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me GUN ISSUE More than 10,000 gun owners marched on Parliament Hill last Thursday afternoon to send a message to the federal government and specifically to Justice Minister Allan Rock. It was 'actually a two-pronged message. Gun owners are solidly opposed to any future legislation that would require a national registry of all firearms and/or a ban on handguns. The other half of the message delivered last Thursday dealt with crime in this country. Law abiding gun owners are FED UP with being painted as the whipping boys (and "girls) every time there is a crime committed with a firearm. They say, quite rightly, that the growing problem of violent crime in Canaca is not their fault and government efforts to deal with crime should not include a further ratcheting down of the rights of tho who own firearms and use them/for hunting and target shooting. ~~ / The cry on Parliament Hill/ was "crime control, not more gun control." I was at that massive rally on Parliament Hill, having made the long trip to Ottawa by bus with about 100 gun 'owners from Port Perry and area. They were less than happy with what the Justice Minister had to say that day. Mr. Rock is going to find that gun owners in Canada are fast becoming a unified and very credible lobby in this country. One of the reasons, past governments trampled on the fundamental rights of law abiding guns owners was that very lack of unity. Gun owners were splintered into several different groups who often could not agree with each other. But now all the groups (hunters, collectors, target shooters, skeet shooters, farmers) who own guns realize if they don't get together, they will sink together. Listening to Mr. Rock last week on Parliament Hill, I'm not sure he quite understands this unification. But a lot of Liberal back benchers do, especially those in rural ridings like Durham MP Alex Shepherd. Mr. Shepherd told me at last week's rally he is opposed to a ban on handguns or a fireazms registry. If the government brings down this kind of legislation in November and the Liberal Party forces MPs to toe the party line on a vote, there could be a lot of vacant seats the day the votes are counted. And that would be something of an embarrassment for the government. The cost of setting up a national * firearms registry has been estimated (conservatively) at $100 million. Who would pay? The tax-payers? Gun owners? And more importantly, what would it accomplish? Are criminals going¥o register their firearms? Will it stem the flow of illegal handguns from south of the border? Law abiding gun owners pose absolutely no threat to the safety of me or my family. I have not fired a gun in years and havp no intention of doing so in the future. I am not a ~ VIEWPOINT b y John B. McClelland club. But I support the cause they are fighting right now for two reasons: gun control is not the way to fight violent crime and I'm fed up with government trampling all over the rights of law abiding citizens. Gun owners continue to take shots from the media. Just last week, a Toronto Sun headline about the Parliament Hill rally called them "gun freaks." They are often portrayed as beer swilling numb skulls or bullet laden "Rambos" who sleep with their guns. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, they come from all walks of life. On the bus to Ottawa last week, the passengers included a well known Port Perry physician and an equally well known lawyer. Law abiding gun owners just want to be left alone to pursue their sport in a reasonable and responsible manner. Most of them dre publicity shy and they are anything but rabble rousers. Very few, if any of the 10,000 or so who marched on Parliament Hill last week had ever taken part in a public - protest. But they are getting united and they are angry. If the government pushes through legislation this fall that further erodes their rights as law abiding citizens it will become an election issue four years hence. And seven million Canadians who legally own firearms voting en masse will be a force to be reckoned with. IN CLOSING........The current edition of Maclean's magazine contains a piece on Port Perry resident Paul Barton and his work in home entertainment electronics. Paul is recognized in the industry as one of the pre-eminent designers of high quality speakers. About 60 per cent of his product is sold outside Canada, and the potential for more exports into the tough markets of Japan, Italy, Germany and the UK is excellent. Nice to see a Canadi tting this ILE To the Editor: The signs warning us of pesticide use are very visible on neighbourhood lawns at this time of year. The human risks of common pesticide sprays used on residential lawns are understated and ignored nearly everywhere. One county that hasn't ignored this issue is Erie County in N.Y., U.8.A. They have bliahed Tat entitled Warning: The use of pesticides may be hazardous to your health. It warns consumers of the following: *** A National Cancer Institute study indicated that children are as much as six times more likely to get leukemia when pesticides are used in the home and in the garden. *** The Journal of National Cancer Institute suggests that non-Hodgkin's lymphdna may be linked to pesticide exposure. *** According to a report in the American Journal of Epidemiology more children with brain tumors and other cancers were found to have had exposure to insecticides than children without cancer. PeLErTERS TO EDITORS Risks in lawn spraying *%* 95% of the pesticides used on residential lawns are or possible carcinogens by the American Journal of Epidemiology. | *** Org