Gerard Kennedy

MP Asks Parkdale-High Park to Help Save Lives – Save Gun Control

Parkdale-High Park Member of Parliament Gerard Kennedy has written directly to every community organization in the riding, asking for their help to save national gun control by expressing their support and he appealed to area residents to do the same.

A private member’s bill to eliminate 85% of guns covered in the national firearms registry is being pushed by the Harper Conservative government and is expected to come to a final vote in the House of Commons either in the remaining days of the session or immediately when the House comes back in September.

“I don’t think that people realize that 98,000 weapons right here in our neighbourhoods would no longer be kept track of if the Conservatives get their way,” said Kennedy. “I believe that every community group concerned with the safety and well being of the area needs to express themselves on this.” Kennedy is asking community leaders and residents to contact Prime Minister Harper and NDP Leader Jack Layton with respect to this issue.

In Parkdale-High Park, 11 Division also uses the registry as part of their crime prevention “Safe city initiative”, targeting people who no longer have legal use of their weapons, and often discovering illegal weapons in conjunction with expiring certificates. There were five shootings last year in the two divisions serving the riding and 10 in the two adjacent divisions.

According to Toronto police Chief Bill Blair, the gun registry saves lives and is used by police over 13,000 times per day throughout the country. Some 7.5 million firearms of all descriptions have been registered by legal gun owners in Canada, despite an administrative “amnesty” by Mr. Harper since 2006 to discourage compliance. Six and a half million rifles and shotguns would no longer be tracked under the Conservative proposal. According to the Canadian Association of Police Chiefs the registry can be credited for the fact that firearm related deaths decreased 43% between 1991 and 2005. At present there are more than 111,000 firearms in police custody for public safety reasons. Of these, 87,000 are long guns.

“I will be voting to maintain the registry along with my colleagues in the Liberal Caucus,” said Kennedy. “Unfortunately, at this moment, it is unclear what the 12 New Democrat MPs who voted for this bill earlier will do. Mr. Layton must call on his MPs to support the gun registry.”

“Keeping track of dangerous weapons in our neighbourhoods is something I believe we can all agree on,” said Kennedy. “This issue is far too important to be subjected to the politics of division between rural and urban Canada being played by some politicians.”

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