Handgun ban issue fires up 性视界传媒 candidates

With politicians in Montreal and Toronto calling for a nation-wide handgun ban following bloodshed in their communities, political candidates in 性视界传媒 are weighing in on whether they would also advocate for a ban, if elected.

Things quickly got heated after 性视界传媒 First mayoral candidate Tom Gill revealed this week that while he believes there is a place for long-guns for recreational activities and hunting, he is committed to 鈥渃racking down on handguns鈥� if he becomes the city鈥檚 next mayor.

Soon after, 性视界传媒 First Councillor and former cop Dave Woods resigned from the party, saying in a statement Wednesday morning that he 鈥渃annot support a team leader who doesn鈥檛 value or seek consultation of team members鈥� who have 鈥渆xperience in areas where he does not.鈥�

Woods said a handgun ban would 鈥渋mpact law abiding handgun owners, such as hobby target shooters.鈥�

鈥淚n my view, Canada鈥檚 handgun restrictions are very good; hence I do not support a wholesale legislation change,鈥� wrote Woods. 鈥淔rom my experience in law enforcement, thugs and gang members never/seldom have legal permits to possess handguns; therefore, such a wholesale ban would have little effect to decease gang violence in our community.鈥�

Woods 鈥� who won鈥檛 confirm if he鈥檒l be running with a slate, as an independent, or at all in the upcoming Oct. 20 election 鈥� said he said if there is a need for handgun regulation change or 鈥渆nhancement,鈥� recommendations should come from the Association of Canadian Police Chiefs.

鈥淚 stayed with 性视界传媒 First because I was assured there would be a new culture and attitude on the team, one of consultation and team input into decisions and the platform,鈥� said Woods. 鈥淚 have no confidence the movement towards a more open, collaborative, and transparent culture within the party will exist and, therefore, I will not be seeking re-election as a member of 性视界传媒 First.鈥�

To those comments, Gill said Woods 鈥渉as his own personal beliefs when it comes to handguns.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檝e got a new team, and our perspective has changed and I think we want to be very bold in terms of out thoughtfulness,鈥� Gill elaborated.

鈥淲e have consensus on the team that we need to take some very bold steps, particularly given some of the tragic events we鈥檝e seen in 性视界传媒 recently that involved gangs and guns,鈥� Gill added, an obvious reference to recent gunplay, including the murder of father and OR nurse Paul Bennett, an innocent man who was shot and killed on June 23 outside his Cloverdale home in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity.

Gill pointed to an RCMP-commissioned report that noted there were roughly 840,000 restricted or prohibited guns in Canada, which he said is almost double the 2005 figure.

鈥淭his is a huge, significant cultural change to have the discussion,鈥� said Gill of a ban, adding he thinks minimum sentencing needs to be reviewed as well. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no question that we need to look at ourselves as a country and the availability of guns, the licensing of guns, the safe-keeping of guns, the policing of guns, those are all significant issues. We need to do things differently. It鈥檚 not just about hiring cops.鈥�

Gill said 性视界传媒 First met for three hours to discuss platform issues on Tuesday (Aug. 21), and came to consensus on the gun topic.

Gill said Woods was invited to that meeting, but did not attend.

鈥淚t鈥檚 unfortunate Dave chose to make the decision he did,鈥� Gill added.

Woods is the third 性视界传媒 First member to split from the party in recent months; Councillors Bruce Hayne and Barbara Steele also split, and are running together.

But what do others in the election race think about a handgun ban?

鈥淕enerally, a lot of any municipal election is political parties announcing what they will do if they mind-control the premier or the prime minister 鈥� speaking about issues completely outside of your jurisdiction,鈥� mused council candidate Stuart Parker, who co-founded the left-leaning Proudly 性视界传媒 party.

