e-1923 (Firearms)

Petition to the House of Commons

• Handguns account for 58% of shooting homicides;
• Military assault weapons such as the AR-15 used in the Parkland Florida massacre are sold to civilians in Canada;
• There are now nearly 1 million legally owned handguns in Canada;
• Many legal handguns end up in the hands of violent criminals as a result of illegal sales, theft and diversion;
• More crime guns that are traced come from Canadian sources;
• Handguns and military weapons are not used for hunting, by farmers or indigenous people for legitimate purposes and United States style arming for “self- protection” is rising;
• The Supreme Court of Canada has said there is no “right” to own guns, like the United States Second Amendment, in Canada;
• Easy access to handguns and other restricted and prohibited weapons fuels gang violence, domestic violence, suicide and undermines community safety;
• Canada has the fourth highest rate of gun deaths among OECD countries and is one of few developed countries to have loosened its gun laws in past decades;
• Countries like the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan have shown that strict gun control laws lead to dramatically lower gun homicide, crime and death rates;
• The majority of Canadians support stronger gun laws; and
• Reducing easy access to handguns and military assault weapons will increase safety in both urban and rural Canada.