Canada needs to resolve social issues before tackling gun violence

Story by The Canadian Press •

Recently, a 23-year-old man from my high school passed away from a shooting in Toronto.

I did not know him personally, but to know someone my age had his life taken away was terrible to see.

At the scene of the incident, he died saving someone else’s life when trying to pull them out of harm’s way.

He is also the 42nd homicide victim of the year in the city. The year before that, there was a total of 45 homicides in Toronto, and 53 by the end of 2021.

From a rural perspective, these types of incidents are abnormal. Yet, when you live in the city, or have grown up in the city, shootings, unfortunately, become normalized.

There are so many factors to consider when talking about gun violence. Whether it’s homicides, suicides or mass shootings, it seems that the increase in violent crime is a combination of the impacts from the pandemic and the growing gap between high-income and lower-income families.

NPR’s article, ‘Why Gun Violence is Surging in Toronto,’ explains why many shootings in the city are happening, connecting it to street gang activity, and there being a “thriving gang culture in Toronto centered on the illegal drug trade, largely in the city’s poorer outer suburbs.”

The article also mentions that the Toronto Board of Health, and others, believe the growth in gang activity is partly rooted in the city’s growing gap between rich and poor.

However, another article mentions that gun violence is not just a problem in Toronto, but rather a problem throughout all of Canada.

In, ‘It’s not just Toronto. Violent crime is a national problem,’ it explains how cities such as Edmonton and Winnipeg have suffered from random attacks as a result of people struggling with the impacts from the pandemic.

A tragic example was the shooting incident that happened in West Edmonton Mall a few weeks ago, resulting in three people dealing with serious injuries.

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From 2021, there were 61 homicides in Manitoba which equals to a rate of 4.41 per 100,000 population. Saskatchewan was the only province above it, with a higher rate of 5.93 per 100,000 population, according to StatsCan.

Despite Canada having tighter gun laws than the U.S., it seems the country is following the same path as the U.S. on gun violence.

As part of the federal government’s plan to tackle gun violence, a national freeze on the sale, purchase, and transfer of handguns was first introduced in May, 2022, and is currently pending on its third reading by the Senate.

Yet, despite Canada having stricter gun laws, more guns are in fact being imported from the U.S into Canada.

Although legal purchases of guns stop at the Canadian border, it fails to solve the problem of guns being used less within the country.

One circumstance involved a man from Texas who bought 16 guns from licensed dealers in the state before illegally reselling them; four being traced back to crimes in Canada, and the other 12 being linked to crimes in America.

Gun violence is often criticized because of flawed policies and regulations, yet, poverty, food insecurity, mental health issues and addictions all play a role in the violence as well.

All of these social issues, and more, lead to violent crimes, which overall lead to innocent lives being taken away.

The man from my high school was an active member in the community, and was loved and cared for by many. He is one person of hundreds who was trying to do good, but died too early.

Seeing on the news someone losing their life because of gun violence is sad as it is, but it brings more of a personal feel to it when you know of the person.

Even if you don’t know of them, the thought of friends and families being forced to mourn the violent death of their loved ones is tragic.

More needs to be done to help people who are struggling mentally and financially, so that they don’t turn to violent acts and end up harming innocent people.

Sierra D'Souza Butts, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The World-Spectator