The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Your Turn on Gun Control in Canada

Episode Date: October 2, 2025

What is your view on gun control in Canada? A variety of answers, with a variety of perspectives, from coast-to-coast-to-coast highlight this week on Your Turn, with guest host Will Mansbridge. Plus the Random Ranter is back taking on Trump. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

And hello there. I'm Will Mansbridge. You're listening to The Bridge. It's Thursday, and that means your turn. Today, what's your view on gun control in Canada? That's coming right up. As has been the case a couple times over the last year or so, you're not listening to Peter Mansbridge. You're listening to Will Mansbridge. My dad was tied up again today in transit back from Calgary. And so, as I said, for I believe the third time in the last year or so, I'm here as your host today for your time. turn, a day that is, of course, all about your opinions. And my dad mentioned on Monday, but this is a subject and a question that we've wanted to do

for a little while now. Gun control in Canada, your views on gun control in Canada. I'm not going to, you know, wade too deep into these waters personally, and so far as giving my own opinion on this topic, but what I will say, just in cracking open and reading through these letters before hitting record on the podcast today, I am really excited by the diversity of thought and the diversity of opinion. Having hosted now a couple of these in the lead-up to the election and now post-election, it is really that diversity. of thought and diversity of opinion that strikes at the core of why we love the

your turn program so much. And I'll say I was surprised at how many of these letters this week forced me to challenge or rethink some of my own opinions on this topic. And I'll leave it at that. So without further ado, let's get right into it this week, starting with Darren Neal in Oshawa, Ontario. As a lifelong hunter, I believe Canada's current firearms legislation is good and doesn't interfere with the cultural tradition of hunting. While proposed gun bans and buybacks wouldn't create issues for hunters, they're not necessary for public safety. The real risk comes from firearms illegally crossing the southern border and ending up with criminals. Debates over new or current gun laws are mostly political theater, creating fictitious

wedge issues. Joshua Winters in Surrey, B.C. I once dated an American and spent a summer in rural Michigan. What struck me most was how casual guns felt there. We would be eating at McDonald's and someone comes strolling in with an AK-47 on their back like an accessory. Some of my family own guns, but they take it seriously, licensed, locked in a safe, never treated like toys. I'd prefer a society without civilian guns, but it's easy to feel that way when you live in a city where the police show up in minutes. Not everyone has that luxury. For the record, we checked on the law in Michigan on openly carrying a firearm and found that in Michigan, it is legal for a person to carry a firearm in public as long as the person is carrying the firearm with lawful intent and the firearm

is not concealed, but you can't legally carry a firearm in some places, including places of worship, schools, and hospitals. The law, however, doesn't mention McDonald's. Mark Renick in Guelph, Ontario. The registry only angers voters who are ignorant of the real situation. We live next door to a long, undefended border To the largest cache of weapons on the planet To stem the flow as it stands is impossible Dave Cole in Wallaceburg, Ontario That's about an hour east of Windsor

The liberal government wants to take away Law-abiding citizens long guns as they say it will make it safer. Although many police associations say that it will do little to address gun crime, as the real problem is illegal guns smuggled in from the U.S. Last week, the real reason for the liberal long gun ban was revealed by the public safety minister, and it's all about protecting the liberal vote in Quebec. Enough said.

Ken Palisach in Newstad, Ontario It's a rural community An hour and a bit north of Guelph As a former resident of the greater Toronto area I forget Canada is a vast, untamed wilderness containing some of Earth's largest, most dangerous animals For folks in remote regions, a gun is a tool

It's dangerous, without the necessary training or precautions, but so is an axe. God forbid there's a rise in violent axe crime. If there were, I'd hate for Ottawa to dictate all responsible Canadians use a less effective, quote-unquote, safety axe. John Minchell in Comox Valley, BC. My view on gun control in Canada is that as long as the gun owners are properly registered and trained in the use of their firearms, which is required to get a license, then they should be free to use them, given that the primary uses of firearms in Canada are for hunting and target shooting purposes and they are locked up. Outside of that, why should there be an issue? Dylan Matheson in Courtney, B.C. There are between 700,000 and 1 million SKS semi-automatic military rifles in the country, according to Google. The SKS is a Russian manufactured gun.

