WHAT'S DOIN' IN CANADA?

Uh - Oh

Mayoral Election in Toronto

Mayoral hopefuls — except Ford — back gun registry

By DON PEAT, Toronto Sun
August 27, 2010

Only one of the five major mayoral candidates supports the federal government taking aim at the gun registry.

With no debate on the issue, Toronto city councillors voted 30 to 4 on Friday to reaffirm their support for the gun registry and thank Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair for his leadership on the issue.

The vote comes as the federal Conservatives seem poised to try to scrap the registry.

After the council meeting, Mayor David Miller told reporters keeping the registry “is the right thing to do” and repeated his call for handgun ownership to be banned except by police officers.

“I think it is very important for this country to end the legal possession of handguns,” Miller said. “Particularly collectors, why should we allow people to collect something that’s designed and built to kill people, not to hunt, to kill people. It’s unbelievable.”

Among the two mayoral candidates on council, Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone voted for the motion while Ford voted against it.

Ford told the Sun the registry takes aim at those using guns for hunting and other legal activities.

“It’s not the hunters that are causing the problems out there, it’s the gun-toting bandits,” he said before the vote on Friday. “The gun registry is hurting hunters ... these guys aren’t murderers and the gun registry is not going to stop criminals, drug dealers and bank robbers from carrying guns.”

When asked if he supports a handgun ban, Ford said he didn’t think there was a need for handguns.

Mayoral candidate George Smitherman said the registry shouldn’t be scrapped and vowed that if elected, he’d keep pushing for a handgun ban.

“I think it is important when a police officer is knocking on a door in the City of Toronto, they have the advantage of a database to know whether there is a prospect of guns behind those doors,” Smitherman said.

Candidate Rocco Rossi said with the recent rash of gun violence he’s worried the city is heading for an “autumn of the gun” at a time when children will be going back and forth to school.

Pantalone said he’s taking his advice on gun control from Chief Blair.

“I think we have an obligation, if we care about the safety of our neighbourhoods, to listen to the experts here (the chiefs of police),” Pantalone said.

Mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson said she agrees with council’s decision to reaffirm support for the registry.

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Ahh...it turns out that it's the officers's welfare that's driving the anti-gunners. Baloney.

It's worthwhile watching this play out in socialist, freedom-grabbing Canada. We don't fight for individual freedom here in America, it'll happen here too.