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Mass Shootings and Gun Laws: Canada Does What America Won’t Do

NNPA NEWSWIRE — As of May 18, 2022, individuals and businesses transferring or selling a non-restricted firearm in Canada need to confirm the recipient’s identity and check the validity of their gun license with the Registrar of Firearms before completing the transfer, including by providing the recipient’s license number and any other information requested. Canadian officials said the new rule would help prevent people who cannot have a firearm from getting one.
The post Mass Shootings and Gun Laws: Canada Does What America Won’t Do first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 years ago

June 7, 2022

Oakland Post

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

According to the Gun Violence Archive, 2022 has quickly become the year of Mass Shootings.

Researchers, who label mass shootings as incidents where four or more people are injured or killed (not including the shooter), noted that there have already been more than 231 mass shootings this year in the United States.

With an average of more than one mass shooting per day, there hasn’t been a week in 2022 without at least one incident.

While America’s lawmakers grapple with deep ties to the National Rifle Association and a reluctance to do much about the gun violence crisis that most recently resulted in the deaths of small children in Uvalde, Texas, and senior citizens at a supermarket in Buffalo, Canada has provided the blueprint to stop mass shootings.

As of May 1, 2020, the government north of the border said it has prohibited over 1,500 models of assault-style firearms and specific components of some newly prohibited firearms – including AR-15 and M4 weapons.

To help accomplish that, lawmakers provided a criminal code amnesty period that remains in effect until October 2023. The government designed the amnesty period to “protect individuals or businesses who, at the time the prohibition came into force, were in lawful possession of a newly prohibited firearm from criminal liability while they take steps to comply with the law.”

Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, the Honorable Marco Mendicino, announced new and more stringent rules governing the sale or transfer of non-restricted firearms.

As of May 18, 2022, individuals and businesses transferring or selling a non-restricted firearm need to confirm the recipient’s identity and check the validity of their gun license with the Registrar of Firearms before completing the transfer, including by providing the recipient’s license number and any other information requested.

Canadian officials said the new rule would help prevent people who cannot have a firearm from getting one.

Further, firearms businesses must retain sales and inventory records related to non-restricted firearms.

“This will make it easier for law enforcement to trace crime guns. In addition, the records will be held by businesses — not the government — and the police will need reasonable grounds to get access to them, often with judicial authorization,” Mendicino said.

“We are taking action to keep Canadians safe from gun violence. To that end, we are bringing common-sense regulations that strengthen public safety through validated ownership, transparent business records keeping, and license verification before purchasing a firearm,” the public safety minister asserted.

“Today’s regulations will help ensure that firearms do not end up in the wrong hands, assist police in tracing guns used in a crime, and are part of the broader strategy to keep communities safe.”

Meanwhile, in America, the New York Times reported that mass shootings come against a worsening adolescent mental health crisis, one that predated the pandemic but intensified by Covid.

“Much of the despair among teenagers and young adults has been inwardly directed, with soaring rates of self-harm and suicide,” the newspaper reported.

“In that sense, the perpetrators of mass shootings represent an extreme minority of young people, but one that nonetheless exemplifies broader trends of loneliness, hopelessness and the darker side of a culture saturated by social media and violent content.”

In recounting mass shootings in America, the Times noted that, in addition to Buffalo and Uvalde, there was a mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colo., in March 2021 that the police said was carried out by a 21-year-old man.

There’s also the massacre by a 21-year-old gunman targeting Hispanic shoppers at a Walmart in El Paso in August 2019 that resulted in 23 deaths.

Additionally, a 17-year-old student in Santa Fe, Texas, stood accused of shooting and killing eight students and two teachers in May 2018.

At Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in February 2018, a 19-year-old former student killed 17 people.

Reportedly, only two of the 30 deadliest mass shootings recorded from 1949 to 2017 involved shooters younger than 21: The first was the massacre of 13 people by two teenagers at Columbine High School in 1999, and the second came when a 20-year-old killed 27 people, most of them children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in 2012.

“How much more carnage are we willing to accept?” President Joe Biden pleaded as he asked Congress to produce and move new gun laws.

“Enough is enough,” Biden declared. “Don’t tell me raising the age won’t make a difference.”

The President said he wants Congress to restore bans on selling assault-style weapons with high-capacity magazines, or what Canada and its two-party government system have done.

“Much of the gap in how these two countries handle contentious policy questions comes down to something that can feel invisible amid day-to-day politicking, but maybe just as important as the issues themselves: the structures of their political systems,” Journalist Max Fisher wrote for the New York Times.

Fisher noted that Canada operates under a parliamentary system. Its head of government, Justin Trudeau, is elevated to that job by the legislature, of which he is also a member, and which his party, in collaboration with another, controls.

“If Mr. Trudeau wants to pass a new law, he must merely ask his subordinates in his party and their allies to do it,” Fisher wrote.

“There is no such thing as divided government and less cross-party horse-trading and legislative gridlock.”