It is probably the most popular rifle in the country. It's cheap, cheap to shoot, reliable, and more accurate than its successor, the AK-47. It's also non-restricted. One can readily buy magazines for an SKS that can be turned into 30-round magazines in under a minute. If liberal gun bans were about public safety, not politics, they would ban all semi-automatics. Michael Artendale in Sudbury, Ontario. Overall, the way we do gun control. in Canada is good.

The issue is the way the media talks about guns. AR does not stand for assault rifle. It stands for automatic rifle. The media mislabels those guns because they do not know what they are. They should

be corrected. While we checked on what AR means, technically it doesn't stand for either assault rifle or automatic rifle. AR stands for Armolite, the company that first made the rifle in the 1950s. John Mellevich in Montreal.

I'm a licensed gun owner and a veteran. Canada's gun control has gone too far. I took courses, had references, and my wife approves my license every five years. Legal owners follow strict rules. We've locked up our firearms for six years, and gun crime still climbs due to illegal imports from the states. Responsible owners are not the problem, and we are now treated like criminals. This isn't solving the real problem. Scott Jansen in New Westminster, BC.

Canada's gun control laws are already robust, but deaths continue, because, nearly 80% of gun fatalities are suicides. This is a mental health issue, not just a legal one. To prevent harm, we need civil forfeiture laws with real teeth. Any property containing an unlicensed firearm, car, house, or cabin should be seized. Manufacturers and sellers should face liability when their products cause injury or death. Accountability must extend across the entire chain. Annie Trippinier in Montreal. I also, I do want to say, I sincerely apologize if I get anyone's name wrong or town wrong. Back to Annie in Montreal.

Guns are not toys, nor should it be a sport. Only guns useful to hunt should be allowed for the general population. No handguns, no assault rifles. If you want to use those, join the online. army. They need people. As for the list of restricted guns, it should actually be the other way around. An allowed list. Any new model should prove it respects the conditions to be allowed to be sold in Canada. Josh Baker, writing to us from Washington, D.C. formerly lived in Calgary. Gun control in Canada isn't about formulating sound policy to lower gun crime.

Instead, gun control in Canada is motivated by ideology in order to appease liberal voters in Ontario and Quebec. Brandon Roberts in Hartzell, Alabama. Growing up in Sioux-Marie, Ontario, I can say with certainty that our community and and our country did not have a culture in which mass shootings were commonplace. Laws can and do change from one government to another, but I hope that parents in Canada today can raise their kids with the culture I experienced as a boy. Constance Menzies in Narrow, Manitoba. Canadians are guided by peace, order, and good government,

and the U.S. is a gun-toting mess with their right to bear arms. The assault-style firearms compensation program collected 12,000 prohibited firearms and handguns, kill more people than stabbings and beatings. Aside from substance hunting, we have work to do to keep all guns at bay with a special watch on handguns. If we possess guns, we up the ante on vines. violence and murders. Don Burke in Calgary. Anyone using a gun responsibly should not have a problem registering them.

Anyone who is going to do bad things will find a way. Only guns used for recreational hunting should be available for purchase. Dave Warren in Coquitland, BC. I'm saddened we have to talk about gun control as a pointy issue at all in Canada. Is this a northern drift from the lawless clowns to the south? Surely we can manage a proper Canadian discussion based on Canadian values regarding gun control in a civil Canadian way. No? Don Whitmore in Colonna, BC.

