Kesean Williams.
Recognize the name? What about Tyson Bailey?
Anything?
These two young boys lost their lives to gun violence in Toronto within the past two months. What if I you told you that Kesean was nine years old and Tyson was 15?
Make a difference?
In February alone Toronto lost two more 15 year olds -- one, just this last Sunday. Some blame City Hall, others, the police. Some will just flip to the entertainment section of the paper. The apathetic, believe that acts of violence are so far removed that they're irrelevant, only the concern of certain ethnic communities or completely unsolvable all together.
Time to start caring again.
I recently had the opportunity to brief the team advising President Obama on his 23 executive actions to prevent and mitigate gun violence. I had to withhold my excitement at such a unique chance to inform Barry's administration on Canada's best practices for violence reduction, while stating the facts. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, a number of U.S. cities have gun homicide rates in line with the some of the deadliest nations in the world. When I highlighted to one of the aides that Toronto's 2005 gun violence peak death rate was 52, he replied "5,200!?" I said "nope, just 52."
The reason for his wild stretch to 5,200 was not because he misunderstood the pointed Canadian accent at the other end of the phone, it's because major urban centres like Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles have murder rates that are in the hundreds. This is normal. In 2012 New Orleans had 427 shootings, and 199 documented murders, while in Chicago, the President's hometown and a city comparable to Toronto in population alone, had a whopping 506 homicides last year, 435 of them committed with guns making it a city with one of the highest homicide rates in America. In the words of Jay-Z, "men lie, women lie, numbers don't."
So what's makes Canada so different from the States? Since it's not accurate to merely blame population differences and knowing that it's not the bacon and maple syrup and keeps us Canucks in such a sedative state, I believe that gun culture in the United States has become so mainstream and pervasive that many are too comfortable with violence as an accepted and unstoppable part of American life.
During Toronto's "Summer of the Gun," the issue of violence, youth and marginalized communities received more airtime than ever before because 52 murders -- 52 lives lost -- were 52 too many. Violence in Canadian cities received international attention because the risk to public and personal safety was unacceptable, the feeling of insecurity was at an all time high because shootings, especially downtown, were a jolt to our collective consciousness. The notion that a shooting could happen anywhere, any time and to anyone was a jarring and relatively new concept. We started caring more because of the high-profile nature of the incidents that included the 'Boxing Day Shootings' which occurred within Toronto's downtown core; but also because the trend of violence was not something to be stood for.
Almost immediately, community leaders, advocates and politicos leapt into action designing innovative community-centric models of prevention which included community funding, better policing and economic development for priority communities. A series of preventative steps in consultation with NGOs and frontline workers helped to address the violence effectively, reducing the rate of murders by guns drastically over five years. It worked because it was at the top of Torontonian and Canadian minds until the violence started to reduce.
The last non-mass shooting in the United States I saw on CNN that wasn't in Iraq or Afghanistan was the shooting of Trayvon Martin. Arguably, this tragedy received national attention due to the circumstances and racial undertones of the murder along with the chilling, recorded 911 call. Such shootings in the United States rarely make national news and are de-prioritized unless there's something "compelling" enough about it to capture national attention. The Newton school shooting is a terrible reminder of this, it's also a terrible reminder of what guns can do when in the wrong hands, it's unfortunate that it takes such events to kickstart executive action.
We need to start caring again. By caring I mean that cities with high homicide rates need to urgently adopt preventative legislation to combat what becomes a cycle of violence once unchecked and un-remedied. What type of legislation you ask? Worldwide, there are examples of what works and what doesn't, Canada has a decent record because we had to learn the hard way, through a series of integrative policies that promote resilience and a strong welfare system with the goal supporting our economically vulnerable. Canada is by no means perfect, but we're not Communist either. Can we prevent every violent act? Of course not. But as the President says, if we can do anything at all to prevent even one act of violence, then it's our responsibility to do so.
The 500 lives lost in Chicago are 500 birthdays that will never be celebrated again, 199 in New Orleans will never get to see children or loved ones and Kesean and Tyson will never get the chance to start a family or even attend a high school prom. Ever.
One shooting is one too many, we need to understand this. Once we do, the goal of a safer city and country, wherever we are, turns a pipe dream into a reality.
