One day after a deadly mass shooting rocked the city of Toronto, Mayor John Tory wondered aloud why anyone in the area would need a gun. This week, the city council responded overwhelmingly: They don’t.

The council voted 41-4 on Tuesday to ask the provincial and federal governments to ban all sales of handguns and handgun ammunition in the city. The motion came just two days after a gunman opened fire in the city's Greektown neighbourhood, killing two people and injuring 13.

In a speech to the city council on Monday, Mr Tory said gun violence anywhere in Canada’s largest city was “horrible and completely unacceptable”.

"There are far too many people carrying around guns in our city and our region who should not have them," he said. "That leads to another question we need to discuss: Why does anyone in this city need to have a gun at all?"

It was unclear what immediate effect the motion would have. Canadian public safety minister Ralph Goodale said the government was considering the proposal, but cautioned that such a change would require “substantial rewriting of the criminal code”.

Bystander films moment Toronto gunman opens fire

Canada currently requires all handgun owners to obtain a licence, in a lengthy process that includes firearm training, personal reference reviews, and a criminal record check. First-time license applicants must wait 28 days before making their first purchase.

Toronto has been grappling with a surge in violent crimes in recent years – particularly those involving guns. As of July, the number of shootings in the city this year had already surpassed the total for all of 2017, according to police data. The number of homicides have also more than doubled, largely due to gun violence.

The city rolled out a $3m programme to target gun violence just two days before the shooting, putting 200 more officers on the streets of at-risk neighbourhoods between 7 pm and 3 am, according to CNN.

Toronto shooting: gun attack in Greektown Show all 15 1 /15 Toronto shooting: gun attack in Greektown Toronto shooting: gun attack in Greektown A man joins a vigil for the victims of a shooting the evening before, in Toronto The Canadian Press via AP Toronto shooting: gun attack in Greektown Police investigate a car with a bullet hole AP Toronto shooting: gun attack in Greektown Friends of 18-year-old shooting victim Reese Fallon leave candles on pictures of Fallon at a makeshift memorial AP Toronto shooting: gun attack in Greektown A crime scene clean up crew scrubs the side walks AFP/Getty Images Toronto shooting: gun attack in Greektown Desirae Shapiro, 19, left, and her mother, Gina Shapiro, friends of 18-year-old Danforth shooting victim Reese Fallon, react after visiting a makeshift memorial AP Toronto shooting: gun attack in Greektown Police officers investigate a mass shooting on Danforth Avenue REUTERS Toronto shooting: gun attack in Greektown Police are seen near the scene the shooting REUTERS Toronto shooting: gun attack in Greektown A friend of a victim who died in the shooting tries to go to the crime scene AFP/Getty Images Toronto shooting: gun attack in Greektown A police officer looks for evidence under a car REUTERS Toronto shooting: gun attack in Greektown People leave an area taped off by the police near the scene REUTERS Toronto shooting: gun attack in Greektown People leave personal messages on a building under renovation, remembering the victims of Sunday's shooting on and near Danforth Avenue AP Toronto shooting: gun attack in Greektown Toronto Police officers work on Danforth St AFP/Getty Images Toronto shooting: gun attack in Greektown Residents of the Danforth area leave flowers and light candles for the victims at the scene AFP/Getty Images Toronto shooting: gun attack in Greektown Toronto mayor John Tory speaks to police officers at the scene AFP/Getty Images Toronto shooting: gun attack in Greektown Toronto Police investigate the scene of the shooting AFP/Getty Images

Reese Fallon, age 18, and Julianna Kozis, age 10, were killed in the shooting on Sunday night.

Police identified the shooter as Faisal Hussain, a 29-year-old who lived in the city. His family said Hussain struggled with “severe mental health challenges”, including psychosis and depression.