tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/toronto-shooting-57433/articlesToronto shooting – The Conversation2022-12-07T17:57:44Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1941452022-12-07T17:57:44Z2022-12-07T17:57:44ZHow can we slow down youth gun violence? — Podcast<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499363/original/file-20221206-3888-uw7zw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=33%2C50%2C5526%2C3650&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Fifteen years after Jordan Manners was killed in a Toronto school, Canada's largest city is still struggling to curb youth violence. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/3ccb12ac-6927-4844-ae7d-3c0c82945809?dark=true"></iframe>
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<p>It was 15 years ago: police officers flooded C. W. Jefferys Collegiate in northwest Toronto. Outside, hundreds of anxious parents stood waiting for answers. The news that police delivered — as we now know — was tragic. </p>
<p>Fifteen-year-old Jordan Manners had been killed. It was the first time anyone had been fatally shot inside a Toronto school. Jordan’s death stunned his community and the nation. And for many, it punctured the illusion of safety in Canadian schools.</p>
<p>Since then, we’ve seen a slew of reports and funds directed at anti-violence projects in Toronto. But youth violence in Canada’s largest city hasn’t let up. </p>
<p>In fact, it’s getting worse.</p>
<p>This year, on Valentine’s Day, a student was fatally shot inside a Toronto high school and in October, another shooting happened outside a school. </p>
<p>In the Toronto District School Board, <a href="https://thelocal.to/two-school-shootings-15-years-apart/">the number of physical assaults</a> has risen by 174 per cent between 2014 and 2019 and the number of incidents involving a weapon has risen by 60 per cent.</p>
<p>Why is gun violence increasing? And can we slow it down? </p>
<p>Devon Jones has spent the past 15 years tackling these very questions. He is a teacher and well-recognized youth worker in the Jane and Finch community — where Jordan Manners was killed. It has been described as Toronto’s most dangerous area to be a kid.</p>
<p>Jones has seen many students who have lost their lives to violence over the years, including Manners. But he has also saved many lives through programs offered by YAAACE — an organization he founded in 2007 that focuses on basketball and academics. He’s a busy man, who had just rushed from dealing with a youth emergency before talking to us from school.</p>
<p>One of the former volunteers of Jones’s organization is Ardavan Eizadirad. Eizadirad is now the executive director of YAAACE. He is also an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at Wilfrid Laurier University who has written about the root causes of gun violence.</p>
<p><a href="https://dont-call-me-resilient.simplecast.com/episodes/https-theconversationcom-how-can-we-slow-down-youth-gun-violence-194145">Join us on <em>Don’t Call Me Resilient</em></a> as we speak to Jones and Eizadirad about the rising rates of gun violence in Canada and the role community organizations play in the solution.</p>
<h2>Follow and Listen</h2>
<p>You can listen to or follow <em>Don’t Call Me Resilient</em> on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/dont-call-me-resilient/id1549798876">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9qZFg0Ql9DOA">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/37tK4zmjWvq2Sh6jLIpzp7">Spotify</a> or <a href="https://dont-call-me-resilient.simplecast.com/">wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts</a>. <a href="mailto:theculturedesk@theconversation.com">We’d love to hear from you</a>, including any ideas for future episodes. Join The Conversation on <a href="https://twitter.com/ConversationCA">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheConversationCanada">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theconversationdotcom/">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@theconversation">TikTok</a> and use #DontCallMeResilient.</p>
<h2>Articles in the Conversation</h2>
<p><strong>Read</strong> the companion article to this episode of <em>Don’t Call Me Resilient</em>: </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/to-resolve-youth-violence-canada-must-move-beyond-policing-and-prison-190825"><strong><em>To resolve youth violence, Canada must move beyond policing and prison</em></strong></a></p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/canada-shouldnt-be-smug-about-gun-violence-its-a-growing-problem-here-too-184210">Canada shouldn't be smug about gun violence — it's a growing problem here, too</a>
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<p><em><strong>Read more: <a href="https://theconversation.com/gun-violence-can-be-reduced-with-a-strategy-focused-on-deterrence-187682">Gun violence can be reduced with a strategy focused on deterrence</a></strong></em></p>
<p><strong><em>Read more: <a href="https://theconversation.com/canada-once-sold-the-idea-that-guns-turned-boys-into-men-121296">Canada once sold the idea that guns turned boys into men</a></em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em>Read more: <a href="https://theconversation.com/thugs-is-a-race-code-word-that-fuels-anti-black-racism-100312">‘Thugs’ is a race-code word that fuels anti-Black racism</a></em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em>Read more: <a href="https://theconversation.com/toronto-mass-shooting-how-the-city-is-coping-a-month-later-100813">Toronto mass shooting: How the city is coping a month later</a></em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em>Read more: <a href="https://theconversation.com/calls-for-stronger-handgun-laws-in-canada-have-deep-roots-101051">Calls for stronger handgun laws in Canada have deep roots</a></em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em>Read more: <a href="https://theconversation.com/proposed-canadian-gun-bill-will-create-u-s-style-patchwork-of-firearms-laws-156480">Proposed Canadian gun bill will create U.S.-style patchwork of firearms laws</a></em></strong></p>
