In their daily pursuit of criminals at a time when frontline Mounties are being wounded and killed in the line of duty, two officers -- including one who came under fire himself --yesterday said the force is simply "outgunned" by the bad guys.
"They've got the big guns and they're not afraid to use them," said Const. Rip Mills. "So you go to a gunfight with a pistol and the bad guy has a rifle. What do you do with a pistol Duck and take cover "
It is rare for Mounties to speak out publicly, but with the rash of gun attacks against them, Const. Mills and Const. Pete Merrifield broke ranks yesterday in a public call for greater firepower. They said the national police force is outmatched by criminals and that frontline officers need more than one trip a year to the shooting range to keep up their skills.
"We've got a pistol and a shotgun. That's not going to cut it. How many more lives need to be lost before we change " Const. Mills said.
Const. Merrifield, who came under fire by a suspect when he was working at a small detachment in the Prairies, concurred.
"It ain't getting any better and we're undergunned. We've got old pump-action shotguns and pistols. If you're within 20 metres or less a pistol is OK, but outside of that how do you face rifle fire with a pistol "
"It's time the Mounties stopped giving everyone a big teddy bear hug," Const. Merrifield said.
I can understand the desire these Mounties have to at least have access to the same level of firepower as the criminals possess, but beyond upgrading Mounty firearms I think a better long-term solution would be to ease up on gun control in Canada altogether.
By creating laws that heavily regulate, and largely prohibit, the ownership of firearms among citizens all the Canadian government has done is create a society where the only people who don't have guns are the people who actually follow the law. These criminals can wreak havoc because they don't play by the rules and thus have access to the best weapons, and no amount of legislation from the Canadian government is going to change that.
Better to relax gun laws to better let Canadians, and the Mounties, protect themselves.