The Coalition for Gun Control: Trigger Change

The Coalition for Gun Control has launched a new advocacy campaign urging Canadians speak out in support of stricter gun control legislation. The campaign, created by Zulu Alpha Kilo, Toronto, titled Trigger Change, launched with the placement of a 13 ft tall bullet exclamation mark at Toronto City Hall, next to the iconic ‘Toronto’ sign. As the federal government wraps up a national consultation on banning handguns, this attention-grabbing statement aims to ensure the issue stays in the public conversation. While a series of shootings in Toronto this year drew media attention to the issue, the rise in gun violence is a Canada-wide trend. From 2013 to 2017, the country’s firearm-related crime increased by over 40 per cent. Handguns currently account for nearly 60 per cent of shooting homicides. An increasing number of illegal firearms are of domestic origin, coming from inside Canada itself. Opinion polls show that most Canadians support gun control, including majority support for a handgun ban. However, determined political opposition means the passage of any new legislation faces an uphill battle.