<h2>Sources</h2>
<p><a href="https://thelocal.to/two-school-shootings-15-years-apart/">Two School Shootings, 15 Years Apart</a></p>
<p><a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/student-fatally-shot-inside-toronto-high-school-1.5780952">Student fatally shot inside Toronto high school
</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/scarborough-school-shooting-1.6635808">Shooting outside Toronto high school leaves 1 dead, 1 teen injured
</a></p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2021.1879097">Prevalence and Impact of Harassment and Violence against Educators in Canada</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2017/05/27/the-death-of-jordan-manners-tore-apart-his-school-how-cw-jefferys-was-resurrected.html">The death of Jordan Manners tore apart his school. How C.W. Jefferys was resurrected. the Toronto Star by Andrea Gordon</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.nationalobserver.com/2015/12/04/news/how-american-gun-deaths-and-gun-laws-compare-canadas">How American gun deaths and gun laws compare to Canada’s
</a></p>
<p><a href="https://yaaace.com/">Youth Association for Academics, Athletics, and Character Education (YAAACE)
</a></p>
<p><em>Don’t Call Me Resilient is produced in partnership with the Journalism Innovation Lab at the University of British Columbia and with a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194145/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Youth violence hasn’t let up in Toronto. In fact, it’s getting worse. Community members say it’s a major problem that needs a more holistic solution.Vinita Srivastava, Host + Producer, Don't Call Me ResilientDannielle Piper, Associate Producer, Don't Call Me Resilient, The ConversationLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1008132018-08-21T20:59:00Z2018-08-21T20:59:00ZToronto mass shooting: How the city is coping a month later<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231908/original/file-20180814-2918-m6nkuz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A man holds a sign at a memorial remembering the victims of the July 22, 2018 shooting in Toronto. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>We’re a month out from the latest episode of mass casualty violence in Toronto, and the city is still grappling with the impact of the shooting that left two dead in the bustling area of the city known as The Danforth. </p>
<p>The shooting came just three months after the van attack <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/1-month-after-toronto-van-attack-scars-are-very-deep-but-healing-continues-1.4673355">that killed 10 people in Toronto’s north end,</a> traumatizing a city unaccustomed to such acts of mass violence.</p>
<p>In the first four weeks after the July 22 mass shooting, events included two funerals, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/billy-talent-danforth-benefit-concert-1.4782089">a benefit concert</a>, community vigils and the creation of temporary memorials along The Danforth. </p>
<p>As an expert in disaster and emergency management at York University, not far from where the latest attack occurred, I’ve been making detailed observations at the scene in order to both document and understand the first month of this newest disaster recovery for Toronto — a city that is unfortunately becoming too well-versed in mass casualty disasters.</p>
<h2>Public mass shooting</h2>
<p>Danforth Avenue was the site of the shootings in Toronto’s Greektown neighbourhood. It’s an area of the city known for its vibrant public spaces and busy patio culture.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-police-chief-on-danforth-shooting-1.4766562">The motives of the deceased shooter remain unknown</a> as the investigation proceeds. But we do know that for some reason he targeted one of the city’s most high-profile neighbourhoods, symbolic of Toronto’s summertime festival culture. </p>
<p>Like the van attack, terrorism came to mind as a possible cause in the immediate aftermath of the violence. After the shooting, ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/toronto/isil-claims-responsibility-for-toronto-danforth-shooting-but-releases-no-evidence-of-terror-link">issued a communique claiming responsibility</a> for the event, but authorities indicated the claim doesn’t match what their investigation has uncovered. </p>
<p>The shooting on The Danforth <a href="https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43004.pdf">is best defined</a> as a public mass shooting. These incidents occur in relatively public places, usually involving four or more deaths, and a gunman who somewhat indiscriminately selects victims. A public mass shooter’s agenda stems from their specific personal experiences and psychological conditions, not broader socio-political objectives. </p>
<h2>The initial response</h2>
<p>Like the van attack, the mass shooting resulted in a large crime scene with multiple deaths and injuries at different locations. The rampage occurred along a 400-metre stretch of Danforth Ave. and involved sites ranging from a public parkette to individual businesses. </p>
<p>At the time of the incident — approximately 10 p.m. on a Sunday evening — it was initially difficult for those in the middle of the mayhem to identify the type of crisis that was occurring around them. A roving gunman randomly targeting people was completely unexpected in that setting. </p>
