A lot of people in civil societies are wondering if societies can run without gun control. By gosh, even sheriffs in the old west knew the importance of gun control when they put up signs restricting firearms in Dodge City. And they were only dealing with a few rampantly racist alcoholics out to battle ‘hostiles,’ (and a couple of peyote slammed Mexicans and a one or two pot smoking kung fu masters). Guns and methamphetamine or guns and crack cocaine, whew, did not exist.
It has long been an area of discontent, the neighbourhood called ‘Jane and Finch.’ This neighbourhood is the urban sprawl around the corners of those two street names, an area which lies west of downtown Toronto but north and west of Bay Street, U of T, and Queen’s Park. While Toronto is Canada’s slice of heaven made from money, brains, and power, the nearby Jane and Finch is just another neighbourhood like any other in the land.
It is this invisibility that makes poverty disappear for everybody but those who live in Jane and Finch. Even still, the shooting in CW Jeffery Collegiate Institute stunned the area. Apparently Jordan Manners, a studious fellow with no gang affiliations, argued outside his school shortly before he was found laying fatally shot in the hallway.
It was during the second week of May, and the mayor of Toronto, David Miller decried the flow of deadly firearms over the border from the USA. It turned out two killers remained free for several days during the initial investigation, and, in fact, no arrests had been made nor weapons found before it happened again.
While policing and security were still atop the list of hot topics and everybody intended to show increased vigilance and security in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood, well, another street shooting erupted, a la the Gaza Strip. It was less than a week after Jordan's funeral, and resulted in more death.
It was Toronto's 26th, and 27th murders in 2007 and 13th and 14th with guns. Fact: Canada has seven million registered guns, including 1.2m handguns, closely restricted to police, gun clubs/collectors.
To begin with, the killers (turned out there were two) of Jordan Manners remained on the loose for several days after the shooting, until the youngish perpetrators turned themselves in. For several weeks this spring, therefore, and especially approaching summer, Toronto Mayor David Miller had to play the role of law and order Sheriff Matt Dillon on a mission to clean up Dodge City.
Right. Who wants to be run out of town by a bunch of tumbleweeds blowing in from Jane and Finch? One day, in mid June, the metropolitan police force of Toronto and cooperative police detachments of the Ontario Provincial Police made 70 arrests in several cities in southern Ontario. The drama included an early morning raid in Toronto, to take out the so-called Driftwood Cripps, a notorious Jane and Finch street gang.
The metro police said the arrests are part of larger long-term strategy, and, a day later, the number of charges rose to over 700 against 95 people. Police showed what they had seized in a large cache of handguns, assault rifles, and other guns, and a million dollars in cocaine and marijuana and other drugs.
The metro police in Toronto called this “a brazen gang that needed to be destroyed,” and for now the Jane and Finch Driftwood Cripps are gone and maybe no more. It was the result of an 11-month operation and occurred separate from recent concerns about Toronto's streets gun violence.
Police in Canada are hoping new laws will deal a blow in their favour on gun-related issues. For example, the federal government’s crime legislation received Royal Assent, May 31 07, and the Minister of Justice, Hon. Rob Nicholson, discussed the legislation passed at the end of the parliamentary week.
“It deals out a Mandatory Prison Sentence of minimum five years for first-time offenders using firearms in the commission of a crime, and seven years minimum for second offense.” The government legislation on minimum sentences received Royal Assent, and that puts it over to the senate for approval.
Nicholson complained about watered down justice initiatives from his ministry because of the opposition in a minority parliament but “will continue” to work to strengthen sentencing laws and victims’ rights. The law designates mandatory sentences in prison for gun crimes, specifically, 5 years for first offense, and 7 years minimum for the second offense.
The ten year minimum for a third offense (presumably ‘dangerous offender’ territory) failed to escape the committee, said the minister. Ironically for parents of 15 year old Jordan Manners, a funeral came on the same day as legislation received Royal Assent. The minister said he believes Canadians want new justice laws in place for summer while the senate examines the legislation.
He said, the law affects serious crimes to inhibit those who commit serious damage or killings in society. “Liberals watered down the legislation quite a bit,” but the Conservatives intend to support it and were satisfied at Royal Assent.
Canadians have watched the minster work diligently on several legislative initiatives against crime in a minority parliament. Last November Nicholson introduced ‘dangerous offender’ legislation with the concept of ‘reverse onus’ in criminal proceedings.
In fact, Prime Minister Harper introduced the dangerous offender legislation, and explained, the onus falls upon a person found guilty of a third violent crime to convince a judge not to designate them a dangerous offender; a convict would be considered a dangerous offender after the third offense (putting the onus on criminals to prove why they aren't dangerous offenders).
The Prime Minister said, "If the person fails to prove they are not a dangerous offender, he or she will be put in prison for an indeterminate period of time and won't be eligible for parole for seven years."
Returning to the cusp of summer ‘07, Premier Jean Charest tabled legislation in the Quebec National Assembly, Jun 15 07, to tighten restrictions on gun purchases, part of the new law involves funneling all applications to purchase guns through police detachments. “One government has taken the responsibility to step forward,” said Anastasia DaSousa’s father.
They are calling it Anastasia's Law in Quebec, in honour of the woman who died under a hail of bullets at Dawson College in downtown Montreal. Earlier in the spring the government announced victims of crime compensation from the Canadian federal government, and Hon. Stockwell Day announced a Victims of Crime Ombudsman. This was good news for crime victims in Canada, at least it was a start, said some advocates. Questions about funding may arise, said critics.
