Canada Toughens Bail for Gun Crimes

It is not too often I find myself praising any Canadian political, judicial or institutional decision. While I find Canada's stand on gun restrictions appaling, today I find myself cheering Toronto for a good decision. Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that his party is pushing amendments to the criminal code to make it difficult for those charged with a violoent crime involving a gun to get released on bail while awaiting trial. The rest of the story.

The amendments, expected to be introduced later in the day in the House of Commons, will require those accused of serious crimes involving firearms to provide sufficient justification to be granted bail.

"Gun crime is a menace to public safety, and protecting Canadians must be the first priority of our bail system," Harper said in Toronto.

"Our legislation will reverse the onus, so that people charged with serious gun crimes will have to demonstrate to the courts why they should not stay in custody until their trial."

Harper said of the nearly 1,000 crimes involving firearms or restricted weapons reported so far this year in Toronto, nearly 40 percent were committed by people on bail, on parole or on probation.

The amendments, which were championed by the Conservative Party during Canada's last federal election, were part of broad anti-violent crime proposals.

Posted with Great Thanks at The Mudville Gazette, Bright & Early, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate's Cove and Third World County.