Victims of gun violence pledge to continue to defend Canada's gun control law

Toronto - "Some politicians seem to be preoccupied with the costs of gun control or appeasing the gun lobby but they are forgetting the huge costs many of us have paid for inadequate gun control." Priscilla de Villiers, former president of CAVEAT and victims advocate said "Have they learned nothing from the deaths of our children? The inquest into the murder of my daughter called for licensing of gun owners and registration of all guns. I have been going to Ottawa to plead with politicians to do the right thing for more than a decade. I have attended dozens of press conferences. I have testified before more parliamentary committees than I knew existed. While it is too early to evaluate the impact of the 1995 law, which was not fully implemented until 2003, the Canadian Public Health Association and others have argued that the progressive tightening of gun laws in Canada has contributed to reducing gun death and injury. In 1991, when I began this journey, there were 1,444 gun deaths and in 2001 there were 842. Firearm robberies have declined dramatically over the decade by 64% since 1991, from 8,995 to 3,474. Domestic homicides with firearms have fallen according to the latest report on intimate partner homicide from Statistics Canada. The police are using the system 1,500 times each day and have reported case after case where the system allowed them to remove guns from people who were a risk."

Nastaran Yadollahi of Toronto said, "My brother Soroush was shot and killed in Toronto earlier this year. We still don't know the reason, who did it, or where the gun came from? All we know is that we lost a young man with a bright future and our lives are irreparably damaged. It is hard even to put into words the costs for me, his father, and his mother, who are also here today. However, there is no doubt in my mind that stronger controls on guns are important, not just in Canada but in the US, as guns know no borders. My family has committed to working with victims of gun violence and community groups to fight the scourge of guns. We ask all politicians to place a priority on public safety. They must support strong controls in Canada, help keep our borders strong and work internationally for better controls. Our family is committed to working to prevent others from suffering as we have."

Fran Clement of Niagara Falls, Ontario said "My daughter Renee Nina Joynson, 23, was shot, with a legally owned rifle, by an acquaintance, who was being treated for depression. She was my only child. How can I possibly begin to explain the impact? A part of me died when she died. And I don't want the lack of gun control to affect anyone the way it has affected my life. We can't let politicians be wishy washy about the laws. The new system is designed to reduce the chances that people who are a threat to themselves or others will not get access to guns. It may not be perfect but it is certainly necessary. To suggest that legally owned guns are not a problem is to ignore the price many of us have paid because those guns are in the wrong hands. To suggest that rifles and shotguns are not a problem is to ignore the fact that they kill people just as effectively as handguns. If we had more women in parliament we would not even be talking about this."

Sandra Goerzen of St. Catharines, Ontario, said, "My daughter Vikki was 30 years old when she was shot and killed in Victoria B.C. by common-law spouse with his father's rifle "borrowed" after heavy drinking. Could the new law have prevented her death? I will never know. But what I do know is that women's groups from across the country have written to politicians in support of the law. They emphasize that guns are not just a problem in big cities but in smaller communities where there are more guns there are more victims. They also say that stronger controls contained in the 1991 and 1995 legislation appear to be paying off. Across Canada, statistics show that there has been a dramatic decline in murders of women with firearms - more than 50% in the past decade alone. Rather than catering to the opponents of the legislation, we demand a review to address ways to strengthen it. Politicians who claim that rifles and shotguns are not a problem and who insist that gun control "punishes" gun owners are missing the point. Access to firearms is one of the top five risk factors in domestic homicide. Several inquests into domestic violence have recommended licensing gun owners and registering guns in order to prevent tragedies. However, our voices are drowned out by the vocal opponents and gun lobby rhetoric which seems to dominate the media. This is not a partisan issue. And we don't want to "punish" gun owners but want to protect women and children from being threatened and killed with guns. Getting a license and registering a gun is a small price to pay given the risks. The costs of implementing the system are small compared to the costs to victims, to the health care and justice systems and the costs of treating those who have been traumatized by guns."

Karen Vanscoy, of St. Catharines, Ontario added "My daughter Jasmine was only 14 years old. Still a child. She was shot to death in our home by a young offender with a stolen gun. It is very painful for me to come and relive that time and time again but although it is difficult, it seems necessary. When there is a tragedy, people wring their hands. They grieve for the victims and their families. They ask "why did this happen?" "How could this have been prevented?" When it comes to the problem of gun violence, we have at least some of the answers. Gun control works and it is a small price to pay for the benefits. I live in St. Catharines, just 20 miles from the US border. In 2002 there were 149 gun murders in Canada, in the United States, there were 10,800. We do have problems with the smuggling of guns smuggled in from the US where there are as many guns as people, but there is no question, gun control is an investment in the safety of our country and one of the things that separates us from the US. I find it particularly alarming to hear the Conservative refer the "right" to own guns. No such "right" exists in Canada. The Supreme Court has made that abundantly clear. "In recent weeks it seems that almost every day, some gun owner is quoted complaining about the law but there is scarcely a word about those who support the law. I am a nurse in a psychiatric hospital and I know the law is strongly supported by health professionals including nurses associations, emergency physicians and public health experts as well as the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. More than seventy women's groups from every part of the country issued a statement earlier this week emphasizing how important the law is in preventing domestic violence and that it is working. But their voices seem drowned out by the well-resourced and vocal gun lobby."

Noel and Joyce Farion from Edmonton, Alberta were unable to attend, but sent the following statement: "You cannot say you speak for victims and oppose gun control. Our son Scott was 17 years old when he was shot in the back of the head in Edmonton, Alberta by two young offenders. The gun they used had been stolen from a gun collector. We know all to well that virtually every illegal gun begins as a legal gun and that controls on legal gun owners are critical. We have travelled across the country time and time again to tell the politicians to stop playing politics with gun control and get on with implementing the law."

Ms. deVilliers concluded: "It is true gun control is not cheap. But neither is gun violence. Today you have heard from only a small number of people who have paid the price. Gun control is an essential investment. Despite the opposition and the roadblocks put in the government's path, 90% of all gun owners are now licensed. 85% of all guns are now registered. What sense would it make to dismantle it now? What would the opponents put in its place? What would that cost us? Not only in dollars and cents but also in terms of human lives and suffering? It may be too late for us, but what we learned from our tragedies could save the lives of other Canadians. We fought all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada to defend the law that was forged in death and misery. And there is strong evidence that it is working. Now we must move forward, build on our success and continue to improve the implementation of the law to prevent violence. We have comprehensive gun violence prevention legislation in Canada and we need to preserve it."

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For more information:
Priscilla deVilliers, Victims Rights Advocate Cell: (416) 347-6306