we declare our schools to be gun free zones, it just puts our students in far more danger,” said Trump. “People that are adept with weaponry and with guns — they teach. I don’t want to have 100 guards with rifles standing all over the school. You do a concealed carry permit.”

Other than one mention of “strengthening” background checks, Trump did not talk about the ideas for tighter gun control that he has floated in the last week – including raising the age of purchasing some weapons and banning bump stocks. The National Rifle Association, which was an early backer of Trump’s and channeled over $30 million towards supporting his campaign, opposes raising the age limit.

July 25, 2015

The speech seemed in line with many of the talking points of NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, who went on the offensive on Thursday on the same CPAC stage, accusing gun control advocates of exploiting last week’s Florida school shooting tragedy.

Nikolas Cruz, 19, allegedly opened fire with an AR-15 rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14, killing 17 people. In the days following, Trump pledged to take action to help prevent more school shootings in America, inviting those who have experienced school shootings to the White House. He reiterated his call to action on Friday, telling the audience, “We will act. We will do something.” (Source: TIME)

Thursday June 16, 2016

June 15, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday June 16, 2016

Orlando Alligator Disney Death Is The Third Tragedy To Strike Florida City In Less Than A Week

The day after the massacre at the Pulse gay nightclub, Mayor Buddy Dyer, called the tragedy “the worst day in history of Orlando.” But the Pulse shooting is not the only misfortune Orlando has had to endure in the past few days.

On Tuesday night, a 2-year-old boy was dragged away by an alligator at a Walt Disney World resort in the Central Florida city. The toddler, whose body was still being searched for more than 15 hours later, is believed to be dead. The incident is the latest in a spate of tragedies that has hit Orlando in one of the darkest weeks in the city’s history, following the killing of singer Christine Grimmie Friday and the Pulse attack, the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. History.

Grimmie, who finished in third-place on Season 6 of NBC’s “The Voice,” was shot to death Friday night while giving autographs after her concert at the Plaza Live theater. Police have identified 27-year old Kevin James Loibl of St. Petersburg, Florida, as the gunman. Loibl, who was armed with two handguns and a large hunting knife, shot himself after opening fire on Grimmie.

News of Grimmie’s death sparked a national discussion about gun control, a conversation that was only amplified when the news of the Pulse attack hit less than 48 hours later. The attack on the gay nightclub occurred early Sunday morning when a lone gunman, identified as 29-year-old Omar Mateen, started firing at club patrons with an assault rifle and took hostages before SWAT teams stormed the building and gunned him down. (Source: International Business Times)

Published in The Western Star, Cornerbrook, Newfoundland

Saturday July 25, 2015

July 24, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday July 25, 2015

Gun safety laws biggest unfinished business of my presidency, says Obama

Barack Obama is “distressed” he has been unable to strengthen gun-safety laws in America, acknowledging it will be the unfinished business of his presidency.

Obama’s comment went to air on the BBC a few hours before the latest shooting in America which left three people dead, including the gunman, at the Grand Theater in Lafayette, Louisiana.

“The issue of guns, that is an area where if you ask me where has been the one area where I feel that I’ve been most frustrated and most stymied it is the fact that the United States of America is the one advanced nation on Earth in which we do not have sufficient common-sense, gun-safety laws,” he told the BBC.

“Even in the face of repeated mass killings.”

Obama said the number of Americans killed since 9/11 by terrorism was less than 100 while tens of thousands had been killed by gun violence.

“For us not to be able to resolve that issue has been something that is distressing. But it is not something that I intend to stop working on in the remaining 18 months,” he said. (Source: The Guardian)

Thursday December 13, 2012

December 13, 2012 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Thursday December 13, 2012

Toronto sets a good tone on police budget

A confidential report says Congratulations to Toronto’s police board, which had the gumption to nix a 2 per cent budget increase, voting instead to freeze its budget for 2013. Let’s hope that puts some pressure on the Hamilton Police Services Board to rein in the budget here.

There needs to be more than a little wiggle room in Chief Glenn De Caire’s requested 5.25 per cent increase, which is substantially higher than the 3.5 per cent hike the city expected. Meanwhile, all other departments and agencies have been told to build budgets based on no increased spending.

Members of our police board must stiffen their spines — they represent taxpayers as well as the police. While a 0 per cent increase probably isn’t in the cards, police management should at least hit the 3.5 per cent target. Taxpayers’ pockets are not bottomless. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)