3 More Minutes

Jon Ferry was my editor at the Vancouver Province.

In fact, he was the fellow who so kindly surprised me with an invitation to write columns for the paper.

I enjoyed that assignment immensely and the often vigorous parry-and-thrust with Jon over what was written and what needed to be written.

I was equally disappointed, when a little over a year later, the editor in chief called to tell me that my assignment had ended.

I was one of 500+ folks summarily dismissed across the country as Canwest Global attempted once again to scotch the bleeding.

Ah, well. Such is life...

Thus, imagine my delight yesterday at Jon giving me another three minutes of fame by using one of my blog entries ("Armed & Dangerous - An Entire Country" posted on Monday, November 30/09) as his starting point for a column of his own.

More laws and anti-U.S. bigotry are no answers for gun violence

By Jon Ferry, The Province

It's a good one and a riot and well worth the read if you missed it.

I don't feel the need to defend my position or re-hash the argument other than to say that America is a gun culture in a way that Canada is not.

I haven't forgotten for a moment the six people executed in Surrey or the four mounties or the victims of Mark Lapine.

But here is the telling difference.

I know many, many people across Canada.

And I don't really know very many who own a gun of any kind or calibre.

Almost everyone in the USA is packing.

I am not familiar with thousands of strip mall and corner stores in Canada who sell ammo and Uzis.

Canada and America are very similar, and in this regard in particular, very different.

To point out bad public policy is not America Bashing.

It is legitimate and necessary commentary.

Cheers, Jon!