Majority of Canadians want handguns and assault weapons banned: poll
Posted May 24, 2019 8:15 am.
Last Updated May 24, 2019 10:16 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – Communities across Canada are growing more and more concerned about the rise in gun violence, according to a new poll.
Conducted by the Angus Reid Institute, the poll finds there is considerable support to take strong action to deal with gun violence.
Concerns over gun violence are highest in Ontario, where gang violence has been linked to increases in gun-related homicides. Half of Canadians consider gun violence a serious problem for the country, while half say political coverage of the issue has been overblown.
61 per cent of people want to see a complete ban on handguns in Canada, and when it comes to assault weapons, that support rises to 75 per cent.
The findings suggest support for a ban is considerably higher in urban centers than it is in rural parts of the country.
However, out of those surveyed, 77 percent say they’ve never owned a gun, while 14 percent currently own a gun. Nine percent had owned a gun in the past as well.
The majority of Canadians also support a taxpayer-funded buyback program, where the government will pay people to turn in their firearms which are later destroyed.
The findings come as the Trudeau government considers what to do to address gun violence in Canada, while the Liberals have said potential bans are on the table.
