Big victory for civil rights in Canada

A couple of years ago, a Welland man Ian Thompson defended his home against attack by multiple armed men. As I reported at the time:

Ian Thomson, who was charged with using a firearm, “namely a handgun” “without lawful excuse”. His crime was to defend his property and his life when three masked men assaulted his house in the middle of the night with Molotov cocktails while yelling death threats. He came out of his house armed with a handgun while his house burned.

Good news! Ian Thompson was acquitted over the last of the charges that were hanging over his head. As Matt Gurney, of the National Post, reports:

Mr. Thomson was charged with four crimes: careless use of a firearm, pointing a firearm and two charges of careless storage of a firearm, one for each of the pistols he had removed from his gun safe (the second, a 9mm pistol, was never fired during the incident). The first two charges were dropped — it’s hard to imagine a more cut-and-dry case of lawful self defence than firing on men trying to burn down your home while you’re inside it. But the Crown insisted on pursuing the charges of careless storage.

On Friday, an Ontario judge acquitted Mr. Thomson of both those charges.

For those who don’t know Canadian gun laws, careless storage of firearms and careless storage of ammunition are the sort of specious charges that police and prosecutors lay if they want to persecute a gun owner but the gun owner has done nothing really illegal. Thank goodness the judge bought none of it this time around.

As I have pointed out in the past, self-defence is our most basic right. It is good to see Canada’s justice system slowly coming around to the same conclusion.

Let freedom ring!

Comments

[Bugs]

Are we really supposed to throw our hats in the air in celebration?

Will it be any different the next time somebody defends themselves? Are they any less likely to be busted and dragged through the courts, at huge expense?

[bill]

I would have done the same thing as Ian except I would have finished them off. 99.9999% of canadians would have done the same thing. Now that we have Mr. Harper as leader we can be assured that we now have the right to self defence.

[WiseGuy]

Funny how fortunes change. Americans are now on the opposite course.

[HenryJp]

Unfortunately the Crown and Police are responsible but are not accountable for all the harm, costs and damages they cause to the innocent. I personally have heard the crown admit that the gun laws are confusing and they don't understand them. To me thats an admittance of incompetance, yet they continue to be judge jury and executioner so the charged has to prove him or herself innocent. When it comes to firearms, a conclusion is made that they are always guilty 'till proven innocent. Its not whether one is innocent or guilty, its whether they can afford it...