What would you do if you found a handgun in your home. Would you touch it Would you play with it It would not hurt anyone, Right! Wrong! This is what most teenagers and children think before they are involved in a handgun incident. Just recently two children in Toronto, a seven-year-old girl and a five-year-old boy were playing in their older brother’s room. Unfortunately, they found an unregistered handgun left within easy reach. They began to play with it. They were only fooling around like regular kids. Playing with some thing they didn’t know much about. They only thought it was a toy until the girl pulled the trigger sadly ending her own brother’s life. These tragedies can be esily avoided by making gun laws more strict for hand guns or making them illegal unless used for law enforcement. For example, today if you were charged for posessing an unregistered handgun you would as an adult spend 1-3 years in jail. As a minor, it would be much less. Do you know that most teenage deaths are caused by… handguns. There are more accidental handgun deaths for people between the ages of 1 and 19 than fires, drowning and falls combined. Even Cancer claimed fewer lives in this age group. Studies have also shown that the presence of a firearm in the home increases the likelihood of a successful suicide attempt by adolecents This is too many deaths for a tragedy that can be so easily prevented Handguns should be restricted to Law Enforcement! A few more incidents that have occured during this past year: In James Bay a five year old girl shot a two year old boy. They found a gun and thought it was a harmless toy. In Toronto five young adults were arrested during a parking lot shoot out. All in posession of unregistered handguns In Toronto, an eight-year-old boy shot his thirteen-year-old baby sitter to death, during a dispute. Many of these incidents could have been prevented due to stricter gun laws. I hope that all of you feel the same as I do. These are senseless and preventable occurances. Over 2,200 Canadians have been injured or killed in the last year by handguns. The cost to the Canadian Health Care system for the survivors alone is estimated to be 70 Million dollars a year. Don’t you think it’s time we do something about it. Do you realize that they sell handgun ammunition at Walmart I think we can make a difference. Please sign the petition I have initiated – Restricting the use of handguns, other than for the use of Law Enforcement. Also, preventing the sales of hangun ammunition to the general public.

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