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every snow fall ty. One of the snowstorm or throughout a :30 â€" 6:00 a.m. at rates that d to remove side of the red later, the )letely. Salting to keep ice off ow with in these lots activities for is 13 cm (5 ) is done by your part in when As you can expect, revenues are booming. Total revenue from U.S. sales was $3.7 billion in 1987 and in 1992, it was up to $7 billion. That‘s the legal and reported sales. You can bet your Smith & Wesâ€" son that there‘s a whole lot more sales that aren‘t reported. I can‘t help but wonder how many guns there are in this diner. I hope everyone likes their breakfast. Complaints could get dangerâ€" ous when people have guns. The crime rate here is soaring faster than the gun sales. Although gun sales might be helping the economy, it‘s actually the use of guns that is hurting the economy. Why? Estimates of the cost of gun violence range from $135 bilâ€" lion to $425 billion annually. Most of this cost is for medical care of gunshot victims and for lost productivity. Add to this the cost for madd prisons, security and you can easily see how the numbers up. As a Canadian, I can‘t relate to all these guns and the violence. That‘s because this is a uniquely American problem. Take a look at the homicide rates for young males in the U.S. There were 37.2 homicides per 100,000 males age 15â€"24 between 1988â€"91. The next highest country was Italy at 4.3 homicides per 100,000. Canada at .9 is low on the list. enues and all the costs associated with gun violence, there is a demand for tougher gun control laws. But in the U.S., there are two major forces against gun control. First of all, there‘s the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constituâ€" tion. The grammar‘s poor and it‘s ambiguous but it seems to say Americans have the right to carry guns. The second factor that makes it hard to change gun laws is the gun lobby. From January 1991 to June 1993, $3 million was conâ€" tributed to Senate and House candidates to lobby for guns. In conâ€" trast, $287,000 was contributed to the antiâ€"gun lobby. With support like that, don‘t bet on tighter gun laws. The firearms business may be small but it is a major contributor to the U.S. economy. In addition to the $9 billion in sales, this busiâ€" ness contributes up to $25 billion in economic activity annually. That‘s a significant amount. David Tinker, editor of Firearms Business, an industry newsletâ€" ter, says "The entire industry would be affected by the kinds of bans Congress is considering." . I‘m still sitting in this diner but now I‘m convinced that everyone is packing a gun. There‘s no point in debating gun control. I‘m probâ€" ably outnumbered. This Florida weather is great and life is easy except when you have to dodge the bullets. Maybe it‘s time to return to the cold but It‘s big business and it‘s terrifying. It‘s the gun business in the United States and it‘s an industry on the rise. I‘m writing this column in Florida. I‘m having breakfast in a roadâ€" side diner and I‘m reading the local papers. US Today is carrying a series on guns and as I continue to read, I become more parancid over my fellow diners. There are 211 million firearms in the U.S. At least that‘s the number they know about. There‘s a rush on to buy more guns before Congress passes tougher gun control laws. "What‘s the point in tougher laws?" I ask. "Seems like everyone * T taed ht a s A look at this industry is shocking. The growth is nothing less than phenomenal. Since 1987, total U.S. gun and ammunition production increased from $4.8 billion to $9 billion in 1992. Although the number of gunmakers decreased over those years from 371 to 350, the number of employees has increased from 88,000 to 175,000. A terrifying business Brian Vickers, Vice President (519) 888â€"6688 20% in "blue chip" companies. It‘s Mackentie‘s Industrial Income Fund and for almost 15 years it has generated a regular flow of income while protecting I‘ve had many questions about alternatives to GIC‘s now that rates have fallen to virtually 1/2 of what they were just a few years ago. A popular alternative is a conservatively managed Canadian mutual fund that typically invests about 80% in government bonds and A weekly series from Brian Vickers, Midland Walwyn. Ball, the daughter of missionaries, spent 13 of her first 18 years living in Zambia. By looking at the variâ€" Â¥ V difference to people in underdeveloped, thirdâ€" world countries. Through the efforts of countless volunteers with Selfhelp Crafts, people in developing countries are able to sell their wares in the 1,300â€"squareâ€"foot retail store located in Waterloo Town Square. A walk in this store by any shopper can turn into a human rights lesson and give the buyer a better understanding of the countries supplying items to the Selfhelp stores. But, for store manager Jennifer Ball and Development Education Coordinator for Selfhelp Crafts of Ontario, Richard MacBride, there‘s a story behind every basket, statue and tapestry sold in each of the 50 stores across Canada. This nonâ€"profit organiâ€" zation, which has been run by the Mennonite Central Committee for the past 40 years, shares its proceeds with 65 producer groups in 30 countries. Often, Ball‘s and MacBride‘s eyes get a little misty when talking about the artisans producing these crafts. They know what life is all about for these peoâ€" ple because they have lived in and visited some of A craft shop with a difference Mennonite Central Committee‘s Selfhelp Crafts offers hope to those in third world countries Jennifer Ball and Richard MacBride of the Seifhelp Craft store in Waterioo Town Square hat first appears to be just another novelty store in a crowded mall is making a world of Next week â€" Equities for growth Do you have a question about investing your money wisely? Write to Brian Vickers c/o The Waterloo Chronicle, 75 King St. S., Box 1000, Waterloo, Ontario N2J 1IP2 . invested capital. For a complete performance history call me, or my assistant Tina Gauvin, at 888â€"6688. WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1994 â€" PAGE 11 when they would march in front of the military palaces asking ‘Where are our sons and husbands‘" Although Ball is the only fullâ€"time employee at the Waterloo Selfhelp location, she has a small, but dediâ€" cated army of 26 volunteers, from seniors to students, ous wooden crafts from Africa, she knows the amount of work put into each piece. She has seen fathers, sons and uncles huddled in their workshops shaded by a thatched roof, carving the Muhuhu wood into sculpâ€" tures of animals indigenous to Zambia "There‘s a face behind what we sell. There‘s a perâ€" son and there‘s a life. It‘s not just something massed produced in a factory," said Ball. "The flood this past summer in India is not just an item on the news, but it affects the purchasing of those crafts because now our stock is down as a result of the flooding. It makes it that more tangible and real for North America " In Guatemala, women, whose husbands and sons have been murdered through political violence, have hope. They are able to earn a living by making crafts and through their weavings their stomes of terrible human rights abuses are told to the world "We‘re not just talking about needy people who are begging and helpless and waiting for the West to help but we‘re talking about people who are tremendously courageous. One of the courageous groups is the grandmothers, during the junta years in Argentina, T* BUE CHIP THINKING is a trademark of Midland Walwyn Capital inc Midiand Capitei flm&mfi-mm Waterioo, Ontario N2J 4/2 MIDLAND WALWYN (Continued on page 13)