鈥淲e鈥檙e a party that would really like to end the drug war but we don鈥檛 have the power to do that,鈥� Parker said of a ban. 鈥淲e, generally, don鈥檛 make a big deal out of that kind of stuff because I think it makes voters cynical if you campaign on things outside of your jurisdiction.鈥�

Having said that, Parker said Proudly 性视界传媒 supports Gill in 鈥渓ending his voice to greater handgun restrictions.鈥�

鈥淚 think if you鈥檙e a mayor of a major city in Canada, it鈥檚 kind of your responsibility to support a policy like that,鈥� he commented.

Former 性视界传媒 mayor Doug McCallum, who is after the city鈥檚 top spot with his Safe 性视界传媒 Coalition, said he supports toughening up gun laws but said, 鈥淚 fully realize (a ban) doesn鈥檛 do anything to prevent the gang violence that we鈥檙e seeing in 性视界传媒 because they operate with illegal guns no matter what you do.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the main reason why we鈥檙e suggesting we have our own police force 鈥� actually trained in urban policing and can deal with this gang violence better with the RCMP,鈥� he added.

Former 性视界传媒 First member and mayoral candidate Bruce Hayne doesn鈥檛 think a ban would make much of a difference, if at all.

Hayne, who has launched his Integrity Now slate, said the matter is 鈥渁bsolutely federal jurisdiction鈥� and he feels there is a 鈥渇ar more practical鈥� solution, calling an outright ban 鈥渋mpractical and likely ineffective.鈥�

鈥淭his is unenforceable鈥� he said of a ban. 鈥淩ight now there must be several thousand legally registered handguns in the City of 性视界传媒, owned by law-abiding citizens who go and shoot at the range on the weekends. How are we going to take those away and who鈥檚 going to enforce that? And who鈥檚 going to pay for that enforcement?鈥�

Hayne said 鈥済angsters are not buying their guns at Cabela鈥檚 on a Saturday morning,鈥� but rather are smuggled in from the U.S. or stolen domestically.

鈥淪o restricting or eliminating handguns is simply not going to alter the behaviour of the bad guys,鈥� he added.

Hayne suggested other methods, including enhanced background checks for those wanting to buy a handgun; the possibility of requiring handguns to be stored at ranges; and 鈥渕ost importantly and most effectively鈥� he called for higher minimum sentencing for possession of illegal firearms.

鈥淚t has to be a significant incarceration period for anyone that has illegal firearms, particularly out in public, in a car, something like that,鈥� Hayne said.

Meantime, independent mayoral candidate Pauline Greaves said she鈥檚 in favour of 鈥渁nything that will increase our community鈥檚 safety.鈥�

鈥淐learly there is no need for assault weapons or anything like that,鈥� said Greaves. 鈥淐urrently, there鈥檚 an extensive process that individuals are supposed to go through in order to own (a handgun). It鈥檚 a restricted weapon, and it鈥檚 very much supposed to be monitored in terms of licensing and training.鈥�

Greaves said the question, for her, is how criminals are getting hold of these guns, and what level of violence is happening with them. She called for more information on gun owners.

鈥淭he weapons that are used (in crimes), are they legally obtained or illegally obtained?鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 in favour of anything to keep us safe, and protect us. Bad guys do not need to have access to assault weapons. With handguns, we need to know if the system isn鈥檛 working effectively鈥�. If that鈥檚 not working then we need to enhance that and we need to know we鈥檙e doing due diligence in making sure these individuals should have the guns.鈥� If that鈥檚 not the problem, then Greaves called for new efforts to stop criminals from getting their hands on these weapons.

Another slate seeking office in the upcoming election is People First 性视界传媒. Rajesh Jayaprakash said the party supports a handgun ban.

鈥淲e are aware of the need of self defence, etc., however looking at the possibility of theft, lack of care and accessibility of guns to children and other members in family and friends, it makes sense to ban the guns,鈥� Jayaprakash wrote in an email to the Now-Leader. 鈥淏ut this also takes away a fear in burglars and robbers that the owner may have a gun. So we need more crackdown on illegal weapons at the same time. Overall, in 性视界传媒鈥檚 climate where teens joining gangs is an issue, the pros of a gun ban far outweigh the cons.鈥�

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amy.reid@surreynowleader.com
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