Tory urges residents to fill survey on gun ban

Mayor John Tory is urging Torontonians to fill out a federal questionnaire that seeks Canadians’ input about a potential handgun and assault weapons ban.

This push comes with one day left before the survey’s deadline and during a particularly violent year for the city.

“I think it’s a really important priority for us to register our views about the need to have stronger and stricter gun controls, including, I believe, a handgun ban,” Tory said at a Sick Kids charity event Friday.

The questionnaire put out by Public Safety Canada in October, asks questions surrounding whether more should be done to limit handguns and assault weapons access, where the government should focus its efforts to limit handguns and what kinds of crimes involving guns should the government focus on.

The questionnaire, on the Public Safety Canada website, closes Saturday night. Tory said a handgun ban would reduce the supply of illegal handguns and “thereby reduce gun violence.” “Why do you need a handgun if you live in a city like Toronto?” he asked. “I don’t think you do.”

Since the beginning of 2018, Toronto has seen 352 shootings, with 45 deaths, according to Toronto police.