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Sandy Hook Elementary
Molly Delaney, left, holds her 11-year-old daughter, Milly Delaney, during a service in honor of the victims who died a day earlier when a gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., as people gathered at St. John's Episcopal Church , Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, in the Sandy Hook village of Newtown, Conn. The massacre of 26 children and adults at Sandy Hook Elementary school elicited horror and soul-searching around the world even as it raised more basic questions about why the gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, would have been driven to such a crime and how he chose his victims.
Clackamas Town Center
A security guard looks over the food court at the Clackamas Town Center mall as it opens, on Friday, Dec 14, 2012 in Portland, Ore. The mall is reopening, three days after a gunman killed two people and wounded a third amid a holiday shopping crowd estimated at 10,000. The shooter, Jacob Tyler Roberts, killed himself after the attack Tuesday afternoon.
St. Vincent's Hospital Shooting
Birmingham police arrive at the scene of a shooting at St. Vincent's Hospital on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012 in Birmingham, Ala. Authorities in Alabama say a man opened fire the hospital, wounding an officer and two employees before he was fatally shot by police. Birmingham Police Sgt. Johnny Williams says the officer and employees suffered injuries that are not considered life-threatening.
Sikh Temple Shooting
Mourners attend the funeral and memorial service for the six victims of the Sikh temple of Wisconsin mass shooting in Oak Creek, Wis., Friday, Aug 10, 2012. The public service was held in the Oak Creek High School. Three other people were wounded in the shooting last Sunday at the temple. Wade Michael Page, 40, killed five men and one woman, and injured two other men. Authorities say Page then ambushed the first police officer who responded, shooting him nine times and leaving him in critical condition. A second officer then shot Page in the stomach, and Page took his own life with a shot to the head. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
July 2012: Aurora, Colorado
A policeman stands outside a Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colo., where a heavily armed man opened fire, killing at least 12 people and injuring 50 others.
May 2012: Seattle, Wash.
Friends, family and employees react after a shooting at Cafe Racer in Seattle on May 30, 2012. A lone gunman killed four people Wednesday -- three were shot to death at a cafe, and a fourth in a carjacking. The gunman later killed himself.
April 2012: Oakland, California
Alameda County Community Food Bank workers move a memorial from a parking spot next to Oikos University in Oakland, Calif., Monday, April 23, 2012. Some students and staff members have arrived to resume class at Oikus University, the small California Christian college where seven people were shot to death earlier in April.
November 2009: Fort Hood, Texas
Panou Xiong, center, is comforted by family and friends following a Remembrance Ceremony commemorating the one-year anniversary of the worst mass shooting on a U.S. military base, where 13 people were killed and dozens wounded,, Nov. 5, 2010 in Fort Hood, Texas. Xiong's son, Pfc. Kham Xiong, was killed in the shooting.
<em><strong>CORRECTION:</strong> This slide originally said that the Fort Hood shooting took place in November 2010. The shooting took place in November 2009.</em>
March 2009: Kinston, Alabama
The charred Kinston, Ala. living room where suspected gunman Michael McLendon allegedly killed his mother Lisa McLendon, is photographed Wednesday, March 11, 2009. Authorities were working Wednesday to learn why a gunman set off on a rampage, killing 10 people across two rural Alabama counties.
August 2007: Blacksburg, Va.
An unidentified family member of slain Virginia Tech student Daniel Alejandro Prez Cueva, pauses at his memorial stone after the dedication of the memorial for the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting in Blacksburg, Va., Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007. More than 10,000 people gathered on the main campus lawn as Virginia Tech dedicated 32 memorial stones for those killed by a student in a mass shooting on campus last April.
April 1999: Littleton, Colo.
This aerial shows the news media compound near Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., April 21, 1999. Media from around the world poured into the area after 15 people were killed during a shooting spree inside the school.