The post Mass Shootings and Gun Laws: Canada Does What America Won’t Do first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Here is what you need to know about finding unique white elephant gift ideas that everyone wants to steal

The best white elephant gift ideas are funny enough to get a reaction but useful enough that people actually want to steal them. Look for gifts with a surprise factor, broad appeal, an inside joke, and just enough personality to spark some friendly competition. The wrapping paper comes off, the room goes quiet for half […]

Published

3 weeks ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

The best white elephant gift ideas are funny enough to get a reaction but useful enough that people actually want to steal them. Look for gifts with a surprise factor, broad appeal, an inside joke, and just enough personality to spark some friendly competition.

The wrapping paper comes off, the room goes quiet for half a second, and suddenly everyone wants the same gift. That is the sweet spot. A great white elephant pick should make people laugh, lean in, and start plotting their next steal before the turn is even over.

Should a White Elephant Gift Be Funny or Useful?

A white elephant gift can be funny or useful, but the strongest choices usually give people a reason to laugh and a reason to keep the item. A practical gift with an odd design, unexpected feature, or playful theme can get a reaction without becoming something the recipient immediately wants to give away.

The right balance depends on the group. Close friends and family members may enjoy a ridiculous gag gift because they already understand one another’s sense of humor.

A workplace exchange, neighborhood party, or mixed-age gathering usually calls for something with broader appeal. In those settings, humor works better when it is built into an item people could still use afterward.

It also helps to think about how quickly the gift will make sense once it is opened. A strangely shaped kitchen tool, oversized mug, quirky desk accessory, or unexpectedly fancy everyday item can create an immediate reaction. Guests understand the joke right away, while the item still has enough practical value to attract a steal.

Pure gag gifts can be harder to pull off. Something that exists only for the punchline may get a big laugh during the reveal and then sit untouched for the rest of the game. If the goal is to bring one of the gifts everyone keeps fighting over, usefulness gives the joke staying power.

Memorable Present Ideas: Creating Inside Joke Gifts

Inside joke gifts can make a white elephant exchange feel much more personal, especially when most of the group shares the same stories. The trick is choosing a reference that people will recognize quickly instead of building the entire joke around something only two guests understand.

You can turn a memorable vacation mishap, office catchphrase, family story, or long-running group joke into the theme of the gift. A personalized comic book can work especially well when it turns familiar people or a ridiculous shared moment into part of the story.

Think carefully about who the joke involves before ordering anything permanent. The gift should make the person feel included in the fun, not singled out for the wrong reason.

Can You Bring Something You Already Own?

Holiday gift exchanges can be a good place to re-gift something you never used, especially if it is unopened and clean.

The following can all work if they still look presentable:

A duplicate kitchen gadget
An untouched game
A decorative item
A sealed gift set
An unopened candle
A new travel accessory

The goal is to give the item a second chance, not use the exchange as an excuse to clear out damaged or unwanted clutter.

Take a close look at the packaging before wrapping it. Faded boxes, missing pieces, visible wear, or anything that looks obviously used can make the gift feel careless.

Wrapping Budget-Friendly Gifts

Wrapping can make gifts more entertaining before anyone even knows what’s inside.

Misdirection works especially well for fun party games. Put a small gift inside a much larger box. Use packaging from an unrelated household item.

Add harmless weight so guests cannot guess what they are holding. The reveal becomes part of the joke without changing the gift itself.

You can also lean into the theme of the exchange. Bright paper, oversized bows, reusable bags, or deliberately over-the-top wrapping can make an ordinary item feel more memorable. If the gift itself is already funny, simple wrapping may work better so the surprise stays hidden until the last second.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Picking Last an Advantage in White Elephant?

Picking last can be an advantage because you get to see almost every gift before making your move. Instead of choosing blindly from the remaining wrapped presents, you can steal something that has already caught your attention if the rules still allow it.

That advantage depends on the house rules. Some games limit how many times a gift can be stolen.

Others lock an item once it reaches a certain number of steals. If the most popular gifts are already unavailable, the final player may have fewer strong options than expected.

The first player can also get another turn at the end in some versions of the game. That rule can balance things out, since the person who started with the least information may get one final chance to steal.

How Do You Plan White Elephant for a Large Group?

For a large white elephant exchange, set a firm spending limit and establish the stealing rules in advance.

Create a clear turn order before the game begins. Drawing numbers as guests arrive can save time once everyone is ready to start.

Keep the number of steals per gift limited so the game does not drag on. It also helps to have one person track which creative holiday presents have been stolen and when they are locked, especially if dozens of people are participating.

Can You Play White Elephant Virtually?

A virtual white elephant exchange can work over a video call, with one person keeping track of the turn order and each steal. Guests can either mail physical gifts ahead of time or use digital gifts that can be delivered once the game ends.

Set the spending limit and stealing rules before everyone joins. It also helps to decide how gifts will be revealed and who is responsible for sending each one afterward so the exchange does not become confusing.