CANADA
Gun control advocates calling on national handgun ban, mandatory buyback
Duration: 02:57
On Tuesday, the federal government announced a bill aimed at tackling gun violence in Canada, but as Erica Vella reports, gun control advocates say the bill falls short in areas surrounding the buyback program and handgun prohibition.
Global News
Optional gun buyback programs more likely than compulsory ones to miss mark: expert
OTTAWA — The Trudeau government is expected to introduce gun-control legislation this week that gives owners the choice of keeping recently outlawed firearms under strict conditions instead of turning them in for compensation.
© Provided by The Canadian Press
However a gun-control expert who has studied buyback initiatives says optional programs, as opposed to compulsory ones, have a greater chance of missing the mark of making communities safer.
"The empirical evidence, the studies, show that a voluntary buyback is the most likely to fail," said Philip Alpers, an adjunct associate professor at the University of Sydney's school of public health in Australia.
Alpers points to major gun buyback programs in Australia and New Zealand that not only prohibited certain guns but included stiff penalties for not turning them in.
"It was the penalty that made the difference with the success of both the Australian and New Zealand gun buybacks," he said in an interview. "If you make it voluntary, you're making it optional."
The Canadian government outlawed an array of firearms by cabinet order in May, saying they were designed for the battlefield, not hunting or sport-shooting.
The ban covers some 1,500 models and variants of what the government considers assault-style weapons, meaning they can no longer be legally used, sold or imported.
The coming bill is believed to propose a program to buy back these firearms for a fair price, but allow owners to hang on to them if certain conditions are met.
Many gun-control advocates have been pressing the Liberals to make the buyback mandatory, warning that firearms that remain with owners could be misused or stolen.
When 35 people were gunned down at the Port Arthur Historic Site in Tasmania in 1996, Australia banned semi-automatic and pump-action rifles and shotguns, buying back some 650,000 from owners. The National Firearms Agreement also toughened licensing, registration and safe-storage provisions.
More than a dozen mass shootings occurred in Australia in the 25 years before the reforms, but after the buyback there were none until 2014.
"For Australia, the NFA seems to have been incredibly successful in terms of lives saved," said a 2011 assessment by Harvard University's Injury Control Research Center.
New Zealand implemented a buyback following the March 2019 shootings at two mosques that killed 51 people and injured many others.
Before the initiative, police estimated there were between 55,000 and 240,000 newly outlawed firearms in the country, based on a consulting firm's analysis.
More than 61,000 firearms were handed in or modified.
A gun group criticized the buyback, saying there were 170,000 prohibited firearms in New Zealand, but the group Gun Control NZ says it has seen no credible evidence to support this figure.
Group co-founder Philippa Yasbek says she is concerned the Canadian government has been misled by the discredited number.
The compromise solution of a voluntary buyback in Canada would antagonize the gun lobby without yielding the desired "good safety outcomes," Yasbek said in an interview.
"I definitely think they should be going for a mandatory buyback and following the Australia and New Zealand model."
Alpers said if the Trudeau Liberals cite the New Zealand or Australian programs as reasons to avoid a mandatory buyback, "the information they've been given, is inaccurate at best and malicious at worst."
"By and large, those who claim that the New Zealand and Australian gun buybacks are failures are those who claim that all gun control is a failure," he said.
"And so if the Liberal government listens to those people, they will be falling victim to misinformation."
Aside from fleshing out last spring's ban of many firearms, the long-promised Liberal bill would propose stricter storage provisions and target illegal gun smuggling.
The bill is also expected to:
— Enhance the ability of doctors, victims of domestic abuse and families to raise red flags on those with guns who pose risks to themselves or an identifiable group;
— Include new penalties for gun purchases by a licensed buyer on behalf of an unlicensed one;
— Maintain current firearm magazine limits, which are generally five bullets for hunting rifles and shotguns and 10 for handguns, but crack down on the sale of magazines that can be modified to hold more cartridges.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2021.
Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press
However a gun-control expert who has studied buyback initiatives says optional programs, as opposed to compulsory ones, have a greater chance of missing the mark of making communities safer.
"The empirical evidence, the studies, show that a voluntary buyback is the most likely to fail," said Philip Alpers, an adjunct associate professor at the University of Sydney's school of public health in Australia.
Alpers points to major gun buyback programs in Australia and New Zealand that not only prohibited certain guns but included stiff penalties for not turning them in.
"It was the penalty that made the difference with the success of both the Australian and New Zealand gun buybacks," he said in an interview. "If you make it voluntary, you're making it optional."
The Canadian government outlawed an array of firearms by cabinet order in May, saying they were designed for the battlefield, not hunting or sport-shooting.
The ban covers some 1,500 models and variants of what the government considers assault-style weapons, meaning they can no longer be legally used, sold or imported.
The coming bill is believed to propose a program to buy back these firearms for a fair price, but allow owners to hang on to them if certain conditions are met.
Many gun-control advocates have been pressing the Liberals to make the buyback mandatory, warning that firearms that remain with owners could be misused or stolen.
