It has been suggested that hopefully the other members of Mr. Stanley's family will maintain PALs in order that the household not be without a firearm. A long gun is a practical necessity for rural residents, not only for pest control, but for defense against the increasing likelihood of home invasion in these increasingly vicious times.
Obviously, RCMP detachments are spread paper thin, such that help may be 20 or 30 miles away (if officers are even available).
So, even in the more densely populated southern halves of Alberta and Saskatchewan, they would be no help at all to respond effectively in an emergency. Extreme winter weather, blizzards, and closed highways might make RCMP response all but impossible as well.
Yet, it is unlikely that the family of Mr. Stanley will be allowed to keep any firearms at all in the home, because they are now living with a man with a 10 year firearms prohibition. The RCMP would argue that Mr. Stanley would have access to those firearms, regardless of how well they were locked up.
So the Crown and the RCMP has effectively punished not only Mr. Stanley, but also his entire family, who were not charged or convicted of any crime.
Canadian justice at it's finest.
|