Toronto mayor wants tougher gun laws
Also asking for resources for city’s anti-gang efforts
OTTAWA — The mayor of Canada’s biggest city is stressing the need for more money and stronger laws to fight the scourge of gang-related gun violence. Toronto Mayor John Tory, who is attending a guns-and-gangs conference in Ottawa, says that while Canada generally has tight controls on firearms, there are still holes that exist in that system. Tory says measures should be toughened to ensure authorities are notified when gun traffickers make repeat purchases of firearms that end up being sold to criminals. That way, he says, a “red flag” would go up any time someone buys multiple guns. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has convened the meeting as statistics reveal troubling trends. The number of firearm-related homicides in Canada hit 223 in 2016 — up 44 from 2015, and the third consecutive annual increase. There were 141 gangrelated homicides in 2016, 45 more than the previous year. Meantime, break-and-enters to steal guns have been rising. Last year the federal government earmarked more than $327 million over five years, and $100 million a year thereafter, to address criminal gun and gang activities. The government is also preparing legislation to strengthen controls on the movement, licensing and tracing of firearms — measures that would repeal some elements of a bill passed by the previous Conservative government. Rob O’Reilly, interim director of firearms regulatory services at the RCMP, told the meeting about the dark, hidden corners of the internet where high-powered weapons can be purchased anonymously. Conservative MP Glen Motz, a conference attendee, expressed concern about the trend. “You can go on the web right now, and you can order almost anything you want, and it’s delivered to your door.” Tory said he hopes some of the new federal money will find its way to Toronto and other cities to help with “staying ahead of the bad guys on the internet, or even giving us the tools to have a fair fight with them.” The government must update the law to ensure police have “timely and consistent” access to telecommunications subscriber information as well as the ability to intercept messages and calls in the age of strong encryption, said Mario Harel, president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. “This is critical to maintaining the ability of law enforcement to investigate gangs and other criminal organizations.” The federal government has been eyeing changes that would allow authorities to more quickly identify people considered unfit to have guns for reasons such as mental instability or violent behaviour, an internal memo shows. The Liberals are planning to introduce legislation in coming weeks to fulfil platform promises on firearms — including a requirement for “enhanced background checks” for anyone seeking to buy a handgun or other restricted gun. The federal memo, released under the Access to Information Act, indicates the government could go further, beefing up screening of those who already have guns “by allowing authorities to reassess licence eligibility in a more timely fashion.” Under the current application and renewal process, personal information helps determine whether someone is eligible for a firearms licence. In addition, “continuous eligibility screening” means criminal behaviour can be flagged for the federal chief firearms officer for review and possible investigation. Federal statistics show 2,223 firearms licences were revoked in 2016, with mental health concerns figuring in 424 of these. Certain professionals such as doctors, therapists and social workers have discretion to inform police of behaviour indicating that someone might harm themselves or another individual with a gun, notes the federal memo prepared for a May 2017 meeting of the Canadian Firearms Advisory Committee, which provides advice to the government. The memo, intended to generate discussion among committee members, also cites a Quebec law that requires people working at child care facilities, schools and shooting clubs to report such behaviour to police. “Identifying individuals who are no longer eligible for a firearms licence as quickly as possible and ensuring they can no longer access firearms is an important public safety objective.” The federal plans to crack down on the illicit gun trade and gang violence has won approval from some representatives of the firearms community. But they are wary of measures that would impose new burdens on legitimate owners or merchants. “If the minister’s course of action focuses on the drug war and those who perpetuate the violence it breeds, we wholeheartedly and unreservedly support him,” said a recent Canadian Shooting Sports Association commentary. “We remain cautious, however, as history has shown that governments often attack the low-hanging fruit, lawful gun owners, in their rush to appear to be doing something about criminal violence — rather than do the hard work required to end it.”