<p>Immediate civilian responses included rapid first-aid provision to the wounded, followed by actions to evade the gunfire, including evacuation, sheltering in place and lockdowns. Out of necessity, ordinary bystanders improvised lifesaving medical assistance until first responders converged on the scene within minutes. Some of the bystanders <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/danforth-shooting-victim-1.4768951">acted heroically and sustained injury</a> as they attempted to save others. </p>
<p>A 10-year-old girl and an 18-year-old woman died from their wounds, and 13 people were hospitalized with various prognoses for physical recovery. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231905/original/file-20180814-2903-54ohtd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231905/original/file-20180814-2903-54ohtd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=412&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231905/original/file-20180814-2903-54ohtd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=412&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231905/original/file-20180814-2903-54ohtd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=412&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231905/original/file-20180814-2903-54ohtd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231905/original/file-20180814-2903-54ohtd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231905/original/file-20180814-2903-54ohtd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Mourners embrace outside of the public visitation for Reese Fallon at a funeral home in Toronto on July 29, 2018. The 18-year-old Fallon was one of two people killed in the mass shooting.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch</span></span>
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<p>The shooter, identified as a 29-year-old man, died from a self-inflicted wound when confronted by police. As in the van attack, hundreds of people on the street were directly exposed to trauma by witnessing the carnage.</p>
<h2>Organizing recovery</h2>
<p>The disaster response efforts obviously began immediately following the shooting. Police response protocols relating to gun violence incidents transitioned to first responder actions to manage mass casualties. These immediate actions were followed by subsequent crime scene investigation and cleanup, all of it taking place within hours.</p>
<p>Given the multiple urban functions (recreation, retail, residential and transportation) of Danforth Avenue, it was necessary for normalcy to return to the street quickly.</p>
<p>In the week after the shooting, one business, a popular dessert café where one of the casualties occurred, remained boarded up, though it has since reopened. Other businesses that were impacted quickly repaired bullet holes, erased remnants of the violence and resumed business as usual. </p>
<p>While the physical recovery of the neighbourhood was accomplished in short order, social recovery will take much longer as the neighbourhood comes to terms with what it means to be the site of a public mass shooting.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/violence-in-toronto-how-support-can-help-prevent-ptsd-95563">Violence in Toronto: How support can help prevent PTSD</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>One of the ways that the Danforth is coming to terms with the public mass shooting is via memorials. Residents of the Danforth, businesses in the neighbourhood, the local business improvement association and churches worked quickly to reclaim the streets after the violent attack. An evening vigil held three days after the attack was one of the first public events. Temporary improvised memorials to the victims also materialized. </p>
<p>The main site of grieving was a city-owned parkette, the focal point of Greektown. At the Alexander the Great Parkette, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/danforth-shooting-makeshift-memorials-victims-community-rallies-1.4759562">a memorial grew around an existing fountain</a> and garden.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231916/original/file-20180814-2903-ibqdxe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231916/original/file-20180814-2903-ibqdxe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231916/original/file-20180814-2903-ibqdxe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231916/original/file-20180814-2903-ibqdxe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231916/original/file-20180814-2903-ibqdxe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231916/original/file-20180814-2903-ibqdxe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231916/original/file-20180814-2903-ibqdxe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, centre, pays his respects after placing flowers at the fountain at the Alexander the Great Parkette in Toronto on July 30, 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette</span></span>
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<p>In addition, two sidewalk memorials also emerged, and the temporarily boarded-up dessert café became a collection point for items of grief expression. At a third site, in proximity but not directly related to the tragedy itself, the blank plywood boards of construction barricades provided a canvas for mourners to memorialize the dead. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231918/original/file-20180814-2921-72gzst.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231918/original/file-20180814-2921-72gzst.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231918/original/file-20180814-2921-72gzst.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231918/original/file-20180814-2921-72gzst.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231918/original/file-20180814-2921-72gzst.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231918/original/file-20180814-2921-72gzst.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231918/original/file-20180814-2921-72gzst.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Messages people wrote on plywood are seen on a makeshift memorial remembering the victims of the shooting.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch</span></span>