One only has to look at the unbridled violence in the USA to know what happens without gun control. No one needs a gun except licensed hunters. Hunters need only three guns, a high caliber rifle for big game, a shotgun for foul, and perhaps a 22 for small game. We have to stop the illegal flow of weapons from the USA. We have to beef up border security. Tim Stott in Kennesota, Manitoba. Rolls right off the tongue. As a registered law-abiding firearm owner,

I am in favor of the current gun laws in Canada. However, I am not in favor of governments restricting law-abiding citizens' rights to own firearms just because it's easier to do that than it is to enforce stricter border security to prevent illegal firearms from entering Canada. As we all know, a majority of the firearm-related incidents come from illegal firearms, not legally registered firearms. John Henthorn in Lakehurst, Ontario, that's north of Peterborough.

As a legal firearms owner, I support education, licensing, and proper vetting for those who want to own firearms. What I oppose is government bans based only on appearance, which waste money and police resources while doing nothing to reduce crime. These measures unfairly target legal gun owners who are already among the most vetted and law-abiding citizens in the country. Matt Bobinsky in Grand Valley, Ontario. That's about 45 minutes.

north of Guelph. I think that gun control in Canada is more than adequate. Banning and asking for guns back from law-abiding gun owners is not going to reduce gun crime. I think that people don't realize that the gun buy-back program is asking law-abiding gun owners to voluntarily surrender the newly banned firearms. The government has no records or proof that anyone owns these formerly non-restricted firearms. David Little in Whitby, Ontario. Handguns serve no useful civilian purpose. They exist only for hunting people.

I support responsible use of long rifles for hunting and think current regulations are reasonable. But handguns have become status symbols fueling violence among young men. Other Commonwealth countries have restricted them successfully, and we should follow their lead. Wendy Cecil in Toronto, Ontario. I favor tight gun control, but with exceptions for hunters, farmers, and people living and working in remote areas, and nobody needs an automatic rapid fire weapon.

Gun licenses should be mandatory and renewed every two years with, proof of gun safety education and secure gun lockup. We know what happens in countries with lax gun laws. Let's not go there. Safe civil society depends on gun restrictions. Police and the military need firepower. Civilians don't. Mike Lombardi in Vancouver, BC.

Gun safety in Canada means learning from research, listening to public opinion and putting solutions into action that truly work. That takes coordinated policing, national, provincial, and local, along with strong public education. Just as important, we must avoid importing the gun culture of the USA and stop the flow of illegal firearms across our border. By working together, we can keep Canadians safe while respecting our own traditions and values. Kent Ross in Blacks Harbor, New Brunswick, that's on the Bay of Fundy. I am a sports shooter. I no longer hunt, but I still love to shoot.

I have an R-PAL. An R-PAL is a restricted possession and acquisition license, a firearms license that allows you to acquire and possess restricted firearms, and belong to a local shooting club. The bans on quote-unquote assault-style firearms are political theater, and so-called assault-style firearms are no different in function than many non-restricted hunting firearms, except they have black plastic stocks instead of wood. This was never about public safety, but about appeasing the liberal base and getting votes from the left. Jerry Byrne Jr. in Cornerbrook, Newfoundland. My position on gun control is shaped around my experience as a current R-PAL holder. I believe that while it was a political cost to the Kretchen government in rural areas,

the long gun registry was a policy that worked to keep legal guns out of criminal hands. It should have never been removed by Harper. The buyback program should be replaced with a long gun registry, coupled with investment in combating the illegal sale of firearms. That is border projection. We'll get a couple more here before we take a break. Percy Phillips in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. Firearm regulations in Canada was bureaucratic, but effective, when Trudeau made it a political wedge issue in 2020.

Successive orders in council since then are exactly what the current minister admitted in private, entirely political in nature, expensive, bureaucratic, and will prove to be ineffective. It is another example of Canada slowly losing any national narrative, but instead making both policy and laws for political and local electoral advantage, rather than good, sound, data-based governance. One more here. Denise Boudreau and Regina. Short one.

