Canada Debates Handgun Ban, Illustrates Why Giving Ground Never Works

What happened in Toronto was a tragedy. While the loss of life wasn’t as high as many recent American mass shootings, the loss of two lives is always tragic. Many others were injured during the rampage, their lives impacted by a maniac with a gun.

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Canadians are demanding that the government “do something,” much like how Americans were following Parkland.

However, Canada already has many of the gun control measures proposed after Parkland. As we can see, it didn’t stop the rampage. But undeterred anti-gunners in Canada won’t stop just because of a pesky thing like reality. They want to now push for a total handgun ban.

Canadian gun control advocates’ goal of civilian disarmament came further into focus this week following a tragic shooting Sunday in Toronto that killed two people and wounded 13. As law enforcement officials were still working to determine where attacker Faisal Hussain had obtained the pistol used in the shooting, various Toronto politicians called for a total ban on the sale or possession of handguns in Canada’s most populous city and for federal legislation that would ban the sale and possession of all handguns and semiautomatic firearms nationwide. Canada’s Liberal-led federal government has expressed its support for further gun control, and is reported to be contemplating a total handgun ban.

Access to handguns is already heavily restricted in Canada. In order to possess any firearm, an individual must obtain a Possession and Acquisition Licence, or PAL. License applicants are required to provide the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with a host of personal information, and are asked intrusive questions about their mental health history and even their current and former “conjugal partners.” The applicant must also provide references and show proof that they have completed the Canadian Firearms Safety Course.

Further, Canadian law classifies all handguns and certain semiautomatic long guns as “restricted.” In order to possess these firearms, a PAL applicant must also show proof that they have completed the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course. All restricted firearms must be registered with the federal government.

On Tuesday, the Toronto City Council passed a series of extreme gun control resolutions. A motion offered by Councillor Joe Cressy urged the Canadian Federal Government to “to ban the sale of handguns in the City of Toronto,” and prompted the Ontario Provincial Government “to ban the sale of handgun ammunition” in the city. Cressy’s motion also directed the city manager to explore ways in which the city itself could act to hamper handgun sales.

The council passed a gun ban measure offered by Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam that urged the federal government to “strengthen its proposed gun control legislation in Bill C-71” by imposing increased recordkeeping requirements on firearms dealers and prohibiting

the availability, sale, possession and use of handguns, assault rifles and semi-automatic firearms in Canada, with the exception of the Canadian Armed Forces, police services or other entity that is authorized to possess firearms with legal obligations imposed by the municipal, provincial and federal governments.

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In other words, gun control is already in place in Canada, and it did nothing, so they want to do even more of the same.

I’ve said before that this is proof that American gun grabbers will never stop with anything short of a total gun ban, and I stand by that. Everything that the American anti-gunners say that they want is already in place in Canada, and it did nothing, so now they want to take it even further. Compromising with anti-gunners in Canada hasn’t worked out well for them up there. Why would it be any different here?

The truth is, while a handful of people may favor only a few restrictions and that’s it, those who believe the Second Amendment is negotiable to a small degree can, in time, will be convinced that other restrictions would be helpful.

Then there are those who are bellyaching for “reasonable restrictions” now who know that what they want is a total gun ban.

Some want to make gun owners out like we’re wearing tinfoil hats, but where are our “reasonable gun control” proponents in saying that this Canadian proposal goes too far? Where are they?

Oh, yeah, quiet. Wonder why?

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