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Flowers lie at the door as a member of a cleaning crew is pictured in the empty foyer of Toronto's Eaton Centre on Sunday, June 3, 2012. Police continue to investigate the Saturday's shooting which resulted in one death and seven injuries. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Members of a cleaning crew are pictured in the window of Toronto's Eaton Centre on Sunday, June 3, 2012. Police continue to investigate the Saturday's shooting which resulted in one death and seven injuries. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
A police officer is pictured in the empty foyer of Toronto's Eaton Centre, as a colleague and his police cruiser is reflected in the window, on Sunday, June 3, 2012. Police continue to investigate the Saturday's shooting which resulted in one death and seven injuries. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
WARNING: GRAPHIC PHOTOS
Toronto police order bystanders to clear a path so EMS can move the injured to transport. (Brian Trinh)
A male gunshot victim lies on the floor at the Urban Eatery food court in Toronto's Eaton Centre as EMS tends to his wounds. (Brian Trinh)
A female victim lies on the second floor at the Eaton Centre as EMS tends to her injuries. (Brian Trinh)
Male gunshot victim lies on the floor at the Urban Eatery food court in Toronto's Eaton Centre. (Brian Trinh)
Mall security officers escort workers during the chaos. (Brian Trinh)
Toronto police seal off entrances to the Eaton Centre to conduct their interior search. (Brian Trinh)
The intersection of Yonge and Dundas was blocked off while Toronto police conducted their search for the shooter. (Brian Trinh)
The scene outside the Queen Street entrance of the Eaton Centre on Saturday, June 2, 2012. (Brian Trinh)
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford watches the activity outside the Eaton Centre in Toronto, Saturday, June 2, 2012. A shooting that sparked mass panic at Toronto's Eaton Centre killed one person Saturday and injured seven others. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Victor Biro
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I would be hard pressed to find anyone I know who actually owns a firearm of any kind, let alone a military style weapon. I think the prevailing reason for that is that we're fairly open, intelligent people who are relatively well balanced mentally and who live in a safe enviornment. What's there to be afraid about?
It isn't hard to see the predators among us. They are paranoid, worked up, isolated people who have no obvious reason to be in such a state. People recognize this behavior after the fact, but don't act on it when it could prevent the violence. These violent offenders usually fall into two categories: people who are mentally ill, and people who are up to no good. That can't be a coincidence. Is there a connection there? Could people who are up to no good be equally mentally ill? Why is it not being explored? Why is it not being treated?
Just wondering.
Wow. Really???
Where in Canada do you live??
I live in New Brunswick. I own firearms of every legal type. So do a number of my friends. A large segment of the adult population (male at least) hunts, and so owns rifles and shotguns. According to a study done back in the 1980s, almost 50% of the homes here contain firearms, a higher level than in the USA overall.
Don't tell me we have no gun culture in Canada.
The level of resistance to the long gun registry, the 17 years shooters fought tooth and nail to get it overturned, and the level of political influence they exerted to achieve that goal should be ample evidence of a healthy "gun culture" in Canada.
BTW, the murder rate here in New Brunswick is considerably lower than the national rate.
Nobody attributes the low rate of murder in Nova Scotia to guns. I think a better case could be made that attributes the low rate to the generosity and tolerance of the people. I think New Brunswick is no different.
What you stated only proves that the world of gun owners is insular. Because you have guns, you assume everybody else in the country has guns. They don't. Most people who own guns own multiple guns. The numbers are not a one to one corrolation. 15 million guns do not mean that 15 million people own guns. The rest of us (including a very large portion of the female population) look toward people like you as a very loud, very small minority. There is no such thing as a 'healthy' gun culture.
And the long gun registry in no way endangered your ability to own guns, and it would have saved four police officers in Mayerthorpe Alberta if it had been implimented properly. And with it, police would be able to tell how many people own guns now, rather than the 1980's.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/violent-crime/violent-crime
By your logic, as soon as a legal gun owner pulls the trigger, they become a criminal and are therefore not a legal gun owner. A legal gun owner is okay until the moment he robs a store, then he's a criminal. Convenient, that, isn't it?
In the news today: A famous athlete (and legal gun owner) kills his girlfriend in the bathroom because he thinks she's a burgler. Take his gun away and she's still alive. (You can't 'accidently' kill your girlfriend with a cricket bat and make it look like an accident.) If there really was a burgler? He'd still be in jail for use of excessive force. Any police representative will tell you that this is, by far, the most likely way this senario plays out.
If he had gone to his girlfriend and they had LEFT THE APARTMENT, they would both be alive, free and well, if a little poorer. Would you really shoot anyone through a bathroom door? What could they steal? Shampoo?
Guns don't solve anything. And nobody is 'criminalizing the entire demographic'. And what political aim does it serve, exactly?
Actually, it's not. The gun homocide rates in many Canadian Provinces far exceed those in many US States that have much less restictive gun laws than we do.