In Canada, gun ownership is a privilege, not a right. I ask all levels of government to keep it that way. It's a good one to take our break on. When we come back, the random ranters here, and more of your letters. All right. I set it off the top, but I hope you're just as impressed with the sort of depth of thought that have been put into many of these letters and to the wide range of opinions that we're seeing this week. Let's see what our friend, the ranter, has to contribute to that wide range of opinions.

As much as I love an elbows-up approach to the U.S., I'm not opposed to the current carny tactic of playing a longer game. I mean, at one point, I really believed that some short, sharp, Canadian elbows could make Trump think twice about tariffs. But in retrospect, I now realize he hasn't even thought once about them. Trump has no regard for many things. First and foremost would, of course, be the truth. A close second would be his word, and third, well, that would be the well-being of the American people.

Trump doesn't care about them, just like he doesn't care about inflation, employment, equality, fairness, history, norms, or traditions. His pathetic attempts at projecting power just make him look weaker. How could anyone walk away from watching that farce of an address to the military brass and not be profoundly disturbed by everything about? it. All I could think of was Jack Nicholson and a few good men screaming, You can't handle the truth! And Trump and Hegs is saying, give us more. Or the two of them watching full metal jacket and then using the drill sergeant as a blueprint for the new masculine army. Look, I've never served, but I've watched a lot of movies. And evidently, so is Trump and his hair gel-helmeted toxic secretary of war. Because I can't see how their

decisions are based on anything, more than a twisted, superficial Hollywood understanding of what it means to be a professional soldier serving their country. But I digress, because this is all about elbows up versus a longer game. And my point is, elbows up or not, nothing is going to knock any sense into Trump. He's a thin-skinned, thick-skulled, idiot. And negotiating with him is pointless and futile. I mean, think about all the deal announcements Trump is. Trump is. made, about all the trillions of dollars pouring into the U.S. coffers from foreign investors, and then show me one deal that's actually amounted to something tangible. Or since I seem to be referencing movies today, show me the money.

It's pure Trump theater. He loves the announcements, not so much the details. He wants to win without playing the game. But this is the real world. Trump may choose to live in his own fantasy land. he may try to cook the books or fudge the numbers, but in the real world, numbers aren't just something on a report. They're a measure of something tangible. You can tell me inflation is 1%, but if it's really six, I'll know it in the grocery aisle. You can tell me the job market

is the best it's ever been, but if I'm unemployed and so is my neighbor, well, I'm probably going to figure it out. And that's the reality America faces today. Under Trump, they're unreliable, untrustworthy, and disingenuous. They're not interested in reason. They're not interested in statesmanship. And negotiating to them is wanting it all and then some more and then some more after that. Look, you know you're in trouble when Trump values his marriage vows more than the Constitution. Trump is the cataclysm. He's the decline of the American Empire. His tariff policies have put their country on a path of destruction desperately looking for rope. I say we keep playing it cool and give it to them.

Because as much as it hurts, as much as Trump's tariffs are doing damage to our economy, to our politics and to our people, the ultimate damage is being born by America themselves. Well, we love them. Our friend the ranter. Another great one this week. And he gets a lot more than 75 words. I think you guys should have something to say to the boss about that.

You know, you guys only get 75. He gets three and a half minutes. Back to your letters. Gun control in Canada. That's the focus this week. David Carrier in Ottawa, Ontario. Years ago, I took the firearm safety course. in order to take possession of some family heirlooms.

I learned about our strict gun laws, which I think are excellent and as safe as they need to be in Canada. Banning more guns today or taking legal guns out of the locked gun safes of responsible owners is no way making the country safer. Go after the illegal guns and will all be much better off. Spencer Stinson in Blenham, Ontario, that's southwestern Ontario, on the shores of Lake Erie. I think the Liberals got two in the weeds with these additional bans and buyback lists. In my opinion, this is pandering to the voters' ignorance around what these gun control measures do.

