@msolga,
msolga :
have you read malcom gladwell's "outliers" ?
it's a quick read , covers many subjects and is worth a few hours .
his claims regarding violence is :
Quote:According to Gladwell, Appalachian whites have long been prone to violence because the first whites in the region were predominantly Scotch-Irish coming from “cultures of honor” in the lowlands of Scotland, northern England, and Ulster.
above is from a book review (i borrowed the book from the library , so can't quote him directly ) :
http://openlettersmonthly.com/issue/book-review-outliers-malcolm-gladwell/
indeed , looking at the BBC news , scotland has probably the highest number of "personal attack crimes" - mostly non-gun related though - in the developed world .
of course , that doesn't explain gun violence by others .
...........................................................................................
it's interesting to compare the U.S. and canada (the U.S. of course having a much larger population by ten) .
people from all over the world make up the population of both countries - including many scots , and who are about as peaceful as can be here .
and when it comes to variety in immigrants - both old and new - there is probably every population group in the world represented in canada .
while we personally think that there is a somewhat higher level of crime than 50 years ago - particularly gun violence by drug gangs - canada is still a pretty peaceful country .
it has been suggested by some that one of the reasons can be found in canada's constitution act of 1867 - the years canada was "founded" .
this is what is being referred to as the principal objects of the federal government :
Quote: Section 91 authorizes Parliament to "make laws for the peace, order, and good government of Canada "
and the mounties (royal canadian mounted police) enforced these laws from early on - much to the annoyance to some american settlers and cattle-thieves who were being asked (not always politely) to : " hand over your guns " .
even now , the first question likely being asked of anyone coming across the border from the U.S. is : "are you bringing any weapons in ? " .
and again , much to the annoyance of some americans , they have to give up their weapons .
some , of course , try to bluff their way in . the canadian border guards seem to have a pretty good nose and will say : "please pull over to the inspection building " .
and if weapons are found , they will be confiscated and a fine may be levied or they may be asked to go back to the U.S.
many americans have cottages in eastern ontario and come over regularly for the fishing season . they don't seem to have much of a problem with canada''s gun laws - they want to come for the fishing by a quiet lake and not show that they are good at toting guns around .
and we certainly welcome those americans - VERY FINE PEOPLE INDEED !
hbg
