TORONTO, April 20, 2010 -- The problem that civilian possession of firearms creates for security, both domestically and internationally, will be discussed at a Guns and Global Security forum in Toronto on Thursday, April 22.
Canada is a producer and exporter of arms, as well as a recipient of both legal and less than legal transfers of weapons, mainly from the United States. For Canadians this has translated into greater numbers of guns on city streets, and a more dangerous environment for Canadian military forces when they are deployed abroad. Civilian possession of firearms has also undermined global efforts to control small arms and light weapons: an issue to be addressed at multilateral arms control negotiations under the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms & Light Weapons and the Arms Trade Treaty.
The Guns and Global Security forum, organized by the York Centre for International and Security Studies (YCISS), will bring together a panel of speakers moderated by Barbara Falk of Canadian Forces College: Ken Epps of Project Ploughshares; York University Professor James Sheptycki; Ryerson University Professor Wendy Cukier; and Gregory Getty of Toronto Police Service.
The forum will explore the following questions:
- How should the concept of “civilian possession” be interpreted under the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons?
- What problems do Canadian Forces face as a result of civilian possession of small arms and light weapons?
- What are the problems with and the prospects for regulating small arms proliferation within Canada and the United States?
- How should the problem of civilian possession of weapons in Canada and the US be addressed by state and non-state actors?
- What effect will this have on arms trade as practised by Canada and the United States?
WHAT: Guns and Global Security: From Neighbourhoods to the United Nations
WHEN: Thursday 22 April, 7- 9 pm
WHERE: Marriott Hotel Eaton Centre, 525 Bay Street, Toronto
Admission is free. To attend, please register at this link: Click here
Media Contact:
Media who wish to attend the event should contact Gary Galbraith, 416 736 5156 / yciss@yorku.ca
