Vancouver council to decide whether to ban sale of gun-shaped lighters in the city
On Wednesday, council will vote on the proposal from the city's chief licence inspector after the matter was raised in a motion from councillor Mike Klassen.
A ban would come with a $1,000 fine for non compliance.
Staff are also asking that a letter be sent to the provincial government calling for legislative amendments to make the ban provincewide.
'Staff recommend amending the licence bylaw to prohibit the retail sale of gun-shaped lighters as a measure to increase public safety and limit an increase in the number of devices in circulation,' the report to council states.
'Staff propose an amendment to the Ticket Offences bylaw to make the sale of GSLs a ticketable offence with a fine of $1,000. Staff also propose that the mayor, on behalf of council, write a letter to the provincial government requesting legislative amendments to prohibit the sale, distribution, and possession of GSLs in British Columbia, as well as consider legislative changes to empower law enforcement to seize these devices proactively and prevent their continued proliferation in communities across the province.'
A gun-shaped lighter is defined as a hand-held device that produces a flame, resembles a firearm, and includes an igniter or trigger, barrel and stock. This includes torch style lighters that look like a firearm due to the shape of the barrel and/or handle.
There were 162 police calls about the lighters last year, more than half of which were classified as 'priority weapons calls' — meaning they led to a response involving several officers armed with Tasers, less-lethal beanbag shotguns and Arwen riot guns.
With file from Joe Ruttle
dcarrigg@postmedia.com
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