POLITICS - Toronto Mayor Renews Call For Handgun Ban

don Tomás · Post by **don Tomás** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 3:44 pm

FYI to Kirk & others up north...
Tom

BTW - If you follow the link below, check out the comments posted at the bottom, i.e.,

Northern Hunter
A handgun ban can't happen fast enough. I can understand how folks might use a long gun for hunting, but unless you're in enforcement, you have no reason to be packing a hand gun around.

Ray Gravens
Great Plan!! The mayor should also ban all criminals. That would really help.

Toronto Mayor Renews Call For Handgun Ban

Toronto Mayor David Miller called for an "absolute ban" on handguns in Canada after the city's second shooting death of an innocent bystander in less than a week.

"We can choose to act," Miller said at a press conference on Friday. "We can choose to say handguns are so dangerous and kill uninvolved people that we're going to close the loopholes in our law and end the ownership of handguns in this country."

The charge comes after Hou Chang Mao, a 47-year-old father of two, was shot while stacking oranges at the grocery store where he was working Thursday night.

He was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead upon arrival, police said Friday.

His death comes less than a week after 42-year-old John O'Keefe was caught in a deadly crossfire as he was returning home after a night out with friends. O'Keefe, a father of one, was not the intended target.

On Friday, Miller called the two killings "absolute tragedies" and renewed his long-established call for the federal government to ban handguns.

"There are loopholes today that allow so-called collectors and hobbyists to possess handguns, and to carry them around our city," he told CTV Newsnet.

Miller said a significant portion of guns used in crimes are stolen from gun owners, and another significant portion came from the U.S.

He called for the federal government to close the loophole and install a national handgun ban, and invest more attention into securing our borders.

Miller said the federal government spends billions of dollars on airport security to prevent terrorism, but not nearly enough to stop the flow of guns from coming in from the United States.

"This is a real, everyday safety threat to our major cities, and it's time we paid the same attention to it," he told reporters. "I think it's time Canadians came together. These challenges aren't just in Toronto, they exist across this country."

He said he would meet with Canada's ambassador to the U.S. and Ontario's attorney general to seek advice and support for his mission.

While speaking to CTV Newsnet, Miller called for the federal government to fulfill a commitment made in the November throne speech to hire 2,500 new city police officers. He also demanded they work more closely with U.S. authorities.

He called for members of Parliament to have their voices heard.

"It's a minority government, and it's time for that Parliament to act in the interests and the safety of our cities," he said.

On Monday, Miller will meet with Attorney General Chris Bentley to discuss forming a united front intended to force the federal government to take action.

Absolute handgun ban unlikely

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day ruled out a total ban on handguns on Friday, saying that the weapons were already effectively banned.

"You don't make headway against firearm crime by going against innocent firearm owners," Day told The Canadian Press.

A more effective response would be to establish mandatory jail sentences for people who commit gun crimes -- a move that has been opposed by other federal parties, he said.

Day also said the Conservative government has increased funding to stop smuggling at the border and has established a stricter screening process for firearm ownership.

They are also "well on our way" to hiring 1,000 RCMP officers, he added.

Miller met with reporters after speaking with business leaders in the area where Hou was shot, known as East Chinatown. He said they urged him to tell Torontonians that the neighbourhood was safe.

"Go over there today. Go over have dinner, go do a little bit of shopping. That's the way to show the people in that neighbourhood that you support them at this tragic time," he said.

City councillor Paula Fletcher and MPP Peter Tabuns also toured the neighbourhood on Friday to reassure shopkeepers and residents that the city and province were concerned about what had happened.

Fletcher requested an increased police presence to help put people at ease, and backed Miller's call for a handgun ban.

"This is a terrible tragedy, it's an unnecessary tragedy. It's a tragedy because we've developed a gun culture in this city that has to stop," she told CTV Toronto.

.45colt · Post by **.45colt** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 4:34 pm

Yep, they have it all under control up in Canadia.

...... They better ban knives, axes, and hatchets next. And all the while the common folk who live in the outlying areas just Laugh and live as they always have. Jim.

ccw9mm · Post by **ccw9mm** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 4:55 pm

Since a violent felon is risking incarceration for years, it's hard to believe how naive one must be to think that said felon is going to worry about a silly weapons charge getting tacked on to the arrest. It's only upstanding citizens that end up being disarmed ... and that cannot possibly be a good thing, if defense against crime is the goal.

An innocent gets killed, so disarming all his neighbors within a 2000 mile radius will help. Yup, that'll do it.

