Should Handguns Be
Banned?
By Rob Taheri and Patrick Chu
Introduction
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The efficiency and effectiveness of gun
regulation is a matter of controversy. The debate
over this issue has become notorious for its
emotion driven rationales and hardened policy
positions. This analysis is based on the belief
that good laws and sound policy should be
based on evidence and subject to effectiveness
reviews. Accordingly, it examines the
cost/benefits and effectiveness of gun
registration as crime control.
Background
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There have been three periods of gun registration in
Canada. The first, the registration of handguns began in
1934 and continues to this day. The second was the
registration of all guns during WWII. This registration
period is not well documented, but it appears that the
law was never seriously enforced and in any case it
lapsed in 1945 when the RCMP requested it be
discontinued. The third period is the current registration
system brought in by Bill C-68 in 1995. This law required
the licensing and registration of all gun owners by 2001
and required the registration of all guns by 2003. This
legislation continued the previous policy of handgun
registration and introduced long gun (rifle and shotgun)
registration.
Background Continued…
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Handguns are currently classified as either
restricted or prohibited. Canadians can get
a handgun license by proving the weapon
is part of a collection, in target-shooting
competitions, or for target practice.
The Canadian government strategy for
making the streets of Canada's cities safer
begins with banning all handguns and
getting tougher on crime.
Facts and Statistics
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7.1 million registered firearms in Canada
172 gun related homicides in Canada in 2004
112 committed with handguns
71 gang-related homicides in Canada in 2004
70.4 percent of gang-related homicides
committed with a handgun
The highest concentration of gun violence is
amongst gangs. 50 out of the 70 gang murders
last year used guns, and 42 of those murders
were carried out with hand guns.
Stats Continued…
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Guns are used in just 2.4% of all violent crimes
in Canada, but handguns are the most common
type of firearm used. Handguns are used in 70%
of violent crimes involving guns nationwide.
"Five hundred fewer people are killed with guns
today than 16 years ago," says Wendy Cukier.
"Gun murders are at their lowest in 30 years.
Murders of women with guns are down 66 per
cent.”
U.S./Canada Comparison
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There are more than 30 times more
firearms in the United States than in
Canada.
Handgun homicide rates are 15.3 times
higher in the United States than in
Canada.
Handgun robbery rates are 4.5 times
higher in the United States than in Canada
(the average handgun robbery rate was 91 per 100,000 in the U.S.,
compared to 26 per 100,000 in Canada)
Handguns Should Not Be Banned
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Owning firearms is a fundamental
right
Government should not be
empowered to interfere with an
individual's right to own firearms as
long as the individual is not harming
or intimidating fellow citizens
Guns in the hands of the law-abiding
populace decrease crime
Citizens have a right to self-protection
While one's firearm may be
dangerous to one's own family, the
added risk of owning a gun is
negligible compared to other hazards
we accept at home. (e.g., swimming
pools)
 Citizens have a need to own guns to protect themselves against
crime because although government is tasked with an obligation
in the whole to protect citizens collectively, government is not
tasked to protect any particular citizen unless there is a special
relationship established with the particular individual prior to the
commencement of falling victim to a crime
 An armed populace decreases the overall risk of violent crime;
widespread ownership by the law-abiding is a deterrent to
criminal intent
 Gun control laws do not stop criminals from getting guns,
because criminals are willing to break the law to get them.
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Law-abiding citizens have a responsibility to provide
their own protection because governments cannot be
held civilly or criminally responsible for failing to
provide such protection
Carrying a firearm makes one safer, not less safe; for
the same reason that police forces carry firearms,
criminals do not expect an armed victim.
An armed populace is a deterrent to excesses of
government; the threat of violent revolution by the
people keeps government's power in check
Existing gun control laws are sufficient if only
government would enforce them
 Some Canadians disagreed that a
sweeping ban on handguns would be very
successful in combating urban violence,
considering that most guns used in
shootings are obtained illegally
Handguns Should Be Banned!
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The vast majority of handgun
homicides involve youth
Guns kept in your house for self
protection are 22 times more likely
to kill someone you know than kill
in self-defence.
Handguns provide an easy
way to kill others or yourself
Continued…
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Nowhere in the
Canadian “Charter of
Rights and Freedoms”
does it state the right to
own a handgun
(Compared to the
American constitution)
Handguns are not used
for hunting!
Suicide
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Guns give no second chance; it is a simple,
quick, and efficient way to kill. "Handguns are
unforgiving, they offer no second chance to
consider suicide”
54% were suicides; 42% homicides; 3% were
accidents; and the other 1% were unknown
Suicidal people usually consider the act for a
long time, with handguns, they have no second
chance and no time to go back on their actions,
like they do for drowning themselves,
attempting an overdose, or even hanging
The Primary Function of a
Handgun is to Kill
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FACT: While handguns account for only
one-third of all firearms owned in the
United States, they account for more than
two-thirds of all firearm-related deaths
each year.
FACT: In 1998 handguns murdered:
151 people in Canada where handguns
are closely monitored
11,789 people in the United States where
handguns are almost unrestricted
FACT: In 1998, for every time that a
civilian used a handgun to kill in selfdefense, 51 people lost their lives in
handgun homicides.
FACT: Handguns are more likely than
rifles or shotguns to be used in homicides
in which men kill women. In 2002,
handguns were used in 73 percent of
cases where men used firearms to kill
women
Videos
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http://www.gunowners.org/svtb.htm
MORE GUNS ARE THE ANSWER
and
SO-CALLED "ASSAULT" WEAPONS
Questions and Discussion
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Class Vote: Ban handguns or allow them? Why?
Should the government money go into programs to ban
handguns and get them off the streets, or into social
programs showing youth in low class areas the right
direction? Why?
Should there be background checks made to verify
eligibility to own a firearm? Who should make them, and
should there be a waiting period before a firearm can be
sold?
Are there criteria that disqualify a person from owning
firearms? (Possible criteria include age, mental
competence, firearm training, and felony conviction)
Should some types of firearms be regulated differently
than others?
Works Cited
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http://saunderslog.com/2005/12/09/gun-violence-incanada/
http://www.iansa.org/regions/namerica/handgunscanada.htm
http://www.cfc-cafc.gc.ca/pol-leg/reseval/other_docs/notes/canus/default_e.asp
http://allfreeessays.com/student/Gun_Control_3.html
www.ichv.org/Statistics.htm
www.vpc.org/press/0111unin.html
www.endabuse.org/resources/facts/Guns.pdf - End Gun
Abuse Organization