Harper Bitch-Slapped by Quebec Teenager

...who obviously didn't get the memo about not politicizing the shootings at Dawson college. Of course, Hassan Kadhim's brother lies in hospital with three bullet wounds to the leg, neck and head. Here's what Hassan had to say:

"'For (Harper) to talk about removing the registry for guns and maybe making it easier for people to get themselves guns... And then we see this tragedy happening. I mean, does it take something like this for our prime minister to understand? He's sitting in Ottawa, drinking his coffee, taking it easy. And the families here are all paying the price. It's good to be in power, but you've got be responsible for what you say and what you think.'

A few other key Tories haven't been quite as reticent as Mr. Harper. Garth Turner and Stockwell Day both wonder how Kimveer Gill could get hold of a Glock .45 legally. Which is a darn good question. I once knew a store-keeper in Victoria who told me at length about the paper-work Hell he went through trying to get a hand-gun that he could keep in his shop. Maybe the bureacrats would have jumped a little quicker if he had cut his hair mohawk style and pranced about in a duster. In any case, there's something amiss if a person like Gill can get through the process and come out better armed than the Taliban.

In addition, New Democrat justice critic Joe Comartin is suggesting a ban on semi-automatic weapons, which aren't much good for legitimate purposes, unless you're out hunting and find yourself surrounded by a whole tribe of savage Bigfoot, in which case you can get mediaeval on their ass.

Not that Harper will make any meaningful gestures in this direction. He's too in thrall to the rural gun-nuts that form the base of the Conservative Party. But such proposals can be used as cudgels to beat him with, so that when he and his people load up the chuck-wagon and slink back to Calgary in disgrace, they will be replaced by a government committed to act on the issue.