When 35 people were gunned down at the Port Arthur Historic Site in Tasmania in 1996, Australia banned semi-automatic and pump-action rifles and shotguns, buying back some 650,000 from owners. The National Firearms Agreement also toughened licensing, registration and safe-storage provisions.
More than a dozen mass shootings occurred in Australia in the 25 years before the reforms, but after the buyback there were none until 2014.
"For Australia, the NFA seems to have been incredibly successful in terms of lives saved," said a 2011 assessment by Harvard University's Injury Control Research Center.
New Zealand implemented a buyback following the March 2019 shootings at two mosques that killed 51 people and injured many others.
Before the initiative, police estimated there were between 55,000 and 240,000 newly outlawed firearms in the country, based on a consulting firm's analysis.
More than 61,000 firearms were handed in or modified.
A gun group criticized the buyback, saying there were 170,000 prohibited firearms in New Zealand, but the group Gun Control NZ says it has seen no credible evidence to support this figure.
Group co-founder Philippa Yasbek says she is concerned the Canadian government has been misled by the discredited number.
The compromise solution of a voluntary buyback in Canada would antagonize the gun lobby without yielding the desired "good safety outcomes," Yasbek said in an interview.
"I definitely think they should be going for a mandatory buyback and following the Australia and New Zealand model."
Alpers said if the Trudeau Liberals cite the New Zealand or Australian programs as reasons to avoid a mandatory buyback, "the information they've been given, is inaccurate at best and malicious at worst."
"By and large, those who claim that the New Zealand and Australian gun buybacks are failures are those who claim that all gun control is a failure," he said.
"And so if the Liberal government listens to those people, they will be falling victim to misinformation."
Aside from fleshing out last spring's ban of many firearms, the long-promised Liberal bill would propose stricter storage provisions and target illegal gun smuggling.
The bill is also expected to:
— Enhance the ability of doctors, victims of domestic abuse and families to raise red flags on those with guns who pose risks to themselves or an identifiable group;
— Include new penalties for gun purchases by a licensed buyer on behalf of an unlicensed one;
— Maintain current firearm magazine limits, which are generally five bullets for hunting rifles and shotguns and 10 for handguns, but crack down on the sale of magazines that can be modified to hold more cartridges.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2021.
Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press
Canada will not implement a national handgun ban, instead, they'll leave that up to individual communities
By Paula Newton, CNN
Wed February 17, 2021
Ottawa (CNN)The Canadian government proposed legislation Tuesday that would allow local communities to ban handguns, but stopped short of supporting a national handgun ban, which many gun control advocates had called for.
"These are the strongest measures to fight gun violence our country has ever seen," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a news conference Tuesday in the capital, Ottawa.
Trudeau's Liberal government is making good on both a 2019 election promise for stricter gun control and an announcement last May, when Canada banned the sale of military-style assault weapons and promised more legislation would follow.
That pledge came after the deadliest mass shooting in Canada's history, in which a heavily armed gunman dressed as a police officer killed 22 people in a shooting spree that terrorized residents of rural Nova Scotia.
The legislation, which would still take months to become law, also introduces a voluntary buyback program for the estimated 150,000 to 200,000 legally-owned assault-style weapons in Canada. Owners of the now-prohibited firearms can still choose to keep them, although they could no longer use them as guns and they would be subject to strict licensing and storage laws.
Mayors seek solution for worsening gun violence
Trudeau acknowledged there would be political fallout from both sides of the gun control debate. The mayors of Canada's two largest cities, Toronto and Montreal, have advocated for a national handgun ban as gun violence worsens in those cities.
In a statement obtained by CNN, Toronto Mayor John Tory said city staff are reviewing the new set of proposed laws and that the city welcomes the federal government's efforts to curb gun violence. But Tory also restated his city's support for a national handgun ban.
"Toronto City Council has been clear that it supports a national handgun ban. The federal government has said the changes announced today would allow municipalities to ban handguns and include federal penalties for those who violate local bylaws. The City looks forward to receiving details from the Government of Canada on how such a ban would work and what its impact would be on gun violence," Tory said in the statement.
Federal government officials said cities cannot act alone and that provincial governments, several of which have indicated they do not support banning handguns, would have ultimate jurisdiction.
Law enforcement officials say random gun violence in Canadian cities continues to worsen, with deaths increasingly linked to gang violence.
A teenage girl was killed in a drive-by shooting earlier this month in Montreal, prompting the mayor to again call for a national handgun ban.
"Obviously there are political elements in this but the core of why we are doing this, the core of why Canadians want this done, is to keep our communities safe. In Canada people can use guns for hunting and for sport shooting, not for personal protection. And there is no need (for) military-style assault weapons anywhere in this country," said Trudeau.
In his news conference, Trudeau highlighted a key component of the new set of laws, the "red flag" and "yellow flag" provisions. He said they would help combat intimate-partner and gender-based violence by allowing people to apply to the courts to order the removal of a person's firearm or to suspend their gun license.
Neither side happy
Gun control advocates noted that while the proposed legislation is comprehensive, it does not go far enough.
