Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
OTTAWA — Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is formally asking the prime minister to immediately give cities the leeway to ban handguns.
In a lengthy letter to Justin Trudeau outlining a long-term approach to tackling crime, Singh says more policing is not a solution to gun violence in cities because it amplifies distrust between communities.
Instead, he says allowing cities to ban handguns would help municipal authorities deal with the fact that many gun crimes are committed with legal guns.
Singh also wants the government to dramatically speed up earmarked funding to quash gang violence.
He also wants more resources for the Canada Border Services Agency to curtail cross-border weapons smuggling.
And he’s urging the government to speak out more loudly against hate crimes and racism.
In the wake of a deadly shooting in Toronto last month, the federal government has said it’s considering ways to crack down on handguns and allow cities more flexibility in doing so.
Toronto’s city council has also voted in favour of asking Ottawa to allow the ban of the sale of handguns within city limits.
