As someone who's had a couple of death threats, you'd think a move like this might not be Ford's first natural impulse.
I would be surprised if encouraging gun culture
doesn't lead to more crime. Shooting ranges, gun shops, what have you. Around the legal there's always a network of illegal - and I don't think that's the sort of thing that needs re-introducing or beefing up in a packed, teeming city. Even the legal stuff - I live in a dodgy neighbourhood and believe me, knowing that someone might have gone out and just purchased a legal gun nearby (or been pushed to) is
not going to improve my mood.
Unlike a great many other more useful regulated substances, guns are made to directly kill and maim people and animals. They are not made for anything else. This is not something the city needs more of. I hope this bill is squashed and quickly. It's an odd and awful move by Ford.
It's as if by his actions he's consciously or unconsciously trying to force the core to fit his mental image of it as being a crowded, derelict, dirty, criminal place. Throw increased gun availability into the mix and presto! - a less attractive-feeling, less safe-seeming city.
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Now this:
Council votes to keep ban in place, though it's still going off to the OMB.
http://www.thestar.com/news/cityhallpolitics/article/1095391--council-keeps-gun-controls?bn=1
That's a relief.