It started with a statement from Toronto Police Services Chief, Mark Saunders, and has caused the biggest debate on gun control ever seen in Canada.

The problem is … it was all a lie.

It was a lie that Toronto Mayor John Tory was quick to latch on to and reiterate to media during a press conference after a tragedy struck the city he governs.

Next, the National Post and the Toronto Sun ran the story nationwide in an attempt to support the Liberal agenda to increase gun control.

This comes on the heels of The Liberal gun control bill C-71, leading to the appointment of Bill Blair to a newly made-up position: Minister of Border Security & Organized Crime. His first order of business is to conduct an examination of a national ban on handgun ownership, affecting the sport that more than a million Canadians participate in without incident.

How did we get to this point? How did a government come to the conclusion that this kind of measure would have any impact at all on criminal and gang related shootings in our cities and towns?

THE BIG LIE … that's how. In a recent Access to Information Request, ex-RCMP turned researcher Dennis Young uncovered the truth. Chief Saunders led Torontonians and Canadians alike to believe that over 50% of crime guns were domestically sourced - meaning that legal gun owners were either committing straw purchases, being victims of theft themselves or participating in the illegal gun trade.

What a horrible lie to perpetuate to concerned, scared Canadians and voters. Of course, Mayor Tory, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, freshly-minted Minister Bill Blair, Wendy Cukier and the whole anti-gun tribe over at Polysesouvient were happy to relay that false information around the media and all over the internet.

National Post has since published a retraction, admitting the information they were working off of was false.

Matt Gurney wrote an article for Global exposing the multiple fallacies we have been exposed to including the fudged stats on shootings, gun crime, sources of firearms used in crimes and the list goes on. READ IT

At the end of the day, the real problem-no, the real tragedy here is that while the whole nest of gun grabbers were clamouring for audiences to spout this falsehood to, the only ones still asking for credible, effective measures to combat the violence was, well... gun owners. The CCFR has been consistently asking the government, at all levels, to implement measures to make a real difference in public safety. Release the funding we keep hearing about out of the feds for the crime units across the country! Goodale continuously pats himself on the back for it but nothing has flowed out of the coffers yet. Take into account some of the innovative ideas and programs put forth at the Summit on Gun & Gang violence in Ottawa - what was the point of the event and all the cost associated with it if none of it was taken seriously?

We can't help but think at this point it, the safety of the public and this whole debate has boiled down to political posturing. They've waited so late in their term to do anything, that desperation has set in. Combine that with the lies coming out, slandering Canadian firearms enthusiasts, and you have bred the perfect environment to divide and conquer voters on a very emotional and misunderstood issue.

This comes at a cost however, the cost is real and it's in human lives. The violence will continue as long as the focus remains on sport shooters and away from criminals.

JOIN THE CCFR  and the fight for the truth.