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<p>After the van attack uptown from The Danforth, a temporary disaster memorial was in place for 40 days before being completely dismantled. On The Danforth, makeshift memorials <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/4380306/taste-of-the-danforth-festival/">were relocated due to the annual Taste of The Danforth festival.</a>
The event is one of Canada’s largest street fairs with an estimated 1.6 million people in attendance.</p>
<p>The long-term fate of the disaster memorials will involve a balancing act between the need to remember and the need to move forward. </p>
<h2>Looking ahead at a new normal</h2>
<p>Following the van attack, I suggested that there was a new normal in place for Toronto and I posed the question: What can we expect in the weeks and months ahead and beyond?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-toronto-is-recovering-from-the-van-attack-95771">How Toronto is recovering from the van attack</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The answer to that question is now becoming clear: The greatest strengths of Canada’s largest city also represent significant weaknesses. </p>
<p>One of the factors that makes Toronto a desirable place to live, work and visit is neighbourhoods like The Danforth. The open, active public life at street level provides for many opportunities ranging from creativity hubs to opportunities for social and cultural diversity and the promotion of active local economies.</p>
<p>But those neighbourhoods also represent “soft targets” to exploit by people driven by antisocial and violent motives. These are places that are by their nature open access, not well-defended — and security posture is not top of mind. </p>
<p>The question now is: How does Toronto maintain its active and bustling neighbourhoods while also defending itself?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100813/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jack L. Rozdilsky has received funding from York University and the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction for disaster-related field research.</span></em></p>Toronto is still grappling with the fallout from two mass casualty events – April’s van attack and a mass shooting in July. A month after the shooting, how is Toronto moving forward?Jack L. Rozdilsky, Associate Professor of Disaster and Emergency Management, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1010512018-08-07T21:57:04Z2018-08-07T21:57:04ZCalls for stronger handgun laws in Canada have deep roots<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230796/original/file-20180806-191038-1yj1nql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=622%2C688%2C2688%2C1934&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Far from a knee-jerk reaction to Toronto's recent mass shooting, fresh calls for tougher gun control laws have a long history in Canada. A man places his hand on his handgun in B.C. in 2014 during the International Practical Shooting Confederation Canada national championships.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The recent mass shooting in Toronto’s Danforth neighbourhood has renewed the debate over Canada’s gun laws. </p>
<p>Toronto Mayor <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/mayor-john-tory-voices-support-as-council-votes-for-city-wide-ban-on-handguns-1.4760358">John Tory</a> responded by calling for a handgun ban in the city. Prime Minister <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-federal-government-taking-serious-look-at-handgun-ban-in-wake-of/">Justin Trudeau</a> went further, suggesting that the federal government will consider a nationwide handgun ban. Citizens <a href="http://www.ekospolitics.com/index.php/2017/12/heres-a-simple-idea-most-canadians-want-a-strict-ban-on-guns-in-our-cities/">express strong support</a> for prohibiting guns in cities. </p>
<p><a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/chris-selley-torontos-push-for-handgun-ban-in-wake-of-shooting-is-a-simplistic-distraction">Critics dismiss the idea</a> as a knee-jerk reaction by people generally lacking technical knowledge of guns and firearm laws. </p>
<p>However, <a href="https://utorontopress.com/ca/arming-and-disarming-4">the history of gun control shows that many Canadians have long called for tighter laws related to handguns</a> because of the danger posed by modern pistols that offer a substantial amount of firepower in a small, concealable package.</p>
<p>At the beginning of the 19th century, handguns were generally single-shot, muzzle-loaded weapons. They were inaccurate, slow to reload and often misfired. Over the course of the century, gun-makers produced “revolvers” that held multiple rounds of ammunition and could be fired multiple times quickly. </p>
<p>The price of revolvers dropped with industrial manufacturing. Consumers could purchase a revolver in Winnipeg for $1.50 in 1883, while Eaton’s offered revolvers in 1899 for as little as $1.75</p>
<h2>‘Pistol fever’</h2>
<p>The appearance of cheap weapons and lack of government regulation led to <a href="https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/jcha/2009-v20-n1-jcha3851/039784ar/">worries about the use of revolvers in accidents and crimes</a>. In 1871, the Globe of Toronto called pistols “an unmitigated evil” and said every boy had “pistol fever.” </p>
<p>For every pistol used for defence, 10,000 were “made the instruments of death in the hands of careless or silly people,” according to the Globe. It would be best to outlaw revolvers, or at least appoint a board to determine the “amount of sense necessary to make a person a safe custodian of a loaded pistol.”</p>
