Increased background checks for firearms could be the federal governments future focus.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale held a summit Wednesday on the Increased gang and gun violence happening in Canada.
According to statistics Canada, between 2013 and 2016 homicides involving firearms increased from 36 to 39.
A 12 per cent increase in gang-related homicides committed with a firearm was seen in 2016 for BC.
Prince George- Peace River- Northern Rockies MP Bob Zimmer says Canada has strict laws when it comes to obtaining firearms, but it can always be improved.
“If somebody is affiliated with a gang, well obviously, they shouldn’t be able to obtain a firearm legally. It also begs the next question, if they’re getting it illegally how are they getting it and what can be done to shut down those pathways to those possession.”
Some of the measures expected to take place will be looking longer into criminal history, which will go further than the current system of five years. The government could also include an examination of a purchaser’s mental-health history.
“We want to get people apart of this legal process. Somebody, regardless of who they are, needs to be screened, your family needs to be consulted if you are a threat,” added Zimmer.
Zimmer says having tighter rules is something Canadians should want to have, so incidents like the mass school shootings which happens in the states don’t take place here.
In 2016, there were 7,000 victims of gun related crimes in Canada. More than 50 per cent involved handguns.
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