All the clever titles were taken.

Yesterday and today, the wife and I build a pellet trap, based on these plans.  Of course, virtually every measurement he gave don't seem to exist in Canada; where he calls for 48 inch planks, for example, I could only find 42.

Still, it came out way more awesome than I'd expected, thanks mainly to the wife's help.

Basically a box with a lip on top and one on the bottom (after this pic was taken, I flipped it over) with steel tie plates on the back to act as a backstop.

We then added a bunch of Duct Seal putty (about ten pounds worth) to catch pellets, prevent ricochets, spalling, fragmenting, or creation of lead dust, and so on.

Finally, some magnetic strips on top and bottom to hold a printed target, some felt on the bottom so it sits nice on a table, and we're done!

So Toronto's Mayor Miller is trying to get firearms banned from T.O. because, of course, there is no legitimate use for a gun other than killing people.

The gangers, of course, will all turn in their (already illegally acquired and owned, generally) weapons, natch.

Now, one thing I hate about politics is the lefty-righty view.  Admittedly, much more of a problem in America, but if one is pro-gun, one must also be:

• anti-abortion (sorry, 'pro-life')
• creationist
• religious
• capitalist
• and so on

Myself, I prefer to make up my mind about individual issues.  And on gun rights, I'm firmly a 'shall issue' sort of person.  Anybody, after suitably proving that they're not utterly incompetent, which Canada's PAL system seems to do OK at, can request a gun permit, which the government Shall Issue, unless there are extenuating circumstances.  I like the fact that in Canada, for example, they want two character references, and will also call your S.O., recent or current, to see if they say something like 'oh crap, he's going to shoot me!'.

However, barring a history of violent crime, mental instability, or demonstrated inability to handle the responsibility, shall issue.  Doesn't matter that 'you' don't see much of a need for them.  I don't see much of a need for baseball bats; they have no 'useful' purpose other than cracking skulls.  Oh, some people use them to play some silly sport?  Too bad, they can go play soccer.  Nobody 'needs' to be playing a game where you swing big clubs and try to hit people with hard balls.  In other words, if you label absolutely anything as 'there's no legitimate need to own THIS,' I can apply that same argument to absolutely ANYTHING. 

And don't make me dig out the statistics showing that cars kill way more people than guns per year.  Hey Mayor Miller, lets get all those death machines off the streets, eh?

Now, I'm also all for very heavy gun crime penalties.  Robbery?  Sentence.  Armed robbery?  Sentence times three, for example.  Instant loss of license, with no chance to get relicensed, upon conviction of a violent crime with a gun, as well.

Now, I'm no American.  We don't have a Second Amendment; none of this 'right to keep and bear arms' crap.  You don't need a gun to keep the King of England from invading, and you're not a member of a militia or 'homeland defence force.'  If you want to safeguard your country, join the Army.

I'm also firmly of the belief that if you're worried about 'home defence,' get a big dog.  I'm quite satisfied that the average homeowner will be in far more dire straits sleeping with a handgun under the pillow than not; too many statistics for my taste seem to demonstrate that an intruder will simply disarm you, and use your weapon against you.  After all, it's not possessing a gun, it's having the will and training to use it against another human being.

Or a shotgun, you don't even need shells.  Everybody knows the sound of a shotgun being pumped.

I also think that children should be taught gun skills.  Or, at least, that there's better reasons to teach them than to not teach them. I'm a big proponent of 'yes, you put a fence around your pool, but the best way to keep your kids from drowning is to teach them how to swim' theory. In other words, if you're going to have guns in the house, teach kids how to use them properly.  Of course you still keep them properly secured (trigger or rope lock, gun in a locked case, ammo in a separate locked case) but a kid that views a gun as a tool, or a piece of dangerous equipment, that should never be touched without direct supervision and guidance from an adult, is far more likely to run for help than a kid who watches a bit too much TV....