Premier Dalton McGuinty said Tuesday that the federal government needs to go farther in its crackdown on gun crimes.

The premier said tougher penalties are required if the problem of the new gun culture is to be addressed. The federal justice minister had introduced legislation increasing mandatory minimums for gun crimes, but that effort died on the order paper due to the election.

"I think if you were found to be in possession of a handgun, you should be subject to some very serious consequences," said McGuinty. "Otherwise, we are not going to be able to do what we need to do in order to ensure there is more safety on Ontario streets."

McGuinty says the discretion given justices-of-the-peace and judges in allowing people charged with gun crimes to get bail, also needs to be tightened by Ottawa.

To the Editor,

Good old Dalton McGuinty is jumping on the bandwagon, screaming for "tougher" gun laws. What a hypocrite. Gun laws are plenty tough enough - if they were being properly enforced! Bail Court and Provincial Court Judges are appointed directly by the Ontario Attorney General. McGuinty and Bryant should be reading the riot act to these bozos and telling them to smarten up and start imposing meaningful penalties and bail restrictions, if not oppositions, to these criminals.

Not only was Jodie Wheatle out on bail for a previous gun crime, he managed to get yet another gun, illegally, with which to commit this new crime! Surely his bail conditions imposed a firearms prohibition on him. But of course, firearms prohibitions aren't tracked by the Firearms Registry - only law abiding citizens are.

We don't need gun control, we need Liberal control - Kick The Rascals Out!

Bruce
Hamilton
Ontario

Link: http://toronto.cbc.ca/...