GUN CONTROL IN TORONTO

HOMICIDES INVOLVING FIREARMS
	Year	Number of Homicides	Number of Firearm Related homicides	Percentage of Homicides Committed with Firearms
	1998	56	13	23%
	1999	49	18	37%
	2000	61	26	43%
	2001	61	33	54%
	2002	60	28	47.00%

SOCIAL FACT: 2005 TORONTO ALMOST DOUBLED ITS NUMBER OF GUN-RELATED HOMICIDES OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR: THERE WERE 27 IN ALL OF 2004. GOING INTO BOXING DAY, THERE WERE 77 MURDERS, 51 OF WHICH INVOLVED FIREARMS. {TOTAL: 72 – 52}

TORONTO EXPERIENCED WHAT SOME CALLED THE 'YEAR OF THE GUN' IN 2005, CULMINATING IN THE BOXING DAYGUNFIRE KILLED 15-YEAR-OLD JANE CREBA, A BYSTANDER IN A BOXING DAY GANG SHOOTOUT ON TORONTO'S YONGE STREET. SIX OTHER PEOPLE WERE WOUNDED IN THE SHOOTING.

SOCIAL FACT: GUN CRIME STATISTICS

STATISTICS CANADA REPORTED THAT CANADA'S HOMICIDE RATE IN 2005 HIT ITS HIGHEST LEVEL IN A DECADE.

THE RATE WENT FROM 1.95 PER 100,000 PEOPLE IN 2004 TO 2.04 PER 100,000 IN 2005.

HOWEVER, CANADA'S MURDER RATE PEAKED OUT AT 3.3 IN THE 1970S. THE 40-YEAR AVERAGE IS 2.17.

{SOCIOLOGICAL ASIDE: CHICAGO'S RATE OF HOMICIDE IS SIX TIMES GREATER THAN TORONTO'S [?] ====> IN FACT, MOST MAJOR CITIES IN USA HAVE A HOMICIDE RATE COMPARABLE TO ALL OF CANADA}

1. IN 2003 IN TORONTO IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 94% OF THE SHOOTINGS ARE BELIEVED TO BE GANG-RELATED. HOWEVER, FIREARM HOMICIDES IN TORONTO HAVE NOT INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE PAST DECADE. WHY IS “GUN CONTROL” A MAJOR PUBLIC POLICY PRIORITY? IS IF JUSTIFIED? IN YOUR VIEW, WHAT IS A REALISTIC ASSESSMENT?

2. IS GUN VIOLENCE IN TORONTO THE RESULT OF CUTS TO SOCIAL PROGRAMS AND/OR AN EROSION OF COMMUNITY COHESION?

3. IN RECENT YEARS, A WIDE RANGE OF SOLUTIONS HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED TO ADDRESS THE GUN PROBLEM, INCLUDING: STIFFER PENALTIES, WEAPONS COLLECTION, GUN STOPPER LINES, GUN TASK FORCES, GUN COURTS AND, MORE RECENTLY, A REVIEW OF THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST?

4. THERE IS CONSIDERABLE EVIDENCE THAT TARGETED POLICING CAN PRODUCE RESULTS IN HIGH CRIME NEIGHBORHOODS. (E.G., “ANTI-GANG INITIATIVES”, INCLUDING TWO MASSIVE RAIDS THAT ZEROED IN ON TWO NORTHWEST TORONTO COMMUNITIES, RESULTING IN THE ARRESTS OF MORE THAN 100 PEOPLE. POLICE SAY THOSE INITIATIVES, IN ADDITION TO THE JULY ROUNDUP OF SUSPECTS IN TEENAGER JANE CREBA'S MURDER, CLEARED THE STREETS OF MANY GUN-TOTING THUGS.). IDENTIFYING "HOT-SPOTS" AND INCREASING POLICE PATROLS HAS BEEN EFFECTIVE IN TERMS BOTH OF IMPROVING THE SENSE OF SECURITY IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS AND IN SUPPRESSING CRIME. WHAT COULD BE THE DOWNSIDE TO TARGETED POLICING? DO THE DOWNSIDES OUTWEIGH THE UPSIDES?

5. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN POLICE AND THE COMMUNITY IS CONSIDERED BY CRIMINOLOGISTS TO BE ESSENTIAL FOR IMPROVING SENSE OF SECURITY AND COOPERATION. HOWEVER, CLEARANCE RATES FOR HOMICIDES HAVE DECLINED SUGGESTING AN INCREASE IN RANDOM VIOLENCE AND A GROWING "WALL OF SILENCE" IN SOME COMMUNITIES. WHY IS THERE A “WALL OF SILENCE” IN SOME MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES?

6. THE GOVERNMENT HAS INTRODUCED “REVERSE ONUS” LEGISLATION THAT WOULD REQUIRE THOSE ALREADY CONVICTED OF A GUN CRIME, WHO HAVE BEEN ARRESTED FOR A SECOND TIME, TO PROVE TO A JUDGE THAT THEY ARE NOT A DANGER TO SOCIETY. IS THIS A SOUND PUBLIC POLICY?