GUN-CONTROL A TWO-WAY STREET, MCGUINTY SAYS

GUELPH, ONT., OTTAWA -- Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says he wants
to work with U.S. states to stem the flow into Canada of smuggled
handguns, but he warned that Canadian governments will have to do
something in return to deal with U.S. complaints about the southward
flow of marijuana.

"We need to find a way for provinces and states to come to terms with
this," he told reporters in Guelph.

A spokesman for the Premier said later that preliminary talks have
been held between Ontario officials and their counterparts in
Michigan and New York. Mr. McGuinty acknowledged that there is
pushback on Canada's responsibility for drug exports.

"Their concern, when I talk to my colleagues down there, is, 'Look,
you're sending illegal drugs down here. You want to talk to me about
guns coming up there, I've got to talk to you about your marijuana
and other stuff going down there.'

"You know what? They've got a point," he added. "I think we need to
be honest about this being a two-way street and we need to find a way
to better enforce existing laws."

Reacting to continued gun violence in Toronto, in particular the
shooting death last weekend of an 11-year-old boy, Mr. McGuinty
repeated his call for a complete ban on handgun ownership because, he
said, too many lawful weapons are being stolen by criminals.

The Premier expressed frustration with Ottawa yesterday, saying it is
moving too slowly on measures to deal with gun crime and is weakening
existing gun-control laws.

Earlier this week, Toronto Mayor David Miller said residents are
almost-unanimous in their support for a ban on handguns.

"People are as frustrated as I am that these tragedies occur that are
preventable," he said. "It is my job to raise the profile of this nationally."

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said he has expressed concerns
to U.S. counterparts about gun smuggling. But he said there is no
simple deal that could be reached with the U.S. that would suddenly
staunch the flow of guns.

"To give the impression that there's one simple thing that can fix
the large problem would be misleading our own citizens and it would
give the impression that this is anything but a multifaceted
approach. We have to be aggressive on a number of levels," he said.

"We work aggressively together. It's not a matter of shaking fists at
each other."

He said the Tories have increased border security, setting money
aside for technology and 400 more border guards, and pledging to fund
1,000 more RCMP officers.

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said in an interview yesterday that
better laws at home are more important than pressuring the United States.

He rejected calls for a full handgun ban, arguing that further
controls will only target the wrong people. A handgun ban and the
long-gun registry are not the answer to inner-city shootings, he said.

"I think it should be very clear with respect to handguns that there
already is an effective ban on handguns in this country. I mean,
they're tightly controlled. They're only available for employment
purposes like police officers, armoured-car guards, legitimate target
shooters and approved gun collectors," he said.

"It's the same argument with respect to the long-gun registry. Taking
guns away from duck hunters, antique collectors and sports shooters,
in my opinion, is not the way to solve the urban gun-crime problem."

Mr. Nicholson said that the Ontario government should be pointing the
finger at federal Liberals in Ottawa, insisting that they have
delayed the passage of bills to toughen gun-crime sentences and
create a "reverse-onus" for bail for gun crimes. The latter bill, now
before the Senate, would direct judges to only release those accused
of gun crime if they can show they are not a threat.

"It's their federal [Liberal] cousins they should be calling on to
pass some of these pieces of legislation," Mr. Nicholson said.

"Either [Liberal Leader Stephane] Dion doesn't have control over the
Liberal senators, or - and I suspect this - they're not serious about
getting tough on crime in the first place."

The federal Liberals, however, insist it's the Tories who are to
blame for delays in passing the reverse onus bail, holding it back so
they can accuse the Liberals of being soft on crime.

The parliamentary record shows both parties were responsible for
delaying some gun bills. The Liberals and Bloc Quebecois opposed the
Tory bill to increase minimum gun-crime sentences, suggesting smaller
increases, before the Tories and NDP cut a deal to pass it through the Commons.

But on the reverse-onus bail bill, it was the Conservatives who did
not start debate in the Commons until Feb. 13. It ended in March. The
Liberals then agreed to fast-track the bill through a special
committee, and it was passed by the Commons June 5. It therefore
moved to the Senate only in the last days of the spring session,
behind other justice bills.

Mr. McGuinty acknowledged that a ban on Canadian handgun ownership
would not completely deal with the situation since many weapons
involved in crime are smuggled into this country from the United
States. Provincial officials estimate that at least 50 per cent of
the handguns used in crime come from south of the border.

He said border security is the responsibility of national governments
but he hinted that provinces and states could play a role in
decreasing the contraband weapons trade.

The spokesman for Mr. McGuinty said the Premier has noted the success
that sub-national jurisdictions have had in dealing with climate
change and is hoping that states and provinces could also work around
the unwillingness in Ottawa and Washington to crack down on gun trafficking.