Vancouver city council has voted to ban the sale of gun-shaped lighters (GSL) Wednesday.
A report to council says the lighters, which look like realistic weapons, have become more prevalent recently, adding to police workload and pulling resources from other critical calls.
After meeting Wednesday morning, the city says council unanimously voted to approve the ban.
It says the Vancouver Police Department recorded 162 responses to incidents involving the lighters in 2024.
“Many people mistake GSLs for real guns. These calls are classified as a priority weapons call, which necessitates an elevated police response. In addition to the deployment of multiple police units, police response may necessitate a higher degree in use of force, such as conducted energy weapons (tasers), bean bag shotguns, and ARWEN launchers,” the report detailed.
In June, police issued a warning about the problem after responding to reports of a man with a gun in the Strathcona area.
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After two hours, the suspect was arrested without incident, and it turned out the gun was just a lighter, but police say they have to treat every firearms call they get as real until confirmed otherwise.
The report says the lighters have been used in several violent crimes in the city, including six cases involving violent offences and 10 leading to criminal charges.
Vancouver city staff are suggesting that, along with banning the sale of the lighters, they’ll hand out $1,000 fines to any retailer that’s caught breaking the rules. They also propose writing to the federal and provincial governments, asking to empower police to seize the lighters “proactively” to prevent their sale.
