By now you've no doubt heard of the Canadian shooting tragedy to have taken place in Ottawa on Parliament Hill. My heart genuinely sinks for the victims, their families and anyone hurt by such an unnecessary travesty. Prayers their way.

Now, believe me, I hate the politicization of tragedy.  Sadly, the left has already begun to circle the travesty (both in the USA and Canada) before the bodies have even gone cold. Championing gun-bans will be the cause-du-jour, yet again. Expect Piers Morgan to show up. MomsDemandAction will feign outrage while raising funds hand over fist. Politicians will bend. Ineffective policies will be proposed. Liberties will be lost. Avoidance is no longer an option. This is today's America (and yes, Canada).

Having been raised in Canada (Montreal, specifically), I've had the unique opportunity to experience stringent gun-laws and outright bans first-hand. For example, in my home province on Quebec, handguns are outright restricted and carrying them is borderline unthinkable. Intrusive gun registries?  Of course! Some of my friend's parents had hunting rifles, though there were kept away under lock and key. Under no circumstances were they to be readily accessible for defense of self or home. Handguns? I've never known a single Quebecer in my life who's owned one. Not one.

Has any of that kept the province safer from mass-shootings? The answer in short, is no.  In my lifetime alone, in my home city (not province, but city) alone, I've witnessed...

The Montreal Massacre:  In 1989, Marc Lepine separated male from female students at the "École Polytechnique", claiming that he was "fighting feminism" and shot twenty eight people before killing himself.  He specifically targeted women to execute.  Sickening. Fifteen were killed.

The Concordia Massacre: In 1992, Dr. Valery I. Fabrikant took three guns to Concordia university, opening fire on the ninth floor of the Henry F. Hall building. He shot five people, killing four.  Here's the worst part... thanks to Canadian's lenient laws toward criminals, Fabrikant will be up for parole in 2017. Wow.

Dawson College Shooting: This one hit very close to home for me. Why? Dawson was my second choice for college. I instead opted to attend Champlain college, a mere couple miles across the Saint Lawrence river.  I remember talking to some of best friends who were there, holed up in classrooms, hiding behind desks as the evil goth-kid went on his rampage. Kimveer Gill only managed to kill one person, though he injured 19 amidst his shooting spree.

All three occurred in "gun free" zones.

So when people say that Canada's restrictive gun laws are a success, I have to scoff. Why?  I've lived it.  I was alive when these atrocities were committed. Many Canadians will tell you the same. It's for those same reasons that despite politicians pushing legislation, ninety percent of Canadians do not want more restrictive gun laws.

So to all decent people, please mourn the victims of this tragedy. Avoid politicization if you can. My fear is that avoidance won't be an option. Do not let leftists use this opportunity to seize more control over your lives and remove your right to personal safety. In promising you safety, they will be removing it.

Today has proven that some human beings are bad. Some human beings will always be bad. Sometimes, the best way to stop bad human beings is with a gun.