Mayor uses online petition for handgun ban

TORONTO, April 7 (UPI) -- The mayor of Toronto unveiled an online petition Monday for Canadians to demand handguns be made illegal in the country.

In a news release, David Miller said he plans to personally take the petition to Ottawa in June as a follow-up to a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper March 25 when he asked the government for the legislation.

"Handguns are designed for one purpose and that is to kill people and have no place in our society," Miller wrote. "Statistics show that in jurisdictions with gun bans, supply is limited and shootings are less common."

The site also quotes Statistics Canada figures showing there were 8,105 incidents of violent crime involving handguns in the country in 2006, along with a report from the Canadian Medical Journal saying an average 1,200 Canadians are killed each year by handguns.

Miller has also posted a brief video message on the YouTube and started an online Facebook group for the ban.

The city's site is www.toronto.ca/handgunban.