Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters - The Voice of Anglers and Hunters

Proposal to ban handguns off target
Toronto Mayor long on rhetoric, short on fact

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (O.F.A.H.), representing 83,000 members and 655 member clubs across Ontario, condemns Toronto Mayor David Miller's proposal to ban handguns because it flies in the face of hard evidence that bans don't work and focus on the wrong target. His insistence on pursuing this optically enticing but factually challenged policy ignores the fact that handgun bans in several other jurisdictions has resulted in increased gun violence. His proposal also misses the point that the overwhelming majority of handguns used to commit crimes in Canada belong not to trained, licenced and law abiding firearms owners, but rather, are smuggled in from the United States or other countries.

"The Mayor is either ignoring or is blithely unaware of the fact that handguns are already subject to extremely onerous provisions, and except for a few legitimate purposes, have already been banned in Canada. He also conveniently ignores the fact that there has been a handgun registry in Canada since the mid-1930's, which has failed to stop the proliferation of guns on our streets, because criminals don't register guns and don't acquire them in the normal manner. In fact, in 2005, only 4 of 129 homicides were committed with a registered firearm, and 6 of 108 in 2006," said O.F.A.H. President Jack Hedman. "Mayor Miller is determined to ignore evidence from countries like England, Wales, Australia and Jamaica who have already gone down this road, and experienced firsthand that handgun bans do not reduce crime. In fact, twelve months after the Government of Australia introduced a new law which resulted in the destruction of almost 650,000 firearms, homicides, assaults and armed robberies involving guns increased dramatically, leaving Australian politicians at a loss to explain how public safety decreased after the implementing a costly ban."

The O.F.A.H. believes that the approach being pursued by the federal government has a better chance of success in fighting crime. The recently passed Bill C-2, the Tackling Violent Crime Act, which was supported by both Mayor Miller and Premier McGuinty, addressed a number of crime related issues, and includes minimum mandatory sentences for serious firearms offences; bail hearings for offences involving firearms; and tougher mandatory jail time for serious gun crimes, particularly those that involve gangs and criminal organizations. The provision of funding to provinces to hire more police officers, the hiring of 1,000 additional RCMP officers and increased funding for border enforcement are tangible contributions to the fight against illegal guns and their use to commit crime.

"It defies belief as to why the Mayor of Toronto and other politicians try to score cheap political points with their constituents by pushing the idea of a firearms ban, when the idea has been tried in several other jurisdictions and failed. People who use handguns to commit crime use illegal firearms so banning them outright would be redundant. Guns, and lawful gun owners make a convenient target," said Hedman. "Given that Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair admitted before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice that the vast majority of firearms seized by his officers have been smuggled across the border, and that Vancouver Police have previously noted that over 90% of the illegal firearms seized were smuggled in from south of the border, it is naïve to suggest that targeting legal, law abiding firearms owners, who undergo rigorous screening and abide by stringent storage and transportation laws will solve the problem. Only by focusing on the root causes of crime and preventing criminals from accessing firearms smuggled into Canada through various means will the issue of gun crime be rationally addressed. It's easy for politicians to deflect attention away from the fact that they have no new answers, by looking for a scapegoat and an easy fix by calling for a ban that is ultimately less about solving the problem and more about public relations."

The fact that gun bans don't work is supported by extensive research undertaken by Dr. Gary Mauser, Professor of Business Administration and the Institute for Urban Canadian Research Studies at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, who has conclusively demonstrated that a review of gun laws in a variety of Commonwealth countries has proven banning firearms has not reduced homicide in any jurisdictions where it has been attempted. Dr. Mauser, who has extensive experience in firearms legislation and public policy, has written a number of articles on the issue that have appeared in the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy and other scholarly publications and has lectured on the topic both nationally and internationally.

Homicide Trends England & Wales

Homicide Trends Republic of Ireland

Mr. Hedman also noted that despite the Mayor's claim that several thousand people had signed onto his online petition asking the federal government to ban handguns, the result of two other recent polls appeared to be a vote of non-confidence in the Mayor's proposal. In response to an April 9, 2008 poll by the Toronto Sun, which asked the question, 'Are you in favour of a complete ban on handguns'? an astounding 39,130 people voted, with 91% opposed to a ban. An informal poll on whether or not to ban guns taken during a Tuesday lunch hour debate on CITY TV news resulted in 1,110 calling in support, 1,890 against.

As the largest non-profit conservation based organization in Ontario, the O.F.A.H. has spent the past decade educating politicians and the public about the level of safe and responsible use of firearms that exists in the lawful firearms community and seeking to focus the argument on the real causes of gun crime. Legal, lawful, trained, licensed and heavily regulated firearms users are extremely conscious of their role as safe, responsible users of firearms, and the education of all firearms owners and users of the need for safe storage and transportation of firearms. The illegal importation of handguns into Canada and the use of these firearms to commit crimes is an issue that threatens the public safety and firearms users themselves have helped lead the fight to ensure that smuggling of firearms and their use in crimes is eradicated.

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