Canadian politicians are falling all over themselves to be the first on their block to push for a total handgun ban. It demonstrates just how different Canadia and America really are. In the States pushing for a gun ban is political suicide, save for liberal bastions like Washington D.C. and New Jersey. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Canadians actually consider banning guns as being "tough" on crime.

After more than a week of reacting to Conservative campaign promises, the prime minister [Paul Martin] beat the Tories to the law-order punch Thursday. He told supporters in a crime-plagued Toronto neighbourhood that a Liberal government would toughen weapons penalties, pump another $325 million into policing, and ban handguns, which are already severely restricted.

And despite those severe restrictions, criminals still have no problem getting their hands on them. Just like the global ban on drugs doesn't keep criminals from getting their hands on cocaine.

So, just how does the Canadian government plan to enforce this ban? Well as David Kopel points out, "All legally-owned handguns have been registered in Canada since the 1930s." Those registration records will no doubt come in handy when it comes time to go house to house.