Pubdate: Thu, 18 Aug 2005
Source: Liberal, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2005, Metroland Printing, Publishing and Distributing
Contact:  http://www.yorkregion.com/yr/newscentre/liberal/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2347
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

TOUGHER LAWS NEEDED FOR CRIMINALS WHO SUPPLY ILLEGAL GUNS

Thirty people have been shot dead this year in Toronto, including a recent 
spate of gun-related homicides that has political leaders and police 
officers concerned.

And with good reason.

Canada has always prided itself on being less violent than the United States.

Cops on the streets of York say they know more guns are out there and 
they're adjusting the way they respond to calls.

Gang members say they have quick and easy access to guns in the Greater 
Toronto Area.

It's only a matter of time.

Is throwing more cops on the streets the answer?

Not if there isn't a structure to ensure they are used effectively, critics 
say. It makes for good political optics, but simply lining the streets with 
officers turns our police into security guards.

Certainly the racial profiling program suggested by Scarborough Councillor 
Michael Thompson isn't the solution.

Stopping people because of their skin colour is wrong for so many reasons.

The much-criticized federal gun registry obviously isn't working. Hunters 
and farmers and their registered shotguns aren't the issue. Criminals with 
unregistered and illegal handguns are.

Tightening the border has to be part of the solution.

We've been used to easy access to the U.S. and so have gun runners. Many 
American states make it very easy to buy guns.

Unless we can somehow persuade them to adopt our gun controls -- and that 
isn't going to happen -- our best bet is to make sure those guns stay out 
of Canada.

Only a small percentage of guns smuggled across the border are ever found, 
border guards say.

American officials are concerned about our lax drug laws and the flood of 
Canadian marijuana to their side of the border. Clearly we need tougher 
border security with a quid pro quo: we'll keep our pot to ourselves if you 
keep your guns to yourselves.

Make it tougher on criminals and those who supply them with guns.

Law-abiding citizens may have to tolerate longer waits at customs, if it 
means a safer life in our country.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom