Ontario Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca promises to ban handguns if elected

Ontario Liberal leader, Steven Del Duca, announced his government would ban handguns across the province in its first year in office, if elected.

Del Duca made the announcement in Scarborough on Tuesday.

“I’ve had it with Doug Ford’s open for business policy for guns.” Del Duca said, in a statement. “The Ford Conservatives are putting the interests of the gun lobby ahead of the Ontario victims of gun crime they swore an oath to protect. The result is handgun violence is spiraling out of control. The choice on handguns is clear, more handguns and gun crime under the Ford Conservatives or a ban on handguns under the Ontario Liberals.”

Del Duca says his government would ban the sale, possession, transport and storage of handguns.

He said the plan will also accept the federal government’s offer to fund a buy-back program, partner with the federal government to stop gun smuggling at the Ontario-U.S. borders and advocate to extend the ban nationally.