Timmins police say city is not immune to upward trend in gun crime

Timmins police say city is not immune to gun crime Timmins Police officials said the use of firearms to commit crimes has become more common in recent years.

Timmins Police officials say the use of firearms to commit crimes has become more common in recent years.

"It’s undeniable that there is a prevalence for firearms to be used in the commission of Criminal Code offences," said Marc Depatie, communications co-ordination for the Timmins Police Service.

"Timmins is not immune to this trend in crime."

Among the changes the federal government is proposing are issuing a national freeze on handguns, increasing gun trafficking penalties and stripping people of their gun licences if they're involved in domestic violence.

"Any laws that are being proposed, we believe firmly that they’re focused on a situation that requires immediate attention," said Depatie.

The federal government said the number of registered handguns in Canada increased by 71 per cent from 2010 to 2020.

And in 2018, it said firearms were present in more than 600 "intimate partner violence" incidents.