Liberal Leader Paul Martin is proposing a sweeping ban on handguns to combat growing gun-related violence in Canada's cities.

"Handguns kill people -- that's why they exist, and they're taking too many Canadian lives," said Martin during his "safer communities announcement" at a school near Toronto's violence-plagued Jane and Finch area this morning.

Details of the Liberal proposal include:

• a new 250 officer unit from the RCMP dedicated solely to fighting gun-related crimes, as well as other organized crime and drug trafficking;
• 75 new officers at Canada Border Services to combat illegal importation of handguns from the U.S.;
• tougher sentences for gun-related crimes, by changing the Criminal Code to double the mandatory minimum sentences for such crimes;
• encouraging community-based gun prevention, with help from a $50-million Gun Violence and Gang Prevention Fund to focus on youth at risk;
• waiving the re-registration fees for owners of long guns in order to encourage compliance with the Canada Firearms Program; and
• a gun amnesty and buy-back program that draws from an Australian model, including a gun stoppers initiative aimed at ensuring the turn-in of illegal weapons.

"Taken together, these are reforms designed to reduce crime, to combat gun violence in our cities and better protect Canadians," said Martin.  

A handgun registry in Canada already exists and has been active for more than 60 years. But a rash of gun-related violence in some of Canada's major urban centres has prompted Martin to promise even stricter laws. In Toronto, gunfire has killed 50 people so far this year.

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 announcement will likely be popular in vote-rich urban centres. But it could anger voters in rural areas, already upset at the Liberal-created registry for long guns. The registry, created 10 years ago, was supposed to cost just $2 million -- but the price tag continued to rise to more than $1 billion.

Tony Cannavino, president of the Canadian Professional Police Association, said he agrees with most of the Liberal proposal.

"Adding 250 RCMP officers to join with provincial and municipal police officers, to address the issue of street gangs, organized crime, and tracking the illegal entry of guns, I think that could do some good work," he said on CTV's Mike Duffy Live.

"We've seen its success in the past, when they created a taskforce in Quebec to fight against bikers. It did succeed. To put 75 more people at the borders is also good thing, but we need to see RCMP officers patrolling borders, too."

He 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. He said the answer is tougher sentencing –- beyond the doubling of minimum sentencing included in the Liberal proposal.

"It's illegal guns, stolen guns, and those violent criminals have to know for a fact that if they get caught with a gun, they're going (to prison) for a long time," Cannavino said.

Before the Liberal minority government collapsed, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler tabled legislation that includes an increase in the minimum sentence on some gun crimes, and tougher parole rules for gun crime offenders.

There are already more than a dozen gun crimes that carry minimum sentences of one to four years, and calls for stiffer penalties have won backing from police groups.

Critics

But some legal experts believe that tougher sentences will do little to end the violence. In fact, they say such laws will merely strain an already over-taxed court system and put more minority youth behind bars.

"There's this real concern out there that we're moving towards this pander to law-and-order types' (trend),'' Bill Trudell, chairman of the Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers, told the Canadian Press.

"We know it's not going to work.''

Dudley Laws of the Black Action Defence Committee, a group devoted to ending gun violence in Toronto, has also disagreed with tougher sentencing.

"What we want is for the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to empower and give the community the capacity to make the immediate and intense intervention that is required to deal with our young people," he said.

But Wendy Cukier, co-founder of the Coalition for Gun Control said existing laws limiting the availability of handguns and the use of rifles and shotguns have been effective.

"Five hundred fewer people are killed with guns today than 16 years ago," Cukier said Thursday on CTV's Canada AM. "There's no question that stronger gun laws in Canada have made a big difference. In spite of the surge in Toronto over the last year, gun murders are the lowest in 30 years. ... Murders of women with guns are down 66 per cent.

"So it's really misleading to suggest we're not getting anything for the investment in gun control."

Gun lobby

Not surprisingly, reaction from the firearms lobby to the proposed ban has been negative.

"It's going to accomplish nothing. There's already all types of legislation and illegal use of handguns is out of control," Wayne Fields, president of the Law-Abiding Registered Firearms Association, told the Canadian Press.

"They have to concentrate on the illegal drugs and the criminals that are using the firearms -- get them off the street. They're not going to get rid of guns, it's impossible."

But former Liberal premier Brian Tobin said it's important that the government takes a clear and strong position with respect to handguns.

"It also matters when you have the National Rifle Association showing up in Canada and deciding to endorse the Conservative campaign in this case, and try and inject their agenda ... into the Canadian electoral process."

Conservative leader Stephen Harper, meanwhile, issued a statement Thursday saying he supports tough gun control. He added that a Conservative government would:

• crack down on illegal gun use;
• stop the flow of illegal guns at our border; and
• bring in mandatory minimum prison sentences.

"The Liberals have done none of these things," said Harper in the statement. "They must take responsibility for the growth in gun crime on their watch. Gun crime has spun out of control because they have failed to do anything to reduce gun crime."

NDP Leader Jack Layton said he would have to study the proposal before commenting, but indicated that he would support tougher gun controls.

"I have said for many, many years -- handguns have no place in cities," Layton said when asked to speak to the issue at a Dartmouth, N.S. press conference this morning.

He said his party had brought up the problem of guns "flooding into the country" repeatedly during the last Parliament, but that "nothing was done."

"If we're finally starting to see some action on it, we'll take a look at what's proposed," said Layton.