We need to address the illegal firearms that are committing the crimes. Let's invest money here. Save more lives on the street and build safe. safer and more connected communities. Jeff Fisher in Riverview, New Brunswick. That's across the Petty Codiac River from Moncton. Folks don't cause obesity. Cars don't cause drunk drivers and guns don't kill people.

Those who use guns for crimes will do so regardless of government. regulation. The current buyback program is just another botched government program, made worse by increasingly petty partisan politics and an incompetent public safety minister. Dastically increase individual punishment and make jail an unpleasant place to be. Fewer wackos roaming free will mean fewer guns will be going off. Chris Stupark in Prince George B.C. see. The current rules we had prior to 2020 were perfectly fine. It's frustrating as a responsible firearms owner to be constantly used as a part of wedge politics. I go through a background check to be able to own firearms. Taking mine away won't save lives. All it does is make it

harder to put food on my table as hunting is a huge part of my heritage. Aaron O'Brien in Pilot Butte, Saskatchewan, that's just east of Regina. We are not the United States. Canada already has strong gun controls that protect us. Will tightening them further truly enhance safety? Or is it merely political theater? Such measures often create the illusion of security, generate headlines, and cost far less than addressing root causes.

In reality, gun violence is, most often tied to mental health struggles and addiction. Our resources would be far better spent tackling those challenges directly. Callum Arnold in Guelph, Ontario. Guns are in anathema to a safe, sane, and civil society. However, guns have been used to defend such a society when it is threatened by its neighbors.

Our Canadian method of gun control has always prioritized and educated and safety-minded approach to gun ownership. I don't own a gun myself, but I am considering taking the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course, given the increasing uncertainty and chaos of the past few years. The course column is talking about teaches individuals the safe and responsible handling of restricted firearms, such as handguns and certain semi-automatic rifles. It is a prerequisite for obtaining a firearms license that allows you to legally possess these types of guns. Norma Jack in Stovill, Ontario.

I think Canada should step up the control of guns that come over the border from the USA first. I'm not against guns for hunting. I honestly think that most Canadians that own guns for hunting are very responsible people. I am currently in Aberdeen, North Carolina, visiting my daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. I still find it extremely strange

that most people here own guns. But that perhaps is one of the many reasons why I would never want to live in the USA. Christine McDonald in LaSalle, Ontario. My answer is in the name Assault Rifle. These are made to kill people in combat. That should be reason enough that we don't require these in addition to grandpa's hunting gun. Christine Ramos in Toronto

I'm not a hunter, but support the right to hunt using weapons such as rifles and shotguns. Gun related crimes are mostly perpetrated with handguns. and therefore handguns and semi-automatic rifles should be altogether banned. Illegally obtained weapons smuggled from abroad is the real issue. Funding should be given to hire more officers with the RCMP and border security agency to increase inspections of transport trucks, shipping containers, and vehicles crossing our border. Marilyn Wallace in Fannie Bay, BC. This week's question made me realize how seldom I think about the topic.

Gun violence is almost non-existent in my part of Canada, and what a great blessing that is. So a status quo approach to gun control would be my choice, yet another reason to appreciate the difference between Canada and our southern neighbors. Bill Ebert in Edmonton. I'm not a gun owner. Never shot a gun. I have no horse in this race. Gun control in this country is a joke. Put this gun control money at the border. Stop the illegal guns coming in. As a taxpayer, this is very frustrating. Why does someone in Montreal, Toronto, or any other major city have the same gun laws as a farmer?

or someone who makes their living in the bush. Kyle 80 in Peterborough, Ontario. Gun ownership should be a privilege, not a right, if we want a safe society. Right-wing think tanks and politicians are trying to convince us otherwise. Why? Perhaps because the firearms industry and industries closely connected to firearms, such as oil, chemicals, polymers, and steel, donate to these think tanks. Perhaps they believe gun regulations might negatively affect their profit margins,

which might be true, but I'd rather a safe society than richer shareholders. Carrie Zephyro in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Both sides of the political debate in the U.S. are so busy, point. fingers at what political party the latest shooter belongs to, that they don't or won't address the real heart of the matter, which is that guns are way too easy to get when you live in the United States. I pray we never go down the path of making guns more accessible. I also pray that our justice system creates laws making the possession of an illegal gun a very serious crime, with a very long minimum sentence to deter the bad folks from considering using one.

