Lessons From Joint US-Canada Gun Trafficking Bust

San Jose Police Department via AP

Guns aren't legal everywhere, and that's a topic we've discussed plenty. Some people believe gun control makes them safe, then something comes up and shows that it didn't, so they figure that the answer is still more of what failed.

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It's ridiculous.

And then countries with strong gun control laws like to blame other countries for their gun issues, even if that other country prohibits the export of guns without government permission.

Canada, for example, thinks the US plays a role in guns coming into their country, and to be fair, a lot of guns in Canada do come from the US. A bunch, however, were just stopped.

A joint investigation by Canadian police and U.S. law enforcement has led to what they call a record-breaking gun bust with 274 illegals guns being seized.

Ontario Provincial Police said Thursday the investigation with U.S. Homeland Security resulted in firearms being confiscated in the U.S. and Ontario. Police said 106 guns were seized in Ontario and 168 were seized in the U.S. before they could be smuggled into the Canadian province.

16 people have been arrested in Ontario.

Now, a lot of people would look at this and think, "Canada is right. America's lack of gun control leads to this sort of thing."

Those people are what we in the business like to call "idiots."

I say that because I don't quote the entire AP article. For example, I left out the sentence that notes authorities also found a pile of drugs as well.

Why is that relevant?

Because drugs are illegal pretty much everywhere, yet they keep showing up in countries that have restricted them and they keep coming from countries that restricted them. It's almost like the laws don't really do anything, now isn't it?

Let's say that the US decided to do like Canada and Mexico keep wanting us to do. We enact some extremely strict gun control scheme which essentially wipes out the right to keep and bear arms. Will those countries suddenly become safer?

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No.

Guns, like drugs, go where the demand is. 

In a way, both are like water, choosing the path of least resistance. If the guns dry up in the US, they'll simply come from another source.

And again, it's illegal to traffic guns out of the country without a special permit from the State Department. Hell, gun trainers can't even go and train people in another country without State Department permission. It's illegal to take them across national borders like these guys did, and yet, it didn't stop them.

Of course, drug laws didn't stop them either.

Gun control wouldn't have stopped these guys. They'd have just changed sources, which might not look like a problem until you consider that the law-abiding American citizens who did nothing wrong are the ones who will be disarmed and left vulnerable. The criminals wouldn't give up their guns for anything and we know it, which means it would just be us.

And that's why I can't get worked up about guns being trafficked. Not enough to give up my rights, at least. Neither should anyone else.

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