<p>Conservative lawyer and politician Robert Harrison also advocated regulation, suggesting in 1872 that pistols were “too common in our country” and were “much too indiscriminately used.” </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230801/original/file-20180806-191025-w38n5d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230801/original/file-20180806-191025-w38n5d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=652&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230801/original/file-20180806-191025-w38n5d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=652&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230801/original/file-20180806-191025-w38n5d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=652&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230801/original/file-20180806-191025-w38n5d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=819&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230801/original/file-20180806-191025-w38n5d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=819&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230801/original/file-20180806-191025-w38n5d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=819&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sen. Flint is seen in this 1873 photo.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Library and Archives Canada</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Commentators suggested that many young men carried revolvers to demonstrate their manliness. <a href="http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/flint_billa_12E.html">Sen. Billa Flint</a> claimed in 1877 that the “youth of our land are fast training themselves in the use of firearms, and particularly pocket pistols.” “Mere boys” who “could save a little money, used it for the purpose of obtaining pistols.” </p>
<p>Sen. Alexander Campbell blamed the tendency of young men to carry a handgun on the idea that this “shows in some way their manliness.” </p>
<p>Concern about handguns continued into the 20th century. Various newspapers published appeals for strictly regulating, or even banning, pistols. Some commentators, fuelled by anti-immigrant racism, warned that certain ethnic groups tended to carry pistols. Heightened worries about crime during the Depression, and soldiers’ practice of bringing guns home as war souvenirs, also sparked concerns.</p>
<h2>Gun laws toughened</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/pol-leg/hist/con-eng.htm">Conservative and Liberal legislators</a> responded by making owning and/or carrying a handgun more difficult. </p>
<p>The Liberals in 1877 required that a person could only carry a pistol if he had a reasonable fear of assault or injury to himself, his family or his property. In 1892, the Conservatives required individuals to possess a “certificate of exemption” to carry a pistol unless the owner had cause to fear assault or injury. </p>
<p>It also became an offence to sell a pistol to anyone under 16. Businesses selling pistols had to begin keeping records of the purchaser, the date of sale and information on the gun. </p>
<p>In 1913, the Conservatives increased the potential penalty for carrying a handgun outside the home or place of business without a permit to three months. In the early 1930s, the Conservatives provided that handgun permits could only be issued on the grounds that the owner needed to protect life or property, or the pistol would be used at a shooting club. The punishment for carrying a handgun without a permit was also increased to up to five years. </p>
<p>In 1934, the Conservatives created the first handgun registration system. In 1968-1969, the Liberals established the three-part division of guns between “firearms,” “restricted weapon” and “prohibited weapons,” placing handguns in the restricted category. </p>
<h2>Handguns reclassified</h2>
<p>In 1977, the Liberals banned carrying restricted weapons to protect property. Following the <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/mass-shooting-reshaped-canadian-debate-about-guns-and-political-identity-180962013/">Montreal massacre</a>, the Progressive Conservatives required purchasers provide more background information, and legislated safe storage and transportation guidelines. The Liberals later reclassified some handguns as prohibited weapons.</p>
<p><a href="https://nfa.ca/media-release-handgun-ban-will-cost-liberals/">Critics of gun control</a> note that Canada’s handgun legislation has not stopped shootings. Of course, no law can stop all firearm violence. Collectively, however, this legislation has been a likely element in the evolution of vastly different gun cultures in Canada and the United States. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230800/original/file-20180806-191047-1jngfg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230800/original/file-20180806-191047-1jngfg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230800/original/file-20180806-191047-1jngfg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230800/original/file-20180806-191047-1jngfg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230800/original/file-20180806-191047-1jngfg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230800/original/file-20180806-191047-1jngfg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230800/original/file-20180806-191047-1jngfg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Montrealers march in solidarity with the U.S. gun control movement in March 2018. Stricter Canadian gun control laws may have helped shape Canada’s gun culture compared to that in the U.S.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The majority of American households with firearms have at least one handgun. In comparison, a relatively small minority of firearm owners in Canada possess pistols, despite a <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/guns-firearms-restricted-canada-1.4129994">recent increase</a> in the number of restricted weapons in circulation. While the United States has 10 times the population of Canada, it has approximately <a href="https://www.rsfjournal.org/doi/full/10.7758/RSF.2017.3.5.02">100 times more handguns</a>.</p>
