The Los Angeles Times has a story about a guy named Bruce Pardo. Pardo had an interesting Christmas Eve. He dressed up as Santa, rang the door bell at his ex-wife's home and shot nine people and himself with five 9-millimeter handguns. The first person he shot was a nine-year-old girl who was running to greet Santa. He shot her in the face.

Pardo had planned well, according to the article. He had five 9-millimeter handguns and had taped $17,000 in cashed plastic-wrapped to his body. He also had an air pump filled with octane fuel. He also had an airline ticket in his shoe. He spent months amassing a small arsenal. The thing about this guy was that he was charming and likable to the outside world, but a terror to his family.

This guy went to the same store over a period of five months and bought five handguns worth a $1000 dollars each. He had to wait 30 days after each purchase according to California law.

Now I am from Texas, and as such was raised around guns. I can handle all types of guns really well. I am not against people having guns, but I am amazed at the fascination with handguns. Handguns are meant for one thing and that is killing or harming humans.

Since this is true, I despise the National Rifle Associations desire to have them. I, recently, did a comparison of gun deaths in Canada and the United States. I chose Canada because Canadians have guns but not nearly as many deaths. Canadians hunt, target shoot, and go shooting on ranges also, but they do it with rifles and shot guns. It almost takes an act of Congress for a Canadian to get a handgun. Why, because handguns are used to kill people. Hence, here is the numerical comparison:

• In 2006, 30,896 people in the United States died from firearm-related deaths – 12,791 were murdered; 16,883 killed themselves; 642 were accidents; 360 died by police intervention, and in 220, the intent was unknown. ⁶ In comparison, 33,651 Americans were killed in the Korean War and 58,193 Americans were killed in the Vietnam War.⁷
  
  
• An additional 69,863 people were shot and survived their injuries -- 48,676 people injured in an attack; 4,291 people injured in a suicide attempt; 15,698 people shot accidentally, and 1,198 people shot in a police intervention.⁸
  
  
• In 2004, firearms were used to murder 56 people in Australia, 184 people in Canada, 73 people in England and Wales, 5 people in New Zealand, and 37 people in Sweden.⁹ In comparison, firearms were used to murder 11,344 in the United States.¹⁰
  
  
• In 2007, there were 198 justifiable homicides by private citizens using firearms in the United States.¹¹

Why do Canadians have less murders by guns than we do? It is because Canada really restricts who gets handguns. Guns kill, and those who hold on to these archaic ideas that you need a gun to protect yourself are delusional. Stop making excuses for failed policies. Owning a gun is not a right, it is a privilege and we need to start looking at it as such.