[boriscleto]

When I first read your comment I thought you were being sarcastic. Please tell me I was right. 8 assaults and 2 shootings in a city with a population easily over 1 million people does not exactly scream den of criminal activity to me. That would probably be a GOOD week(!) around half the neighborhoods here in Minneapolis.

That's about on par for a week in the City of Syracuse. A city that has about 1/10th the population of Calgary. Hell that's about on par for the average summer weekend in Syracuse.

[Blue]

and Minneapolis is a pretty safe city by US standards is it not?

heck the BIG city near Blue is Tampa and it's 1/3 the population of Calgary

If Calgary had Tampa's crime rate hose numbers would be a day or 2

Tampa is about a 5 hour drive from me. Try again. Regardless, Tampa consists of a metro area consisting of St. Pete, Clearwater etc. The population of Florida is 19.2 million. Jacksonville is probably the closet to me at a 2 hour drive. I thought you Canadian boys knew something about Florida the way you are always carrying on.

[eddie1960]

and Tampa is 3850000 blue that was my point (and it is in Florida Hill country)

If you add in the surrounding then it is even worse. than i estimated

Even when i spent time in Calgary in the late 70s showing up with tiger striped hair and in full punk regalia at the time - basically just asking for a redneck to beat me up because of how i looked i had no issues (and Punk hadn't really hit Calgary at all at that point) It's always been a very safe and friendly (even to a punk from the center of the universe) city

[Blue]

and Tampa is 3850000 blue that was my point (and it is in Florida Hill country)

If you add in the surrounding then it is even worse. than i estimated

Even when i spent time in Calgary in the late 70s showing up with tiger striped hair and in full punk regalia at the time - basically just asking for a redneck to beat me up because of how i looked i had no issues (and Punk hadn't really hit Calgary at all at that point) It's always been a very safe and friendly (even to a punk from the center of the universe) city

You are wrong Eddie. Tampa, St. Pete, Clearwater are close to 3 million people and is in the top 20 metro areas in the U.S. It is 5 hours, or 225 miles from me and are NOT in the Florida Hill Country. The Red Hills are in Tallahassee, Florida and are 2 vastly different worlds.

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Last edited by Blue; 08-10-2012 at 07:45 AM.

[pxpaulx]

Tampa is about a 5 hour drive from me. Try again. Regardless, Tampa consists of a metro area consisting of St. Pete, Clearwater etc. The population of Florida is 17 million. Jacksonville is probably the closet to me at a 2 hour drive. I thought you Canadian boys knew something about Florida the way you are always carrying on.

Jacksonville, FL Crime Map - Showing Crimes in Jacksonville - Crime Statistics, Alerts and Reports - Crime Stops Here

Damn, now I know 2 things about Florida. EVERYONE wins the Florida road lottery (i.e. old people driving = accidents), and stay the hell out of Jacksonville - that is a lot of fists flying!

[Blue]

Jacksonville, FL Crime Map - Showing Crimes in Jacksonville - Crime Statistics, Alerts and Reports - Crime Stops Here

Damn, now I know 2 things about Florida. EVERYONE wins the Florida road lottery (i.e. old people driving = accidents), and stay the hell out of Jacksonville - that is a lot of fists flying!

Its 2 hours east of me on I-10. I don't think I have been in Jacksonville since 2008. What is interesting is how few of those fists involved firearms. The majority of the robberies were "strong armed" and 3 with firearms. The population of Jacksonville is misleading though because of it being a metro area and major sea-port. Jacksonville, Duval County, is Florida's highest crime rate.

[normhead]

I guess the point here, is that what would be behaviour favoured by 50% of Americans would be disapproved of by 80-90% of Canadians. A main stream American opinion , condoned in the States, would make one part of the lunatic fringe in Canada, and would land one in jail. IN other words , what some would consider "good behaviour" in the US can get you 3 years in Canada.

As for statistics making a case for Calgarians needing guns, that would just be a case of abuse of statistics. Calgarians don't need hand guns, Canadians don't need hand guns, and Americans with psychological problems that make them uncomfortable without their guns, probably shouldn't come here. Canadians are fine with that, as the comments to the article so ably point out.

We like Americans, but we aren't going to put ourselves and our families and friends at risk, just to get their tourist dollars.

[Blue]

I guess the point here, is that what would be behaviour favoured by 50% of Americans would be disapproved of by 80-90% of Canadians. A main stream American opinion , condoned in the States, would make one part of the lunatic fringe in Canada, and would land one in jail. IN other words , what some would consider "good behaviour" in the US can get you 3 years in Canada.

As for statistics making a case for Calgarians needing guns, that would just be a case of abuse of statistics. Calgarians don't need hand guns, Canadians don't need hand guns, and Americans with psychological problems that make them uncomfortable without their guns, probably shouldn't come here. Canadians are fine with that, as the comments to the article so ably point out.

We like Americans, but we aren't going to put ourselves and our families and friends at risk, just to get their tourist dollars.

I never showed statistics or made a case for that. What I showed was a map. We really don't care whether you guys can own weapons or not. In 2000, I was in Montreal on a scientific meeting. One of our graduate students spent 3 days in the hospital after being assaulted and battered on the subway under a 5 star hotel. About 350 Canadians watched has the student was pounded into the pavement.

