A motion before the Vancouver City Council wants to ban the sale of “gun-shaped lighters” and empower police to seize such items “proactively” in British Columbia.
The motion, introduced by Councillor Mike Klassen, highlights an estimated 50 to 75 retailers—particularly in the Downtown Eastside and Vancouver’s downtown core—that currently sell these novelty lighters.
“Gun-shaped lighters have proliferated in the City of Vancouver over the past year,” the motion states, citing 16 “documented instances” where gun-shaped lighters were used in violent crimes.
The motion calls on the Vancouver City Council to request that Mayor Ken Sim call on the provincial government to “prohibit the sale, distribution and possession of (gun-shaped lighters)” across British Columbia. Additionally, Klassen called on empowering “law enforcement to seize (gun-shaped lighters) proactively.”
True North contacted Councillor Klassen for comment and to ask whether such proposed powers may infringe on the property rights of British Columbians.
According to the motion, these items have led to a surge in emergency calls, with 46 per cent of incidents occurring in the Downtown Eastside and 39 per cent in the downtown area.
In 32 documented cases, the response required dispatching 10 or more officers, with each incident averaging 2.5 hours to resolve.
Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights executive director Rod Giltaca said the motion was wrongheaded and Vancouver has more pertinent things to worry about.
“I was born in Vancouver. I’ve been here virtually my whole life. Over the last 15 years Vancouver went from one of the greatest cities in North America to a geographically beautiful yet disconnected dystopia,” Giltaca told True North.
“I would wonder if Vancouver City councillors have considered how the prohibition on actual guns has panned out for public safety before focusing in on stylized lighters as the city’s problem.”
There are no current federal, provincial, or municipal laws prohibiting the sale or possession of these lighters unless they are used in the commission of a crime.
Klassen argues in his motion this legal gap leaves law enforcement with limited options to proactively address the issue.
This proposed action follows a similar initiative last year when Vancouver banned the sale of lockable butane lighters and torches. That decision was driven by data linking these devices to over 3,100 fires, 79 injuries, and six deaths between January 2023 and April 2024.
Many of these incidents occurred in single-room occupancy buildings, or SROs, that were, unsurprisingly, typically associated with heavy drug use.
The council is scheduled to deliberate on the gun-shaped lighter motion during its meeting on May 7.