Toronto councillor proposes guns for cash or groceries amnesty program for city

A Toronto city councillor is proposing a gun amnesty program for the city that could see firearms exchanged for cash or grocery gift cards.

Giorgio Mammoliti is making the suggestion after a spate of shootings in the city.

Among the most recent incidents of gun violence to hit Toronto, a 10−year−old boy was shot in the shoulder last weekend while sleeping in his home. Last month, a pregnant woman died after being shot while sitting in a vehicle with three others. Her baby, who was delivered prematurely by an emergency C−section at 24 weeks, died on Sunday.

Mammoliti said that while a number of issues need to be dealt with when combating gun violence, a gun amnesty/buy−back program like the one he’s suggesting would provide a legal route to dispose of unwanted firearms without the threat of prosecution while also reducing the supply of guns that make their way onto Toronto’s streets.

He notes, however, that the "amnesty" part of the program would be for those who turn in the guns, not for those who may have used the firearms during a crime.

Under his proposed program, the city could offer $100 per gun as part of the program, or partner with a corporate sponsor like a grocery chain to offer gift cards worth $200.

A motion on the matter is set to be presented at city council this week.

"I smell another ’Year of the Gun,’" Mammoliti said in statement.

"Before we get to a point that’s unmanageable, we should start talking about how we’re going to deal with it," Mammoliti said. "Whether the incentive is offered directly through the City of Toronto or a corporate sponsor, a gun amnesty/buy−back program, with minimal costs, will have enormous benefits and increase safety."

In 2008, Toronto police ran a program called "Pixels for Pistols," where residents could call police to pick up firearms from their home and were given a digital camera in return. Mammoliti noted that the program resulted in 1,900 guns and 60,000 rounds of ammunition being turned in.

An expert in guns and gang violence, however, said gun amnesty programs typically aren’t very effective at curbing violent crime.

"His heart is in the right place and supporters of such bills are earnestly trying to offer solutions that will help reduce gun violence. The problem is gun amnesty programs have never been shown to have any long−term effect on reducing gun violence," said Jooyoung Lee , a sociology professor at the University of Toronto.

"The people who are most likely to participate in these programs are not the people who are likely to use guns to commit violent crimes."

Those who turn in guns during amnesty programs are typically law−abiding citizens who may have guns from relatives who fought in a war, or collector’s items that they want to get rid of, Lee said.

"These programs are great symbolic gestures," he said. "But the guns that are sitting in people’s basements are usually long rifles; those are not the kinds of firearms used to commit murder and shoot people, those are not the guns drug dealers carry with them."

Long−term intervention programs, such as those which deter young people from joining gangs, encourage mentorship and improve public education are typically what helps reduce gun violence over time, Lee said.

-The Canadian Press