Petitions are tabled before the House of Commons all the time. They rarely qualify as news and are often ignored by MPs.

It's Conservative MP Bob Zimmer's bad luck that one he tabled last month involved relaxing access to the ArmaLite Rifle-15, the same firearm used in multiple atrocities in the United States, and similar in style and effect to the one used in last weekend's mass murder in Florida.

According to Mr. Zimmer and the 25,239 people who signed his online petition, the AR-15 semi-automatic is a terrific hunting gun. In fact, it is a rapid-fire killing machine originally designed for military use. Even before the Orlando nightclub massacre, there was good reason to strictly control its sale, not to mention solid evidence that Canada's gun laws are working sensibly just as they are.

Story continues below advertisement

Depending on whom you ask, there are between seven and 11 million privately-owned firearms in Canada. More than 900,000 were registered as restricted – AR-15s included – or prohibited weapons in 2014, which proves that the current rules are not an insurmountable barrier to acquiring the gun of one's choice.

Despite the huge amount of guns owned by Canadians, we don't have the same unfortunate history of large-scale killings as the U.S. does. No doubt one of the reasons is that purchasing a restricted weapon like an AR-15 can be a time-consuming process.

The application is handled manually by the RCMP. The police must interview at least two references; they can also talk to the applicant's former partners.

In Florida, a man twice investigated by the FBI for suspected terrorist involvement and who had a history of spousal abuse was able to walk into a gun shop and leave with an AR-15-type gun and ammo.

Gun control isn't the only explanation for Canada's relative sanity, nor is it a miracle solution – the terrorists who attacked Paris were able to acquire AK-47s even though European countries have restrictive gun laws.

But it is a powerful and proven risk-mitigation tool. Despite the protestations of some firearm enthusiasts and their allies in Parliament, gun control in Canada works.

It shouldn't require a horrific tragedy to see the truth in this.

Story continues below advertisement

Note to reader This story has been updated to reflect the following correction: An editorial on Wednesday misidentified the model of gun used in the mass shooting in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. The gun was a Sig Sauer MCX, not an AR-15. The Globe regrets the error.