I was dismayed to read in today’s press that Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day is flatly rejecting calls for a ban on handguns for purposes other than law enforcement. These calls have come from people, like Toronto Chief of Police Bill Blair, who know firsthand the devastating effect of handguns.
I believe that there is widespread support among Canadians for a total ban on handguns. A ban makes sense because we must take every available step to reduce the carnage that handguns cause in our communities.
Few of us are naïve enough to think that a ban is the only answer – or that a ban is a quick fix to a complex problem. It is, however, an extremely important element of a comprehensive anti-violence strategy. Reducing the availability of handguns, no matter where they come from, is a vital step in addressing this problem – along with a number of other measures like enhanced interdiction, deterrent sentencing and investment in prevention programs.
Given that this is such a compelling public safety issue in many of our communities, it troubles me that Minister Day would also think that weakening the gun registry would actually help reduce gun crime. The registry is not the issue. A registered handgun is just as lethal. Registered handguns can be stolen or misused in the same way as unregistered ones. But an effective and efficient registry can be a very useful investigative resource in terms of tracking firearms.
We need to send a clear message about handgun crime – it will not be tolerated. Anything less may placate the gun lobby; it will be of no help to many of our most vulnerable or deprived communities who continue to suffer from the effects of handgun violence.
We must never forget that the burden of handgun crime falls disproportionately on some of our communities – for example young males and the African Canadian community. Our inaction does a grave disservice to these communities and all victims of handgun violence.
What we need from Minister Day – and the federal government – is concrete action now, and not expressions of legislative intent. It is disingenuous to suggest that repeated declarations of intent have had any impact on enhancing safety in our communities.
The articles in today’s papers provide some indication of the depth of this problem and the need for immediate action. Here are the links:
The Toronto Star
The Toronto Sun
Globe and Mail