" By caring I mean that cities with high homicide rates need to urgently adopt preventative legislation to combat what becomes a cycle of violence once unchecked and un-remedied"
Sorry, but most urban gun deaths in both Canada and most certainly in the US are perpetrated by criminals which, by law are prohibited from owning firarms. In fact, almost 70% of homocides in the US involve black on black drug related murders. Inacting laws to restrict the rights of law abiding citizens is not the answer. You mentioned Chicago (which has very restrictive gun ownership legislation) and Los Angeles (again, very restrictive gun ownership legislation) ... which just goes to prove that legilation is not the answer. Also, the feds have even admitted that Obama's plan is largely window dressing that will be ineffectual in combating gun violence.
More welfare is not the answer either. Until the communities where this violence is occuring take some ownership of the issue and start co-operating with the police, the violence will continue.
How about government mandated gun ownership? Every child born in Canada should be issued an AR-15 (or what ever that gun is) then they would all be safe for the rest of their lives.
My solution? How about requiring any individual who deliberately kills another human being, (no matter how) undergo mandatory ten year psycological treatment. At the end of that time, an evaluation is made whether they should be allowed restricted release. If they behave, the stay free. If they screw up, another five years of treatment.
By definition, a human who deliberately kills another is mentally ill and should be treated as such. Warehousing criminals is a stupid waste of money. Arming everybody in the country is equally stupid.
Here is another fact for you. AR-15's ( arguably the most popular sporting rifle in the US) accounts for less that 1.5% of the total gun homicides in the US. Given this fact, why are the progressives so hell bent on banning it. If they truely cared about reducing crime and homicides, they would be looking elsewhere for solutions. Instead, Obama and his gang of progressives are trying to dupe their followers (which is not hard to do) by putting on window dressing solutions that will accomplish nothing.
Unfortunately however, it isn't true that Canadian provinces "far exceed those in many US states" in terms of gun violence or homicides for that matter, there is no statistical evidence to support this.
While you're right about the fact that most gun deaths are perpetrated by criminals who have illegal guns already, the point is that countries that do have stricter gun laws like Canada for example, have far lower incidents of gun violence as a whole. Mitigating access to guns helps, period. This is a fact and is not to be confused with things like legalizing marijuana which is a different story altogether.
While it's hard to prove causality when it comes to gun violence; welfare, community investment, social safety nets and better policing have been common characteristics present when gun violence rates have decreased. I agree that communities need to take responsibility but it is a responsibility shared by the government as well. The facts and numbers speak for themselves.
Actually, you're completely wrong and here is a list of the latest compiled murder rates. You will also note that Canada has stricter gun laws than the US yet some of our provinces have higher murder rates and that some states with looser gun laws have lower murder rates than those with stricter gun laws.
Nunavut 21.01
Louisiana 11.2
Mississippi 8.0
New Mexico 7.5
Northwest Territories 6.87
Maryland 6.8
South Carolina 6.8
Alabama 6.3
Michigan 6.2
Arizona 6.2
Missouri 6.1
Tennessee 5.8
Illinois 5.6
Georgia 5.6
Oklahoma 5.5
Arkansas 5.5
North Carolina 5.3
Nevada 5.2
Florida 5.2
Pennsylvania 5.0
California 4.8
Indiana 4.8
Delaware 4.5
Ohio 4.4
Texas 4.4
New Jersey 4.3
West Virginia 4.3
Manitoba 4.24
New York 4.0
Alaska 4.0
Kansas 3.8
Virginia 3.7
Connecticut 3.6
Nebraska 3.6
Saskatchewan 3.59
Kentucky 3.5
North Dakota 3.5
Wyoming 3.2
Colorado 2.9
Alberta 2.88
Massachusetts 2.8
Montana 2.8
South Dakota 2.5
Wisconsin 2.4
Washington 2.4
Nova Scotia 2.33
Idaho 2.3
Oregon 2.1
Maine 2.0
British Columbia 1.9
Utah 1.9
Iowa 1.5
Minnesota 1.4
Quebec 1.32
Rhode Island 1.3
Vermont 1.3
New Hampshire 1.3
Hawaii 1.2
Ontario 1.2
New Brunswick 1.06
Newfoundland .78
Prince Edward Island .69
Yukon 0
The highest murder rate in the USA/Canada is in (wait for it) Nunavut, which has a murder rate 5 times that in the USA. Manitoba and Saskatchewan both have rates that roughly equal that in the USA, and the rate in the NWT exceeds the American rate.
Homicide is a product of culture, not of firearms ownership.