[normhead]

I never showed statistics or made a case for that. What I showed was a map. In 2000, I was in Montreal on a scientific meeting. One of our graduate students spent 3 days in the hospital after being assaulted and battered on the subway under a 5 star hotel. About 350 Canadians watched has the student was pounded into the pavement.

And what does that have to do with anything? My father was assaulted in a 5 star hotel and it took the police 45 minutes to get there. You seem to think quoting Canadian crime stats or posting maps has something to do with Canadian attitudes on gun laws. These crime things happen every day. They are reported in the press every day... including shootings etc. It makes no difference. Canadians don't see that as anything to do with our gun laws. That's the title of the thread. Canadian opinions. Many Americans claim they have to have hand guns. The majority of Canadians are in favour of automatic 3 year sentences for ordinary citizens with hand guns. American crime rates and Canadian are very similar. All I'm saying here is when you argue for guns, you are arguing for an attitude, not a necessity. America could do it differently if they so chose.

If you quote every Canadian crime statistic you can for the last 50 years, it won't change that.

It's also an opportunity to point out... if you bring your gun here, you are a criminal. It would seem a lot of Americans don't know that.

[Blue]

And what does that have to do with anything? My father was assaulted in a 5 star hotel and it took the police 45 minutes to get there. You seem to think quoting Canadian crime stats or posting maps has something to do with Canadian attitudes on gun laws. These crime things happen every day. They are reported in the press every day... including shootings etc. It makes no difference. Canadians don't see that as anything to do with our gun laws. That's the title of the thread. Canadian opinions. Many Americans claim they have to have hand guns. The majority of Canadians are in favour of automatic 3 year sentences for ordinary citizens with hand guns. American crime rates and Canadian are very similar. All I'm saying here is when you argue for guns, you are arguing for an attitude, not a necessity. America could do it differently if they so chose.

If you quote every Canadian crime statistic you can for the last 50 years, it won't change that.

It's also an opportunity to point out... if you bring your gun here, you are a criminal. It would seem a lot of Americans don't know that.

One more time, I never displayed statistics. In Florida, stealing a gun will get a 1st time offender 3 years. Having a weapon including a firearm in commission of a crime will get you 10 years mandatory and firing it will get 20 mandatory and if anyone gets hurt will get you 25 to life unless someone dies. If you notice, most of the fist spots on the Jacksonville map didn't involve a firearm and that is the largest crime area in Florida the past few years.

You are also arguing for an attitude as well. Just because that is your position doesn't make you right. Some in N.Y.C. and parts of Cali argue the same attitude. We don't chose to do it differently. When things like Katrina happen or a home invasion, the police can be part of the problem as in Katrina or an hour late in the latter. No one is required to own a weapon. I am done with this thread.

[audiobomber]

American crime rates and Canadian are very similar.

I don't have time to research, but that can't be right.

[eddie1960]

hell one incident in Montreal doesn't mean anything Blue and you know it. In my youth on more than one occasion i was jumped by idiots from the suburbs because i looked different (and by their reasoning must also be gay given how often i was called faggot)
never felt the need for a gun. did use my studded belt with a 3 pound metal dragon buckle as a defensive weapon on more than one occasion. Even disarmed an idiot skinhead with a crossbow once. never felt the need for firepower though and I think that is norms point and mine for that matter. the attitude of this moron in calgary belies what Canadians don't get about America.
our point is come visit , were generally pretty friendly, but leave the firepower and attitude behind because if you come up and spout idiocy like this guy we will taunt you mercilessly
Sure we have crime, but in general we would like the police to deal with it and take our chances

As for Tamps, I based my # on the Tampa census, not the surrounding area
Population in the U.S. - Google Public Data Explorer
Having not been in Tampa in over 30 years (and with no general desire to actually go to florida unlike most of Quebec) I wasn't aware that it was actually just a part of several areas that are now one
either way the crime stats are insane for the area

[eddie1960]

I don't have time to research, but that can't be right.

For a big chunk of the US it actually would be, but not for the major urban areas in most cases. What is similar is there has actually been a decline in crime over the last 20 years on a per 100000 basis which is really the only valid measurement

[pxpaulx]

The population of Jacksonville is misleading though because of it being a metro area and major sea-port. Jacksonville, Duval County, is Florida's highest crime rate.

You realize you look a little, to put it lightly, misinformed, by posting this after your first post quoting the crime rates of Calgary, right? What constitutes a metro area for you, since Jacksonville is a population of 800,000 and Calgary over 1 million? Jacksonville might be a big seaport, but do you think Calgary is any less a major cross-country (not to mention international) transportation hub? Then you state hardly any of Jacksonville's crimes were gun related. So it seems to me your answer to make Jacksonville look more like Calgary on the criminal map would be to allow everyone to carry a gun around? When Calgary has far less crime and it is against the law to carry a gun around? Ok, that is logical...

[eddie1960]

You realize you look a little, to put it lightly, misinformed, by posting this after your first post quoting the crime rates of Calgary, right? What constitutes a metro area for you, since Jacksonville is a population of 800,000 and Calgary over 1 million? Jacksonville might be a big seaport, but do you think Calgary is any less a major cross-country (not to mention international) transportation hub? Then you state hardly any of Jacksonville's crimes were gun related. So it seems to me your answer to make Jacksonville look more like Calgary on the criminal map would be to allow everyone to carry a gun around? When Calgary has far less crime and it is against the law to carry a gun around? Ok, that is logical...

Blue is a die hard gun guy, Paul, and like to use stats to support the argument for guns