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e-1923 (Firearms)

E-petition
Initiated by Wendy Cukier from Toronto, Ontario

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the House of Commons

Whereas:
  • 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.
We, the undersigned, Canadian citizens, call upon the Government of Canada to implement a ban on the civilian ownership of handguns and military assault weapons.
Government response tabled on May 16, 2019 (Sessional Paper No. 8545-421-53-32)
Open for signature
November 2, 2018, at 2:26 p.m. (EDT)
Closed for signature
March 2, 2019, at 2:26 p.m. (EDT)
Presented to the House of Commons
Julie Dzerowicz (Davenport)
April 11, 2019 (Petition No. 421-03421)
Government response tabled
May 16, 2019
Photo - Julie Dzerowicz
Davenport
Liberal Caucus
Ontario