KirkD · Post by **KirkD** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 6:25 pm

Thankfully, Prime Minister Steve Harper and our federal Conservative government made a statement yesterday indicating that, no, handguns will not be banned. It never ceases to amaze me how clued-out the Mayor of Toronto is. Illegal drugs are banned in Toronto (in all of the USA and Canada, as well), yet that hasn't had one iota of effect on the drugs flowing on the street, being manufactured in home labs, and being smuggled in by the ton. Last year, there were 108 firearms related killings in Canada. 102 of them were with illegal, non-registered arms. Compare that with the thousands of deaths due to alcohol and driving. If the mayor of Toronto wants to really cut down on deaths, he should ban alcohol (good luck on that one!)

Bull-Twaddle like that makes me want to behave in an un-christian manner and I just have to get a grip on myself.

CowboyTutt · Post by **CowboyTutt** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 1:48 am

Kirk, a good follow-up post. I have another forum friend from Canada who has educated me in some of the difficulties of owning a handgun up there. Glad your new PM supports you guys.

-Tutt

Borregos · Post by **Borregos** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 7:04 pm

KirkD +1

Well said Kirk, I could not have put it better.
We are lucky to have the right federal government at the moment, heaven help us if the liberals get back in

g5m · Post by **g5m** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 10:48 pm

politicians.

Leverdude · Post by **Leverdude** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 11:11 pm

Kirk,
If you dont mind me asking, what alls involved with owning/carrying a pistol up there. I'm embarrassed to say I thought they were about banned.

KirkD · Post by **KirkD** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:37 am

Leverdude wrote:Kirk,
If you dont mind me asking, what alls involved with owning/carrying a pistol up there. I'm embarrassed to say I thought they were about banned.

For the average Joe like me, here is the procedure:

1. Take a gov't course on firearms and successfully pass the restricted firearms exam.
2. Join a pistol club (necessary for approval)
3. Purchase a handgun
4. Apply for transport permit to bring handgun home
5. Get a transport permit from your club to allow you to transport the handgun to and from any club in Ontario.

Note: After all this, you can ONLY transport the handgun to and from a shooting club. You cannot pack it downtown like the gang members do. They already ignore and break all five laws above, so only an idiot would think they would comply with the handgun ban. Instead, we already have handguns being illegally manufactured in home operations here in Canada. A ban would cause such operations to go into full swing to supply all the gangs. I do pack an antique sixgun into the wilderness when camping and canoeing in case of bear or cougar problems, but antique handguns are different.

El Mac · Post by **El Mac** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:01 am

I had the chance to work with RCMP on several occasions in the past. I couldn't believe they had to lock up their guns at the office at the end of a shift before they went home.

I felt like vomiting.

donw · Post by **donw** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:38 pm

there seems to be no real "answer" does there?

bad guys are gonna be bad guys, regardless. that fact seems to evade lawmakers for some reason.

it seems that lawmakers do nothing more than CREATE more problems than they solve every time they pass a "crime fighting" law.

ultimately, a police state can, and will result if legislators are not kept under control. just look at the history of germany, russia and japan from 1900 until 1946.

i beleive the root of our problem lies in the fact we are taught to be victims from childhood. we were taught "don't take the law into your hands, call the police".

current laws do not encourage the people to defend themselves, yet are such that it makes it nearly impossible to do so with breaking the law in some fashion.

El Mac · Post by **El Mac** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:22 pm

donw wrote:i beleive the root of our problem lies in the fact we are taught to be victims from childhood. we were taught "don't take the law into your hands, call the police".

current laws do not encourage the people to defend themselves, yet are such that it makes it nearly impossible to do so with breaking the law in some fashion.

Correct. Do nothing, call for the professionals.

I recall a cowardly butt of a politician once remarked about a subject words to this effect: "...rape is like rain, its enevitable, so a woman ought to just lay back and enjoy it."

Remember, a politician is by definition an invertibrate.

Leverdude · Post by **Leverdude** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:23 pm

KirkD wrote:
Leverdude wrote:Kirk,
If you dont mind me asking, what alls involved with owning/carrying a pistol up there. I'm embarrassed to say I thought they were about banned.
For the average Joe like me, here is the procedure:

1. Take a gov't course on firearms and successfully pass the restricted firearms exam.
2. Join a pistol club (necessary for approval)
3. Purchase a handgun
4. Apply for transport permit to bring handgun home
5. Get a transport permit from your club to allow you to transport the handgun to and from any club in Ontario.

Note: After all this, you can ONLY transport the handgun to and from a shooting club. You cannot pack it downtown like the gang members do. They already ignore and break all five laws above, so only an idiot would think they would comply with the handgun ban. Instead, we already have handguns being illegally manufactured in home operations here in Canada. A ban would cause such operations to go into full swing to supply all the gangs. I do pack an antique sixgun into the wilderness when camping and canoeing in case of bear or cougar problems, but antique handguns are different.

Thats about what I thought. Thanks.
So this guys not trying to do anything except appear to care.