Editor:
As a physician (and a citizen), I am in full support of the federal government’s decision to ban the sale and use of military-style assault weapons. As the pandemic has reminded us, science and preventative public health strategies are critical to saving lives. Too often, we compare ourselves to the United States on guns and naively think we can escape the carnage. Too often, we are reminded that we cannot. A wide body of medical research from around the world demonstrates that a jurisdiction with a ban on assault weapons makes communities much safer.
With medical groups, women’s associations, survivors of gun violence, and 80 per cent of Canadians supporting such a ban, it was the right thing for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Public Safety Minister Bill Blair to do, particularly right now.
This is evidence-based decision making that puts public health and well being first, exactly the kind of policy we should expect of our leaders.
Charles King, Surrey
