Ontario will consider adopting a proposal to strip drivers of their licences and vehicles if they're caught with illegal firearms as a potential new tool to combat gun violence, Transportation Minister Jim Bradley said Wednesday.

The private member's bill, introduced by former Liberal cabinet minister Mike Colle, would allow police to suspend driver's licences and impound vehicles if they find an illegal gun.

If passed, the bill could provide Ontario -- which has been frustrated by Ottawa's rejection of a total handgun ban -- with the means to take matters into its own hands.

Bradley offered no promises, but said he'd talk to his cabinet colleagues about the bill to see if it complies with the province's law-making powers.

"I've undertaken to speak to the attorney general about this and the minister of community safety to determine whether there is a role that the province can play and whether this particular bill would be one area that we can use,'' he said.

Bills from backbenchers like Colle -- who resigned from cabinet last year when it was revealed that his department gave $32.4-million in grants to multicultural groups with no oversight procedures -- rarely become law unless they're adopted as government legislation.

But without a national ban on handguns, Ontario's hands are tied, Premier Dalton McGuinty indicated earlier in the day.

"We'll take a look at what more that we might do, but obviously, when the feds have got responsibility for criminal law, there are some severe restrictions in terms of how far we can go and what we can do,'' he said.

Colle's bill is similar to legislation that allows the province to crack down on speed racing, but it may be treading on some tricky legal ground.

The province has already passed laws that allow police to seize vehicles involved in speed racing, said Attorney General Chris Bentley. But it can't intrude on federal powers to create criminal laws.

"The most effective tool here (would be) a national ban on handguns,'' Bentley said.

"The feds could do it instantly and then we have the tools that we need. In the meantime, we'll do whatever will be effective in promoting community safety.''

Opposition parties warned the proposal would create a false sense of security, when the Liberals should be taking steps to hire more police officers and provide them with the resources they need to fight gun crime.

"Trust me, the drug dealer with the illegal handgun could care less about losing his or her driver's licence,'' said NDP justice critic Peter Kormos.

"The public doesn't want to see these people have their cars detained, they want to see these people detained. They want to see these people charged and prosecuted and locked up.''

The real problem is a justice system that doesn't impose stiff enough penalties for those charged with weapons offences, said Opposition Leader Bob Runciman, who denounced the bill as "meaningless rhetoric.''

"I think it's a joke,'' he said. ''I think Mr. Colle has too much time on his hands, he's missing out on being part of the action as a member of cabinet.''

In March, Bentley and Community Safety and Corrections Minister Rick Bartolucci pressed Ottawa for a total handgun ban as part of the province's four-point plan to reduce gun violence, which also includes stronger border security, more police and community investment.

But federal Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day has repeatedly resisted those demands, arguing that the weapons are already effectively banned with only a few exceptions.

Toronto Mayor David Miller, who has long called for a handgun ban, says incidents of gun violence can't be fully addressed without a total ban.

"I think any legislation that treats the illegal ownership of a gun as extremely serious will help public safety,'' he said.

Miller launched an online petition Monday which calls on the federal Conservatives to ban all handguns. As of Wednesday morning, it had 16,000 signatures, he said.

"I think there's real potential for Parliament to act,'' Miller said. "But in the meantime, cities and provinces aren't going to wait. We care too deeply about public safety.''

He's expected to deliver the online petition to Parliament in June.