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Canada needs a rational debate about gun crimes, gun bans and legal gun owners.

There’s no doubt it will be a controversial and emotional discussion, inflamed by growing numbers of tragedies related to gun crime.

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But the solution some propose – handgun bans in major cities across the country – won’t address real issues.

Let’s start with some facts.

Statistics Canada data suggests roughly 25% of households own a firearm. That makes a war on legal gun ownership a difficult political sell.

And most of those guns are long-guns, not handguns.

Simply banning handguns in cities – but not in the rest of the country – makes little sense. If the bad guys are using legally-obtained guns, how does moving the supply to the suburbs change things?

As gun crime worsens and victim counts grow, it borders on offensive that political ideologues cling to simplistic and emotional arguments that don’t address real issues.