The missfires of the Toronto gun ban

As of May, Toronto city has banned handguns. Since then, there have been almost a shooting a day.

Well, there's a simple explanation for this. They didn't use capitalized and bold letters when they printed the word "ban" on the bill. Take a look for yourself; "ban" as compared to BAN. See the difference. Criminals have much more respect for capitalized and bold letters, had they used the correct print then all the bad guys would immediately turned their guns in. :lol:

Oh just a note on the idea of tracking the results of the hand gun ban, great idea, it will be intresting to see the results. :wink:

I forgot that a crack addict will often start the day with the morning paper.
How predudice and racist of me to neglect that fact.

I didn't even realize Miller had gotten his ban until you posted this, so I was just reading up on it. I didn't see any mention of the penalties though.

Well if anything over time this may help point out to the proponents of handgun bans that they are highly ineffective and do little deter gun crimes.

Well it's been a week and all of the handguns have not vanished into thin air. What a failure.

Do you people have any idea how ridiculas that sounds ?

No one expected handguns to vanish because a law was passed.

However, this law will give Toronto police officers added leverage when dealing with handguns. Going forward, the sight of a handgun alone will be enough grounds for confiscation. There will be no question about legal ownership.

If a handgun in present in someone's home, you will know it is illegally owned. This makes it far easier for police to determine the legality of the weapon, and makes it far easier for citizens to report illegal possesion. It is not a magic wand, but it is certainly a step in the right direction.

And I still don't see anyone arguing to make crack legal because of the ineffectiveness of those laws. This is probably because it is obviously dangerous to everyone. I don't get why people can't see how obviously dangerous handguns are.

This thread is no less rediculous than one municipalities belief that the existing federal gun laws are laws are insufficient. All of these laws already exit on a federal level and if those laws are not being enforced, the problem is the legal system and not the laws. The conservative manditory sentences for gun crimes will go much farther than giving handgun tickets to thugs.

We must assume that there were legitimate firearm owners in Toronto and with the wave of a municipal wand, their legal property is now illegal? Are they fairly compensated for this?

Well there were legal handgun owners in Toronto, where do you think half of the guns on the street came from ? That shouldn't be a problem anymore.

If nothing else Ridenrain, even you must see that this law will provide for reasonable grounds for seizure on sight. No checking the registry that gun owners feel too good for, no questions about grandfather clauses or collectors items. Instant and efficient confiscation. Goodbye redtape.

It will also add clarity for citizens who know of ownership of handguns and are uncertain about legality. Remember how they caught Robert Pickton ? If the man who had reported his weapons had not known that they were prohibited, he could still be killing women. If all that was seen was his handguns, there is no guarantee that the person whom reported that crime would have known that they were illegal. A law like this gives assurance in that area.

With regards to compensation, I think the owners of handguns whom have had their handguns stolen and used in crimes should certainly compensate the victims of those crimes.

You skirt the whole issue of the repercussions for the legal owners. These people followed all the laws and regulations and now, through no fault of their own, are forced to surrender their legal property or move. You seem unable to accept that these people did nothing wrong.

I'd also like to know how this ban somehow fills cracks that the federal laws do not.
Right now, the only way to move a handgun to a range or gunsmith, the two only legal options, I must first get an approved endorsement from the police for the day and time and with my disabled firearm packed in a locked box, in a locked trunk, I must proceed there and back in the most direct way. If I so much as stop for gas, I am in violation and can have my property seized.
There is no doubt or question because legitimate handgun owners have been pushed into a corner years ago.

On a final note, if you want to use a suspected firearms violation as some king of great triumph for catching a man who was believed to have murdered almost 100 women, then you really don't grasp the case or the gravity of the situation.

haha you guys are pretty funny.
Nobody agrees that this will even ahve a slight impact on the future of the city? I would rather a ban than no ban at all. It is definitely a step in the right direction, whether that step turned into a fall or not. American cities are unable to create such a law. The implication of this is an abundance of gun crime. An opposite law would produce what for the city of Toronto?

Pardon me for asking but the lawyer in me smells something wrong in the state of Toronto. What legal basis has this "handgun ban". Such legistlation is outside the jurisdiction of the province and the GTA has such a law?

Does this law have any chance of survivng a court challenge?