Michigan cop wishes he could carry a gun in Calgary park; Twitter fires back

CALGARY – An off-duty Michigan police officer’s public lament about not being able to carry a handgun in a Calgary park has him taking cyber fire from both sides of the border.

Walt Wawra wrote a letter to the Calgary Herald this week complaining about a recent encounter he had with two men in Nose Hill Park while he and his wife were visiting the city.

Wawra says the two men asked twice in a — quote — “very aggressive tone” whether the couple had been to the Calgary Stampede yet.

In the letter, Wawra laments that a man should have the right to protect himself when he needs to and says it felt strange not to be able to carry his handgun off duty.

Wawra’s letter sparked a Twitter stampede, with many commenters mocking his position and commenting on the difference between Canadian and American gun culture.

The popular U.S. website Gawker did a story about Wawra’s letter under the heading “American Becomes Laughingstock of Canada After Letter to Editor Lamenting Lack of Handgun During Mild Confrontation.”

There was no answer at the phone number listed for Wawra.