Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN Gun Laws News

Canada: Toronto Politicians Push Nationwide Handgun Ban, Feds to Consider Proposal

Friday, July 27, 2018

Canada: Toronto Politicians Push Nationwide Handgun Ban, Feds to Consider Proposal

Canadian gun control advocates’ goal of civilian disarmament came further into focus this week following a tragic shooting Sunday in Toronto that killed two people and wounded 13. As law enforcement officials were still working to determine where attacker Faisal Hussain had obtained the pistol used in the shooting, various Toronto politicians called for a total ban on the sale or possession of handguns in Canada’s most populous city and for federal legislation that would ban the sale and possession of all handguns and semiautomatic firearms nationwide. Canada’s Liberal-led federal government has expressed its support for further gun control, and is reported to be contemplating a total handgun ban.

Access to handguns is already heavily restricted in Canada. In order to possess any firearm, an individual must obtain a Possession and Acquisition Licence, or PAL. License applicants are required to provide the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with a host of personal information, and are asked intrusive questions about their mental health history and even their current and former “conjugal partners.” The applicant must also provide references and show proof that they have completed the Canadian Firearms Safety Course.

Further, Canadian law classifies all handguns and certain semiautomatic long guns as “restricted.” In order to possess these firearms, a PAL applicant must also show proof that they have completed the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course. All restricted firearms must be registered with the federal government.

For more information on Canada’s gun laws, visit the Library of Congress website at http://www.loc.gov/law/help/firearms-control/canada.php.

Shortly after the shooting, information surfaced about Hussain’s lengthy history of severe mental illness. According to a report from Global News, “Hussain had previously been apprehended by Toronto police twice under the mental health act.” This, in part, led a Toronto attorney to tell the news outlet, “It doesn’t look like a guy who legally purchased a weapon, at this point in time, from the information we have.”

On Wednesday, CTV reported that the gun was likely to have come from a “gang-related source” and that “a police source” had said that “the semi-automatic handgun used in the shooting is illegal in Canada and was originally from the United States.” A CBC report indicated that “there is reason to believe” Hussain obtained the firearms illegally from his brother. Another report from Global News stated that the firearm had been traced to a burglary at a Saskatchewan gun dealer.

Hussain’s brother had faced drug and weapons charges before slipping into a coma last year, and was reportedly an associate of one Maisum Ansari. In September 2017, police raided Ansari’s property, where they discovered 33 firearms and 42 kilograms of the fentanyl analog carfentanil. According to Global News, “Ansari was charged with 337 firearm-related offences and is currently out on bail.”

Despite the evidence that Hussain obtained the pistol used in the shooting in contravention of any number of Canadian, and potentially foreign laws, Canadian politicians have used the occasion of this tragedy to push for even more gun laws.

In a statement Monday to the Toronto City Council, Mayor John Tory called for a ban on firearms in the city. Tory stated, 

You’ve heard me ask the question of why anybody would need to buy 10 or 20 guns, which they can lawfully do under the present laws. And that leads to another question we need to discuss: Why does anyone in this city need to have a gun at all?

On Tuesday, the Toronto City Council passed a series of extreme gun control resolutions. A motion offered by Councillor Joe Cressy urged the Canadian Federal Government to “to ban the sale of handguns in the City of Toronto,” and prompted the Ontario Provincial Government “to ban the sale of handgun ammunition” in the city. Cressy’s motion also directed the city manager to explore ways in which the city itself could act to hamper handgun sales.

The council passed a gun ban measure offered by Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam that urged the federal government to “strengthen its proposed gun control legislation in Bill C-71” by imposing increased recordkeeping requirements on firearms dealers and prohibiting 

the availability, sale, possession and use of handguns, assault rifles and semi-automatic firearms in Canada, with the exception of the Canadian Armed Forces, police services or other entity that is authorized to possess firearms with legal obligations imposed by the municipal, provincial and federal governments.

The council also adopted a motion requesting the federal government enact legislation that would eliminate the domestic possession of all firearms nationwide. The language, offered by Councillor Jim Karygiannis, read,

That City Council request the Federal Government to enact legislation… to create gun repositories that require all long guns and hand guns to be locked up and only retrieved if and where there is a need for hunting or going to the range for target practice, such repositories to be developed in a private-public partnership.

The city council adopted a pair of resolutions offered by Councillor Janet Davis aimed at harassing the shooting ranges and gun clubs in Toronto. One motion called to “investigate any operating gun clubs with a shooting range in the City of Toronto to determine if they are operating legally and take appropriate action if required.” A more aggressive measure was aimed at shutting down gun ranges, calling on the city to “investigate and determine the feasibility of acquiring and repurposing the remaining gun clubs with shooting ranges in the City of Toronto for civic purposes.”