Jason Bolch in Kingston I understand the concern many Canadians have with guns. Unfortunately, we cannot seem to keep contraband out of maximum security prisons, so I do not see how we could prevent guns from entering our country. Perhaps we should step back from some of the gun regulations. Control, not restriction. Focus on safety and enforcement. We could even manufacture guns in our own country, jobs, independence, and security.

Albert Lynch in Suris, Manitoba. That's about a half hour east, half hour southeast, pardon me, of Brandon. Hunters don't use the type of gun that our government wants to ban and buy back. The reason that auto-loading type guns are inaccurate and hunters need and want accurate guns for clean kills, auto-loading guns automatically load a new cartridge into the chamber after firing. There will be lots of hunters wanting to get money for the gun they don't use. Look at how often auto-loaders are used in the U.S. to mass murder. Let's not get like that.

Deb Greening in District of Lakeland, Saskatchewan. It's all about regulation. Licensing, monitoring, and tight control on the type of guns allowed. Living in the wilds of the Boreal Forest definitely influences my perspective. Hunting is an integral part of our culture, and protection is a consideration whether it's from bears or from threats that require police who are too far away. Restrictions and permitting must be the priority. Lifetime bans and serious repercussions for rule breakers and abusers.

Bill McVeigh in Calgary. With Trump talking about the 51st state again, and wanting to train troops in U.S. cities, I fear he is coming for us. And this is an about face for me. But unfortunately, we need to arm ourselves to the teeth as soon as possible. Christine Franzden in Dundas, Ontario. I am supportive of the government action. to limit dangerous weapons through the buyback program

while allowing certain guns for hunting and sport at gun ranges. I do not believe that laypersons require the use of any type of semi-automatic weapons. Chris Deneves in Toronto If people who are piloting vehicles can be regulated with licenses and inspections, so too can firearms. Like vehicles made explicitly for large-scale killing, firearms made for large-scale killing ought not to be licensed. Like vehicles, if you can't be responsible enough to take a training course

and to regularly prove your responsibilities to your fellow citizens, you clearly aren't responsible enough to wave around a gun. Trudy Chapman in Ottawa I'm a city girl who's just spent a month in the wilds of BC everyone there hunts

or uses guns for safety grizzly bears and cougars are a real threat this experience has informed my views on gun control license everyone for any gun they have safe use, safe storage

safety mindset is paramount Shotguns for hunting, no problem. Limit automatic fire based on use. Ban all handguns. They simply aren't needed. Peter Arato in Toronto. Private gun ownership in Canada should be for hunting and sports shooting only.

No ownership of military arms that can be made functional. A hunting license would be required to own hunting rifles and a sports license and club membership to own sports rifles and guns. Those organizations would work with the government to identify guns that can be licensed. Current gun handling rules and regulations work well. Strictor penalties needed for illegal guns. Daniel Carr in New Market, Ontario. I don't think the issue of gun crime and gun control needs to be too complicated. Violent gun crime is overwhelmingly committed by unlicensed individuals using illegally imported firearms,

not by licensed law-abiding firearm owners. The vast majority of licensed hunters and sports shooters demonstrate safe, and responsible ownership. Solutions should focus resources on addressing illegal gun activity rather than imposing punitive measures on those who comply with the law. Ryan Zaitzoff

in the Fraser Valley, NBC. Gun control in Canada is not about the public safety, but what the government in office can do to score political points with voters. It has been five years since the buyback program was announced, and there's been nothing done and countless amounts of wasted taxpayer dollars already gone down the drain.