<p>Considering this arc of history, the calls to outlaw handguns by former Liberal prime minister <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/liberals-vow-to-ban-handguns-1.549800">Paul Martin</a> in 2005, and now by John Tory, once the leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, seem less like knee-jerk proposals. They rather appear to be in line with the historic Canadian trend to limit the presence of modern pistols.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101051/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>R. Blake Brown received funding from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada for this research. </span></em></p>Calls to outlaw handguns in Canada are hardly knee-jerk proposals in response to violent incidents. Instead, they’re in line with the historic Canadian trend to limit the presence of modern pistols.R. Blake Brown, Associate Professor, Saint Mary’s UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1005542018-07-26T20:53:47Z2018-07-26T20:53:47ZToronto shooting: The psychology of loss, fear and identity<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229450/original/file-20180726-106502-idg6g2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A woman wipes a tear as Toronto's Greektown neighbourhood community gathers for a candlelit vigil to honour the victims of a deadly shooting in Toronto on July 22 that killed an 18-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Canada, July 22, 2018. “Greektown” in Toronto, another area of Canada <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/danforth-logan-shooting-1.4757409">affected by violence.</a> </p>
<p>The pundits and purveyors of polarization will soon begin to frame this event to debate the efficacy of <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/toronto-shooting-goodale-guns-1.4759484">gun legislation,</a> the breakdown in social cohesion and the appropriate response to purported <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/4351650/toronto-mass-shooting-islamic-state-no-evidence/">acts of terror</a>. But rather than fear and react, we must pause and reflect. We must reflect on both why these kinds of events occur and how we can reconcile this with our Canadian identity.</p>
<p>Fear-inducing headlines grab our attention in the same way that advertisements for clearance sales do, even though they should be treated with the same skepticism that we view liquidation sales. </p>
<p>However, most of us treat the two as if there was a qualitative difference rather than being on the same mental continuum of prospective loss. This seems to be a result of a single brain that has an internal struggle between multiple motivations.</p>
<p>Numerous psychological studies suggest that <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/science-choice/201803/what-is-loss-aversion">we are loss-averse.</a> Avoiding the loss of something we already possess is worth more to us than making a gain of the same value. </p>
<p>When we hear “limited-time only,” “special edition” or “while supplies last,” we feel drawn to acquiring that product. For similar reasons, fear and terror are primary motivators. </p>
<h2>Dread about our own mortality</h2>
<p>Humans have spent generations and copious resources developing elaborate belief systems (economic, political and religious) to manage the experience of existential dread that comes with <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/basics/terror-management-theory">reminders of our own mortality</a>. Many of these belief systems contain information about <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/41336384.pdf">“us” and “them,”</a> and polarization of opinions typically ensues.</p>
<p>This is understandable. We want to make sense of what is right and wrong and where we stand in the world. We also want to ensure that we can keep our place in it for a while longer. What is a greater issue is ensuring that those belief systems are periodically and systematically checked.</p>
<p>They rarely are. We want ready-made answers in an ever-changing world filled with uncertainty and ambiguity.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229451/original/file-20180726-106496-1kyp2xw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229451/original/file-20180726-106496-1kyp2xw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229451/original/file-20180726-106496-1kyp2xw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229451/original/file-20180726-106496-1kyp2xw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229451/original/file-20180726-106496-1kyp2xw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229451/original/file-20180726-106496-1kyp2xw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229451/original/file-20180726-106496-1kyp2xw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">When violent acts happen, we struggle to understand our place in the world. A man holds a sign at the site of the Toronto Greektown shootings.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The inherent ambiguity of most events means that the framing of any issue can mean the difference between accepting or rejecting the same evidence and explanation. </p>
<p>Stop for a second and estimate the number of deaths that have resulted from <a href="http://www.start.umd.edu/news/fact-sheet-american-deaths-terrorist-attacks-1995-2016">terrorist attacks in the United States</a>. Now, do the same for the number of deaths <a href="https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/htus8008.pdf">resulting from homicides.</a> If you can, commit your numbers to paper and look at the difference between the two.</p>
