Montreal and Toronto City Councils Ask Government to Ban Handguns

In July, after a gunman killed two people and injured 13 others in a brazen shooting in Toronto’s Greektown, city council urged Ottawa to ban the sale of handguns within city limits.

“Why does anyone in this city need to have a gun at all?” mayor John Tory asked rhetorically.

Or anyone in the country, for that matter. Enter the City of Montreal.

Earlier this week, Montreal’s city council unanimously adopted a motion asking the federal government to ban the possession of handguns (as well as assault weapons) across the country. Of course, there will be an exception for security personnel and police, who are mandated to carry firearms.

Recognizing that banning guns only within city limits is a futile strategy, motion instigator and Montreal city councillor Alex Norris called on a stricter federal gun control policy, known as Bill C-71.

“(A local ban) would be a half measure and completely inefficient because it would be simple to import firearms acquired in another part of the country into the big cities,” said Norris in advocating for the motion. Shotguns and hunting rifles will be exempted from the ban.

While the federal government has yet to make a meaningful comment on amendments to its gun control laws, Trudeau has entered the ‘listening’ phase of the matter and said there will be “lots of conversations” now that Canada’s two largest cities have presented motions calling for action.

According to the Washington Post, there are approximately 10 million firearms in circulation in Canada.