As for federal officials, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Ralph Goodale told the press that the federal government was prepared to consider further restricting handguns as part of a their larger effort to enact gun control legislation with Bill C-71. The Globe and Mail has reported that, “A proposal to ban handguns is under serious consideration, according to a senior official, who was not authorized to speak on the record.” According to the account, “Goodale and senior civil servants have been tasked with examining the idea of a ban.” In a rather candid exhibition of narrowmindedness, while arguing for further restrictions, Parliamentary Secretary for Housing and Urban Affairs Adam Vaughan stated, “My personal perspective. I don't own a gun and I can't see why anyone else would.”

If any of the differing reports on how Hussain illegally obtained the firearm used in the killings is accurate, it’s difficult for gun control supporters to make a plausible argument that any of their proposals would have impeded a criminal, or possibly a gang of criminals, already acting well outside the law. Rather than make any cogent attempt to address the Greektown shooting, anti-gun politicians have opted to attack Canada’s firearms community and culture. The scope and incongruity of the Toronto government’s assault on the rights of Canada’s law-abiding gun owners reveals a breathtaking intolerance and makes clear that officials intend to use the recent tragedy as pretext to advance a pre-existing anti-gun agenda.

TRENDING NOW
Federal Legislation Introduced to Ban “Gas Operated Semiautomatic” Firearms

Friday, December 1, 2023

Federal Legislation Introduced to Ban “Gas Operated Semiautomatic” Firearms

Joe Biden has long insisted he would ban what he calls “assault weapons” and has enlisted a motley succession of extreme anti-gun legislators to aid in that effort. Now, Senators Angus King (IND-ME) and Martin ...

Washington: Two Anti-Gun Bills Pre-Filed for 2024 Legislative Session

Friday, December 8, 2023

Washington: Two Anti-Gun Bills Pre-Filed for 2024 Legislative Session

Pre-filing of bills for the 2024 legislative session started this week in Washington. Among the dozens of bills that were pre-filed, there are two prominent anti-gun bills; HB 1902 and HB 1903.

NBC Poll: Majority of Voter Households Own Firearms

News  

Monday, December 4, 2023

NBC Poll: Majority of Voter Households Own Firearms

The last few weeks haven’t been kind to gun grabbers - and we’re not just talking about President Joe Biden’s woeful poll numbers. Black Friday is typically the largest day of the year for gun sales. This year, gun buyers set ...

Crime in “America’s largest outdoor shooting range” – Lies, damned lies, and statistics

News  

Monday, December 4, 2023

Crime in “America’s largest outdoor shooting range” – Lies, damned lies, and statistics

In a press conference late last month, Chicago’s progressive new mayor, Brandon Johnson, shifted the blame for the crime epidemic and migrant crisis plaguing his city on his predecessor, Lori Lightfoot (another Democrat), and on “right-wing extremism.”

Following Terrorist Attack, Israel Relaxes Gun Laws and Arms Civilians

News  

Monday, October 16, 2023

Following Terrorist Attack, Israel Relaxes Gun Laws and Arms Civilians

Following an unprecedented terrorist attack on civilians that indiscriminately targeted even the elderly, women, and children, Israel has loosened its gun laws and is distributing firearms to civilians. As of press time, the number of victims killed in ...

Canadians on Canada’s Gun Control Measures: Expensive, Ineffective, Political Posturing

News  

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Canadians on Canada’s Gun Control Measures: Expensive, Ineffective, Political Posturing

More than three years have passed since Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a ban and mandatory confiscation (“buyback”) of what he called “military grade assault weapons,” which was followed by a national handgun “freeze” ...

Seventh Circuit Strains to Uphold Illinois’ Gun and Magazine Ban

News  

Monday, November 13, 2023

Seventh Circuit Strains to Uphold Illinois’ Gun and Magazine Ban

At this point, gun owners and other productive Americans don’t anticipate much good news out of Chicago. On November 3, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit lived up to those expectations when it upheld Illinois’ ...

Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Strikes Maryland’s Handgun Qualification License Requirement in NRA-Backed Case.

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Strikes Maryland’s Handgun Qualification License Requirement in NRA-Backed Case.

On Tuesday, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals ruled that Maryland’s Handgun Qualification License (“HQL”) requirement is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. 

Virginia: Omnibus Gun Control Bills Filed Ahead of the 2024 Legislative Session

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Virginia: Omnibus Gun Control Bills Filed Ahead of the 2024 Legislative Session

In Virginia, the pre-filing of legislation has begun for the 2024 session and anti-gun legislators are wasting no time in aggressively laying out their agenda. 

Michigan: House Passes Long Gun Registration & Permit Mandate

Friday, March 10, 2023

Michigan: House Passes Long Gun Registration & Permit Mandate

On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing and sent House Bills 4138, 4142, and 4143 straight to the floor. The House then voted 56-53 to pass them.

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.