Legal gun owners express opposition
Shooting ranges and firearm manufacturers will be prohibited from setting up shop in Toronto if Toronto Council approves a new zoning bylaw recommended by the city's planning and growth management committee.The bylaw was approved in principle earlier this year, as a part of a massive anti-gun campaign launched by Mayor David Miller in the wake of several high-profile shootings.Miller began putting pressure on the federal government to ban handguns outright - and at the city level, instigated a zero-tolerance policy for handguns that saw two shooting ranges on city property shut down and served notice that soon no new ones could be built on private property.On Tuesday afternoon, the planning and growth management committee dealt with a bylaw that would give legal effect.Representatives of hunters and sport shooters came to the committee arguing that the city was wrong-headed in demonizing legal gun owners for crimes committed by armed criminals."It is indeed unfortunate that the city has decided to vilify senior police officers, judges, lawyers and professionals (who belong to shooting clubs)," said Dr. Judith Ross of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association. "The pretext for this whole exercise is the false believe that legitimate gun owners are sources for thugs and the criminal element, when every study indicates this is not the case." The committee wasn't swayed by Ross or other deputations. Ward 20 (Trinity-Spadina) Councillor Adam Vaughan said the city wasn't accusing legal gun owners of necessarily being the source of illegal firearms."But the fact of the matter is that every gun starts out as a legal gun and somehow manages to jump the line to become an illegal gun, whether it's lost or stolen or snuck out the door of a manufacturing plant," he said. "The reality is that you're not going to solve all of the problems that exist in this city, but you'll start to deal with some of the problems and that's good enough for me."The matter will go before Toronto Council at its Oct. 29 meeting.
The bylaw was approved in principle earlier this year, as a part of a massive anti-gun campaign launched by Mayor David Miller in the wake of several high-profile shootings.
Miller began putting pressure on the federal government to ban handguns outright - and at the city level, instigated a zero-tolerance policy for handguns that saw two shooting ranges on city property shut down and served notice that soon no new ones could be built on private property.
On Tuesday afternoon, the planning and growth management committee dealt with a bylaw that would give legal effect.
Representatives of hunters and sport shooters came to the committee arguing that the city was wrong-headed in demonizing legal gun owners for crimes committed by armed criminals.
"It is indeed unfortunate that the city has decided to vilify senior police officers, judges, lawyers and professionals (who belong to shooting clubs)," said Dr. Judith Ross of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association.
"The pretext for this whole exercise is the false believe that legitimate gun owners are sources for thugs and the criminal element, when every study indicates this is not the case."
The committee wasn't swayed by Ross or other deputations.
Ward 20 (Trinity-Spadina) Councillor Adam Vaughan said the city wasn't accusing legal gun owners of necessarily being the source of illegal firearms.
"But the fact of the matter is that every gun starts out as a legal gun and somehow manages to jump the line to become an illegal gun, whether it's lost or stolen or snuck out the door of a manufacturing plant," he said.
"The reality is that you're not going to solve all of the problems that exist in this city, but you'll start to deal with some of the problems and that's good enough for me."
The matter will go before Toronto Council at its Oct. 29 meeting.
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