Toronto Mayor John Tory said following a mass shooting in his city on Sunday, which left two people killed and wounded 13 others, that no citizen should own a handgun.
According to the Toronto Sun, Toronto is requesting federal authority to ban the sale of handguns and ammunition within the city. The Toronto City Council also reportedly passed legislation by a 41-4 margin to urge the Canadian government to ban all handguns, assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons nationwide, except for police and military purposes.
Toronto has seen a recent increase in gun homicides, with 29 already for 2018, far exceeding last year's pace.
National statistics in Canada also show there has been an increase in gun crimes in Canada.
Despite the increase, gun-related homicides in Canada still are far below levels in the US. According to 2016 figures, the gun homicide rate in Canada was .6 per 100,000 residents while in the United States, it was 10.1 per 100,000.