hates, like Di and Dursban, and carbonates are designed to act as nerve poisons and may cause headaches, dizziness, fatigue, i , and mental confusion. , Diazanon is banned for use on golf courses and sod farms, but is widely used on lawns and gardens. #** 2, 4-D which was a component of Agent Orange is used in about 1,500 lawn care products. Wiih these kinds of risks residents of Scugog should reconsider using pesticides on their lawns. These chemicals not only affect humans but they also degrade our soil, water and air. In our attempts to have "the perfect lawn" we are poisoning ourselves! If you are looking for alternative ways to care for your lawn consult the book How to get your lawn and garder off drugs, published by Friends of the Earth. Jay Thibert Port Perry We must demand change To the Editor: Can Canada survive governments that create such ridiculous legislation? A government that lets criminals into our country and then pays legal aid. Tax money to fight to keep them here. Does it make sense? If it wasn't true it would be a joke. To me it's sad that we have allowed this to happen..It's time Canadians say enough is enough! Another government created problem is a multicultural society that has done nothing but cause trouble in other parts of the world. We have in Canada a Sikh, Italian, Greek, Macedonian, Korean, Chinese, Caribbean, African, Jewish, Pakistan, Canadian Aborigines, etc. etc. etc. and yes the French and English communities that seem to have their problems. I believe that Canadians have to be Canadians first and our background is dary. Canada is one of the best kind of recognition for his work in one of the most competitive industries in the world. countries in the world. We should fight to keep it that way. People are coming from all over the world but are they coming to be one of us or to bring us their problems? The Sikhs have tried to change our traditions in two places. The Legion and the RCMP. This does not create harmony. These so called Canadians seem to want to keep their own traditions but have little respect for ours. The government is still borrowing money to send our soldiers to police the world and being given a shakedown in places like Rwanda. This is a switch from Canadians being shaken down in Canada by people from around the world. When are we going to wake up to these facts? * Our immigration policies are ridiculous and as a born Canadian I believe we should demand better. We should have no responsibility to pay legal aid to protect an illegal immigrant in our country. Deport them, no questions asked. I would like to ask people that read this letter to write to their member of parliament to correct the mistakes that have been made by them or their associates. Yours truly, Vallie Lovering, Port Perry. Reply better late than never To the Editor: Thank you for publishing my letter Re: Ontario highways-potholes and bilingual signs in your edition of September 20. At the time of writing to you I noted a lack of response from the Minister of Highways. However I received a letter today September 21 from the Minister in which he outlines highway spending forecasts and at the same time comments on bilingual signs. I thought that you might be interested in his message. Sincerely E.W.Saunders Dear Mr. Saunders: My sincere apologies for the delay in responding to your letter dated July 11, 1994 regarding deteriorating road conditions and bilingual signing on provincial highways. In 1993/94, this government allocated approximately $540 million for provincial highway infrastructure construction. This is the highest expenditure for highway infrastructure construction in the province's history. To ensure that the expenditure increases. Expenditures are anticipated to increase another 35% in 1994/95. We are optimistic that this level of investment will continue in 1995 and beyond to address the safety, rehabilitation expansion requirements on provincial highways. Protection of Ontario's existing highway infrastructure is a high priority. The ministry has altered its previous delivery process to ensure that more contracts are carried out each year. Contracts requiring a minimum of design effort are now being delivered by local district staff. Improved languages. The principles used in previous sign design were approximately thirty years i old. The ministry undertook a study to review these principles and concluded that some sign designs should re refined. Refinements to the designs include both message simplification, use of colour coding and symbols. Bilingual signing was incorporated as a component bf the revised sign design standards. Sign ion must be d in both | English and French along all the provincial highways in 22 designated driving surfaces through the p will be one of the benefits derived from this As home to the largest number of' French-speaking residents outside | areas. In certain cases this may require the provision of two signs as in the sjtuation referred to in your letter. Separate signs are used to accommodate the length of the message and provide the rist with the most informative yet Quebec, Ontario has a ibility to meet the needs of its francophone population. In 1981, the Ministry of Transportation developed a bilingual signs policy to addressthese needs. In 1986, the French Language Services Act highway infrastructure i is the try is proposing additional ber of any hunting or shooti was p d - strengthening our commitment to both our official safest driving environment possible. Thank you for taking the time to communicate your thoughts to me on these matters. Sincerely, Gilles Pouliot Minister, Transportation Ontario