This is a liberal government that cares only about getting elected and not concerned with accomplishing anything meaningful. Mike McNaughton in London, Ontario. Obtaining my non-restricted firearms license has made me take the safety course and allow the RCMP to do a background check. The process was reasonable, and I used the license for those unfortunate circumstances where I have to euthanize sick animals. What I don't agree with is owning a restricted firearms license to obtain handguns or semi-automatic rifles. I understand the reasoning is for sports shooting, but can't people just use non-restricted firearms? John Rogers in Wentworth, Nova Scotia.

It's about 40 minutes north of Truro. Canadian gun control works. The process of legally acquiring a gun in Canada is complex, time-consuming, expensive, and thorough. It requires education, patience, and multiple background checks. It is a difficult privilege to acquire and an easy one to lose, as it should be. Future gun control measures should focus on the illegal weapons coming from the U.S.

and not punishing Canada's current and law-abiding gun owners. Greg Neb, who's living on a farm close to the Great Stratford, Ontario. I'm a gun owner, and I have had the opportunity at a shooting range to fire handguns and rifles that are now considered prohibited. I understand both sides of this argument. My view is that handguns belong in the hands of police and military only, and assault rifles should be banned. A phrase that is often used for many subjects applies here. The actions of the few affect the many. Paul South in Cawortha, Lakes, Ontario.

I'm a gun owner, a hobby trap shooter, and an occasional duck hunter. Too often, government policies seem to target responsible gun owners while overlooking the crimes we see reported daily. In reality, it's rare for legal gun owners or their firearms to be involved in such acts. If police chiefs nationwide reported which guns were used in crimes and by whom, and the data showed otherwise, I'd support a buyback. Until then, fairness matters. Lawrence Rainey in Muscoca, Ontario.

We have thankfully never had an elementary school shooting. Well, we have, but it's been very rare. The Americans have countless school shootings and more guns than people down there. Our gun laws work. As does Britons and Australia's, we need as much protection from guns as possible, allowing for hunting and sportsmen. This is not a hard question. Continue to do what works. Three more letters for today.

Joanne Stevens in Vancouver, another short one here. The case for gun control can be made in three letters, USA. Laura Trevosy in Blue Mountain, Ontario, that's Georgian Bay Area. My concern with gun control in Canada is that some advocate for greater access to unnecessary weapons. The alarming rates of violence and senseless states, deaths in the U.S. highlight why we should maintain our strict gun laws. Foreign influence and funding are pushing the narrative that we need guns for home protection, but studies show that owning a handgun increases the risk of accidental harm.

Canadian laws effectively prevent mass shootings, unlike in the U.S. Our responsible hunting community doesn't struggle to access firearms, so why advocate for looser regulations. More guns do not equal more safety, and it's troubling that this debate exists in Canada. Finally, Joanne Bamford in Wayne Fleet, Ontario. That's Southern Niagara region. While in Texas recently, spending time with the family at a local restaurant, I learned that a server that they knew and loved just came back from attending a funeral of a little boy that had shot himself because he had access to the loaded gun in his home. I was shocked and saddened that yet another senseless killing happened because of the proliferation of guns in their society. This is the last thing I want in our country.

We don't all need guns. but those that want them for recreation and hunting will have them under our laws and that is okay by me well that's it for this week on your turn you know I going through you know 20 pages of

of your letters here I'm just struck by how different this conversation would be in the United States versus here. By no means did everyone who wrote in this week agree on gun control in Canada. But most of you who wrote in made reasoned, policy-driven suggestions,

or fact-based opinions. And I think that's the beauty of certainly, political discourse in Canada, but specifically of the your turn program, is that almost all of you come with fact-based, reasoned, thought-out opinions. That's why I love to be here. That's why we love Thursdays. And we'll be back next Thursday with more of your letters, more of your thoughts. For now, that's it for me.

The bridge will be back tomorrow with my dad, with Chantel, with Bruce, for another installment of Good Talk. Until then, thanks for listening. Thank you.