NDP Leader Howard Hampton called on the McGuinty Liberals to take concrete action on the gun violence crisis in Toronto by increasing the Provincial Weapons Enforcement Unit (PWEU).

"No one should ever have to go through the pain of losing a loved one to gun violence. But too many are experiencing just that. What is needed from the Dalton McGuinty is some leadership to make our communities safer," Hampton said.

Today, Hampton called on the McGuinty Liberals to significantly increase the size and budget of PWEU in their goal of assisting all law enforcement to combat the growing threat of illicit firearms and their subsequent impact on crimes of violence.

PWEU is a joint force unit under the direction of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). Its mandate is to identify persons involved in the illegal movement of firearms and to take enforcement action.

“Now, more than ever the cross-border flow of illegal handguns into Canada is a major problem and gun violence has been used in recent killings in Toronto. Unfortunately, Dalton McGuinty has talked a lot about stopping gun violence, but he hasn't done enough to help people on the front-lines to fight it,” said Hampton.