<p>When so-called terror events are reclassified as homicides, the number of deaths attributed to terrorism only constitutes a fraction of a per cent of homicides in the United States. Yet consider the increases in government spending, media attention and discussion centred on terror attacks. It is disproportional.</p>
<p>Purported terror events are actually quite infrequent, yet the attention given to them in the media – the number of sources (articles and outlets) and the language used to frame them — can all increase their salience in our memories. These factors affect our <a href="https://www-jstor-org.proxy.library.carleton.ca/stable/1698637?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">perception of risk.</a></p>
<p>Nonetheless, there is still a legitimate reason to be concerned: Imitation. In as much as a “terrorism” is an event, it is also an idea. <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/darwin-eternity/201703/understand-everything-understand-evolution">Any idea can spread and evolve</a>.</p>
<h2>Contagious ideas and Canadian identity</h2>
<p>Peru, Feb. 21, 1931. A new kind of crime was born: Plane hijacking. </p>
<p>The legacy of this innovation would become a cornerstone for the study of a phenomenon known as social contagion. Like any idea, procedure, product or services, the idea of hijacking spread. </p>
<p>Media reports <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-cuba-hijacker-idUSL2N0JC0Z120131127">of a hijacking from the United States to Cuba in 1968</a> resulted in the publication of details by dutiful reporters. Studies have suggested that the details of successful attempts spread through media, providing <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2779961?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">a recipe that others could replicate</a>. The appearance of an increase in terror events might result from an increase in the knowledge of the details of these events, whether we classify an event as terrorist or a homicide, and the attention that we afford it as a society.</p>
<p>The spread of a specific, highly detailed idea is difficult. It requires careful study, interpretation and presentation. This can require years of training and education and can be limited to specific professions and members of society.</p>
<p>The spread of general, vague ideas is much easier. It relies on folk wisdom, stereotypes, emotions and motivations. Common sense is not that common, and it requires common ground — a ground that might be eroding.</p>
<p>Many, including ourselves, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/how-canada-is-perceived-around-the-world-1.3132343">think of Canadians as relatively amicable, helpful members of the world community.</a> Historically, many have taken pride in the stereotype of Canada as a peace-loving, open, patchwork society that promotes peacekeeping around the world. </p>
<p>We proudly wear our flag as symbols of our diverse national identity. We do so also because it sets us apart from the more bellicose, enclosed melting pot stereotype of our southern neighbour. The contrast supports our understanding of our place in the world.</p>
<p>Yet even the most cursory scan across social media reveals a <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/in-excess/201403/all-trolled">disquieting trend</a> in our own communities.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/trump-may-have-emboldened-hate-in-canada-but-it-was-already-here-88533">Trump may have emboldened hate in Canada, but it was already here</a>
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<p>It is perhaps too early yet to call it an irrevocable polarization, but it is clear that many people deride others whose opinions differ from their own. For these individuals, there is no common ground. The other side is ascribing to “fake news,” but those on their side have “done their research.” </p>
<h2>Violent acts, reactions must not define us</h2>
<p>No doubt recent events in Canada will result in grand theories about the type of people who commit these acts and who is in the best position to protect us.</p>
<p>But these recent events — and those that will undoubtedly occur in the future — must be seen in this context. These events will continue partly because some people will see them as an opportunity to grab the attention that we afford them, partly because a small number of individuals will always be more antisocial than most, and partly because of the lens used to understand events will cause us to overestimate their number and impact.</p>
<p>These infrequent acts of violence might grab our attention, but they cannot come to define us. We must adopt a balanced approach wherein we weigh the costs and benefits of each action carefully.</p>
<p>It is possible that those countries that typically ignore events in Canada might now see us in a different light. However, the Canadian stereotype will likely persist for good or ill. We must live up to the stereotype of the Good Samaritan domestically and internationally by being diverse in our thoughts and our responses to tragedies of the type that played out in Greektown.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100554/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jordan Richard Schoenherr does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>After acts of violence, we want to make sense of what is right and wrong and where we stand in the world. But we must ensure our belief systems are periodically and systematically checked.Jordan Richard Schoenherr, Adjunct Research Professor, Department of Psychology, Carleton UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.