"This is imperfect legislation but a very Canadian approach to addressing a complex issue," Dr. Philip Berger, senior adviser to Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns, said in a statement. He added, "To make the further changes still necessary, the 80% of Canadians who support gun control need political parties other than the Liberals to step up and be accountable."
If passed, the new law would also forbid the altering of the cartridge magazine component of a firearm and would ban depictions of violence in firearms advertising. There would be tighter restrictions on imports of ammunition and a ban on the import, export, sales and transfers of all replica firearms.
In a detailed technical briefing, the government outlined that it would continue to combat gun smuggling and trafficking by stepping up enforcement and increasing penalties. The Trudeau government has also said it will reach out to US President Joe Biden's administration to find new ways to cooperate on gun smuggling issues along the border.
By Paula Newton, CNN
Wed February 17, 2021
Ottawa (CNN)The Canadian government proposed legislation Tuesday that would allow local communities to ban handguns, but stopped short of supporting a national handgun ban, which many gun control advocates had called for.
"These are the strongest measures to fight gun violence our country has ever seen," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a news conference Tuesday in the capital, Ottawa.
Trudeau's Liberal government is making good on both a 2019 election promise for stricter gun control and an announcement last May, when Canada banned the sale of military-style assault weapons and promised more legislation would follow.
That pledge came after the deadliest mass shooting in Canada's history, in which a heavily armed gunman dressed as a police officer killed 22 people in a shooting spree that terrorized residents of rural Nova Scotia.
The legislation, which would still take months to become law, also introduces a voluntary buyback program for the estimated 150,000 to 200,000 legally-owned assault-style weapons in Canada. Owners of the now-prohibited firearms can still choose to keep them, although they could no longer use them as guns and they would be subject to strict licensing and storage laws.
Mayors seek solution for worsening gun violence
Trudeau acknowledged there would be political fallout from both sides of the gun control debate. The mayors of Canada's two largest cities, Toronto and Montreal, have advocated for a national handgun ban as gun violence worsens in those cities.
In a statement obtained by CNN, Toronto Mayor John Tory said city staff are reviewing the new set of proposed laws and that the city welcomes the federal government's efforts to curb gun violence. But Tory also restated his city's support for a national handgun ban.
"Toronto City Council has been clear that it supports a national handgun ban. The federal government has said the changes announced today would allow municipalities to ban handguns and include federal penalties for those who violate local bylaws. The City looks forward to receiving details from the Government of Canada on how such a ban would work and what its impact would be on gun violence," Tory said in the statement.
Federal government officials said cities cannot act alone and that provincial governments, several of which have indicated they do not support banning handguns, would have ultimate jurisdiction.
Law enforcement officials say random gun violence in Canadian cities continues to worsen, with deaths increasingly linked to gang violence.
A teenage girl was killed in a drive-by shooting earlier this month in Montreal, prompting the mayor to again call for a national handgun ban.
"Obviously there are political elements in this but the core of why we are doing this, the core of why Canadians want this done, is to keep our communities safe. In Canada people can use guns for hunting and for sport shooting, not for personal protection. And there is no need (for) military-style assault weapons anywhere in this country," said Trudeau.
In his news conference, Trudeau highlighted a key component of the new set of laws, the "red flag" and "yellow flag" provisions. He said they would help combat intimate-partner and gender-based violence by allowing people to apply to the courts to order the removal of a person's firearm or to suspend their gun license.
Neither side happy
Gun control advocates noted that while the proposed legislation is comprehensive, it does not go far enough.
"This is imperfect legislation but a very Canadian approach to addressing a complex issue," Dr. Philip Berger, senior adviser to Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns, said in a statement. He added, "To make the further changes still necessary, the 80% of Canadians who support gun control need political parties other than the Liberals to step up and be accountable."
If passed, the new law would also forbid the altering of the cartridge magazine component of a firearm and would ban depictions of violence in firearms advertising. There would be tighter restrictions on imports of ammunition and a ban on the import, export, sales and transfers of all replica firearms.
PRO GUN TORIES
Canada's Conservative Party denounced the proposed legislation, saying it penalizes lawful gun owners and does not adequately address the issue of guns being smuggled into Canada from the United States.
"I think that Mr. Trudeau misleads people when he tries to suggest that buying things back from hunters and other Canadians who are law-abiding is somehow going to solve the problem of shooting and criminal gang activity in the big cities. It's ignoring the real problem and it's dividing Canadians,"
Canada's Conservative Party denounced the proposed legislation, saying it penalizes lawful gun owners and does not adequately address the issue of guns being smuggled into Canada from the United States.
"I think that Mr. Trudeau misleads people when he tries to suggest that buying things back from hunters and other Canadians who are law-abiding is somehow going to solve the problem of shooting and criminal gang activity in the big cities. It's ignoring the real problem and it's dividing Canadians,"
Conservative Party leader Erin O'Toole said in a news conference Tuesday.
In a detailed technical briefing, the government outlined that it would continue to combat gun smuggling and trafficking by stepping up enforcement and increasing penalties. The Trudeau government has also said it will reach out to US President Joe Biden's administration to find new ways to cooperate on gun smuggling issues along the border.
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