Looking back at guns in Toronto

In the past two months, there has been a lot of talk about Mayor David Miller’s proposed ban on all firearms in Toronto. Many people agree that removing access to handguns should help reduce the amount of gun-related crime in the city, but there are others in uproar over their right to bear arms.

To be honest, I think a ban on firearms in this city would be a great idea. Funny enough, I don’t think it will be a crime-deterrent, but I do think removing potentially lethal weapons will go a long way in changing a culture of fear that handguns have cultivated in Toronto.

Instead of providing any fresh insight into the topic today, however, I wanted to take a quick look back at some essays I wrote some years ago about handguns in Toronto, and perhaps see how those thoughts are probably still relevant today.

Supply versus demand

On August 10, 2005, I wrote about the futility of trying to stop the illegal trade of firearms across the border. I also then began my advocacy of social programs such as recreation to solve the handgun problem in order to address the problem of demand instead of supply:

The problem is on the demand side: why do the youth in our city feel the need to carry — and worse, use — guns? It’s a proven fact that people of all ages will begin to do irresponsible things if they are not productively engaged. So it’s only fair to say that by keeping the youth across the city, and particularly violence-prone areas, engaged in productive activity, we can keep them out of trouble.

You can read the entire short essay at: Toronto’s Gun Crisis.

The culture of fear

Later that year, on October 31, 2005, I loudly declared that the terrorists had won. In this case, however, I was referring to the people bringing terror to Toronto through gun crime, the people who were cultivating a culture of fear that needed to be addressed before we could even begin to solve the gun crisis:

On Saturday, I attended the funeral of Aleem Rehmtulla and Fahim Talakshi — childhood friends of mine that were shot to death early last week — and I realized, amongst the over-2000 people that attended the ceremony, that fear was not only crippling us, but it was contributing to the sad state of our city’s crime scene. Sure, the undercover cops and security guards may have been a necessary precaution, but it also sent a message: you’ve made your point and succeeded in making us feel afraid. Perhaps instead of battling the source of the gun trade, we should instead invest in propagating a culture of love, cliché as it may seem.

You can read the entire short essay at: Guns in Toronto and the Culture of Fear.

Need for dispute resolution

I closed the 2005 year on December 22 with a look at Prime Minster Martin’s proposed handgun ban, similar to what Mayor Miller is recommending now. Through a quick and informal study, I discovered that the only thing a handgun ban would affect back then would be the price of obtaining an illegal weapon:

Price may be a deterrent in this case, but my above example only shows how control of access will not be a real hindrance, but instead just an easily-surmountable obstacle to obtaining weapons. Add that to the fact that only 16% of gun-related homicides in Canada are committed with registered firearms, and it is clear that the solution to this problem is not in access control, but in working with affected communities in eliminating the perceived need for violence in dispute resolution.

You can read the entire short essay at: Banning Guns Won’t Save Toronto.

Safety in schools

After 2005, I didn’t think much about access to firearms and gun crime in Toronto. There seemed to be a lot of talk, but very little action taken on the subject. That was, until the Toronto School Community Safety Panel came out with a report earlier this year that showed that students in our city were afraid to go to school.

The report released yesterday stated that there was an abundance of guns in our city’s public schools, that sexual assault and harassment is widespread, and that some schools are breeding grounds for gang violence.

Say what you want about guns in the city, but there can be no arguing that schools should be safe havens to foster learning, imagination, and creativity. The fact that some educational institutions are synonymous with violence and fear demonstrates a lack of commitment by our political and community leaders to the cause of eliminating violent crime in the Toronto.

So Mayor Miller, I applaud your efforts in banning handguns, but only if you are truly committed to taking the other steps necessary to ensure that violence doesn’t determine the actions of the community. Before launching your firearm ban, couple that idea with increased funding for recreation, better processes for identifying and promoting good role models, and a strong rehabilitation program for young offenders that does more than just incarcerate them.

What do you think of Toronto’s proposed handgun ban? Does it actually tackle the root causes of violent crime in the city?