Briefing to Combined Meeting of Council: Public Safety Task Force – March 16, 2020
Question #1: Has Councillor Chahal abandoned his support for a ban on handguns?
Question #2: Is there room for a representative from the Firearms Community on the Membership List?
CBC – CALGARY COUNCILLOR PLANS MOTION TO BAN HANDGUNS IN CITY
Chahal said there have been over 60 shootings in Calgary this year — many of them in his ward — and said he supported a national handgun ban. “This is a crisis facing our communities across this country. We have to tackle all aspects of this issue, and that means we have to go eliminate these from use,” Chahal said. As part of their platform, the Liberals have said they would give local governments the ability to “further restrict” or ban handguns. By Joel Dryden · CBC News · Posted: Oct 03, 2019
COUNCILLOR GEORGE CHAHAL WANTS TO LOOK AT POSSIBLE MOTION TO BAN HANDGUNS IN CALGARY
CALGARY—A Calgary city councillor who has been outspoken about gun violence in the past says he might bring forward a motion to ban handguns in the city.
By Amy Tucker, Star Calgary – Thu., Oct. 3, 2019 EXCERPT: Chahal said he acknowledges responsible gun owners “bear unnecessary scrutiny,” and added he thinks gun control policies should also focus on cracking down on illicit gun sales and cross-border smuggling. His motion, still being drafted, would be contingent on changes at the federal level and thus wouldn’t be brought forward until after the Oct. 21 federal election. Chahal made the announcement alongside Kent Hehr, the Liberal candidate in the Calgary Centre riding, and Josh Ng-Kamstra, a doctor representing Canadian Doctors for Protection From Guns.
RISING GUN VIOLENCE PROMPTS CALL FOR ACTION FROM NORTHEAST COUNCILLOR
By ZACH LAING zlaing@postmedia.com Updated: October 4, 2019
EXCERPT: While Chahal said he supports a ban on handguns — a measure municipalities would be allowed to introduce under a proposal by the federal Liberal party — he also realizes that many gun owners are law-abiding citizens. “There’s responsible gun owners in rural communities who have guns on their family farms, they’re hunters, nobody is talking about taking away their guns and we shouldn’t be,” he said. “We’re talking about handguns that are in our communities, in urban centres like the city of Calgary, in northeast Calgary, in downtown Toronto or in Montreal. “We also have to go after the criminals who smuggle these guns, the manufacturers who are producing them and getting them into our cities and the distribution of them, (we) need tougher penalties . . . and ensure that nobody gets off to the slap on the wrist.”
REPRESENTATION FROM THE FIREARMS COMMUNITY ON PUBLIC SAFETY TASK FORCE?
Letter to Calgary Councillor George Chahal from Dennis R. Young – January 19, 2020. NOTE: No acknowledgment or response as of March 13, 2020
CHAHAL: PUBLIC SAFETY TASK FORCE WILL GET TO THE HEART OF VIOLENCE CRISIS
Engaging all stakeholders is critical and will provide the necessary context to these complicated issues. A broad spectrum of stakeholders, such as government officials, police officers, convicted offenders, victims, faith groups, cultural communities, mental health specialists and concerned residents will be involved and engaged. Gun control advocates need to converse with law-abiding gun owners to find common ground. We need to acknowledge that Calgarians are complicit when we turn away and ignore criminal activity. CALGARY HERALD Updated: February 3, 2020