Despite the media image being projected, farmers may carry guns but it would take an awfully nasty situation to prompt the vast majority of them to shoot even in the presence of a trespasser, let alone at one.
Farmers have always carried guns. Just because a few played with the media in an attempt to put some fear into would be criminals, does not mean every farmer carrying a gun in his combine is a vigilante. Guns have been a part of farm life since the early settler days. Farmers carry guns in their trucks, tractors and combines as part of a lifestyle in which it has always been an acceptable practice. Despite the false propaganda we hear and read, it is not for the purpose of shooting trespassers. Shooting at vermin is the most common reason, but shooting at people is not what's on the farmer's mind when he sets that gun in his cab. But, once again, the people we entrust with our safety, and the general public, have fallen for the sensationalizing of misinformation.
What is happening is the RCMP are now on the offensive and innocent farmers and rural residents are going to be targeted for doing something they have done for decades and has nothing to do with the media's coverage of all this. What has happened in the past, and is more than likely going to happen again, thanks to the recent misinformation, is that farmers and other rural resident gun owners will be subjected to "punishment by trial". RCMP trying set a precedent with little to no evidence, will press charges and, though the gun owner often gets acquitted, the trial process itself is both financial and emotionally draining. Enough to drive the defendant to bankruptcy.
It's the RCMP's turn to be the conspiracy theorists and they are spending way too much time worrying about our guns when they need to focus on rural crime. They are also spending way too much time on Facebook. People vent. People make claims they would never do in real life. It's kind of what people do on social media.
I am not denying the small minority who may go too far defending their life or their property. Yes, they are out there. But the general public needs to understand that the farmers may be frustrated and venting those frustrations to the media and on social media, but they have a job to do and all they want is the ability to do it. The ability to put bread on your table.
If the RCMP wants to relieve tensions in rural areas, they could start by ceasing to put farmers on the defensive, because their recent call to request people put their guns away has done nothing but cause further resentment. Rural residents use social media to help each other. If one farmer has a theft or vandalism, they will often share the details, not only with the RCMP, but with their friends on Facebook. Those details help others, particularly if there is a vehicle description, to know what to watch for in their own area. Very recently, a string of thefts resulted in an arrest because the description of the vehicle, the thief and the type activity was widely distributed by both the RCMP and the public. A rural crime watch, coupled with distribution of information for these occurrences, in a timely manner, could go a long way towards assisting the RCMP to capture these criminals. The feeling that an effort is being made is also going to aid in the reduction of tension among rural residents.
If the media wants to help, they can stop sensationalizing the misinformation. If you must write an article about farmers carrying guns in their combines, how about you actually investigate the story thoroughly and write a balanced piece that shows the reality, that ones you interviewed or quoted from social media posts are, in fact the minority. And while you're at it, why don't you think twice before you publish a series of articles based on hearsay and conjecture. The media should be presenting the news to us the readers, your job is to present the facts and allow us to draw our own conclusions. Instead, today's media tells us how we should think. They intentionally leave out information or simply neglect to research an entire story because, the truth just doesn't sell papers or get hits on thier web sites. Shock and awe. Now that sells. What has happened to the media is shameful. Today's stories are so twisted and poorly researched that they have become the leader of the "Trial by Social Media" mentality.
In order to combat these issues, we all need to work together. The only way to do that is to to build a system where people don't turn to vigilantism because they feel the system has failed and they have no other choices.
