Gun Violence In Toronto

Report: Gun Violence in the city of Toronto

By: Monis Akhtar

This serious issue is concerning many Canadians, particularity Torontonians.

The sudden rise in gun violence is killing the reputation of the forever peaceful Toronto, as viewed by the Americans. But the main concern is the loss of life. In the past few months, there have been over one hundred cases of homicidal shooting. Obviously this has been a hot topic in all major newspapers and in many magazines. Let's examine each of the stakeholders of this issue and their place. The people affected most are first and foremost, the general public, the politicians, the police, the criminals them selves and registered owners of guns.

The stake-holders most affected by this tragedy are the general public as the concern for their own safety is has increased dramatically. Many people are avoiding staying outside after dark since much of the violence occurred at night. People also have started to avoid going into certain streets and taking short cuts. The general public has the loudest voice since this issue concerns them the most out of everyone. They are the ones that are directly affected; emotion and the sense of concern is what creates their demand for government action. Government action will not entirely satisfy the people but what will is a drop in gun crime and violence rates in Toronto. The public is trying to get back the peace that the city of Toronto is known for.

Politicians are also affected by this issue since their job is to comfort the public and ensure safety and security for everyone. It is their task to figure out a way to take care of the problem Ð'- either a long term plan; cutting the problem at its roots which requires a lot more money and effort, or short term plans which takes care of the problem for a period of time. Politicians must be very careful in making these decisions since the determinant of whether they will be voted for in the next election or not, is the ability to take care of the problem. If they fail to be successful and earn the public's gratitude, they public may not vote for him or her in the upcoming elections since he or she can not handle the job. Therefore politicians are very much affected by this issue as well.

The Toronto police force is among the stake-holders that are involved in this issue. The police force's job is to carry out and regulate the new measures set by the politicians and government officials. The police force's job is to serve and protect the general public. The new laws may result in the police having to do more dangerous missions such as getting the guns off the street or simply patrolling in the night in potentially dangerous areas and places like Jane & Finch, or they may just have their duty hours extended. The police force has to be among the most affected since truly; it is the job of the police force to keep the public safe from danger.

The Criminals that actually do the shootings and the killings will also be among the most affected since they will know that the police are after these types of people. This will reduce crime rate since it will force the criminals to be more cautious where they are killingÐ'... if you want to put it that way. The new laws and the measures are into effect because of this group so obviously they will be one of the primary stake-holders of this issue, just like the general public.

The new laws may concern registered arms owners in Toronto. There are many suggestions given in regards to controlling gun violence, which included banning registered gun ownership as well. The people who like to keep guns for hobbies won't be able to continue their hobbies and therefore are among the affected. All of these five groups are affected not because they chose to be affected, but because they have no choiceÐ'... they were sure to be affected.

When ever there is a hot topic in discussion, it is certain that people will have varying viewpoints on the topic. The newspapers display this mosaic of thoughtful ideas and opinions and let millions hear the voice. Since newspapers are not only full of editorials, there are writers that write about these issues. It is said that personal bias will infiltrate all pieces of writing every bit of that statement is true. For the past few months, gun violence in the city of Toronto has been a very hot topic and many people have suggested various ways to battle gun crime. In the Article "Gun crime is killing Toronto's Reputation" by the Sault Star, it is stated that the punishments must be more severe to deter the criminals from killing. Another thing suggested was to have a ban on handguns in major metropolitan areas like Toronto. I believe that his opinion is bias since it is neglecting the rural areas and other parts of Canada where gun crime can occur. Moreover, the newspaper is portraying legal guns as the problem whereas it is the illegal imported guns that are causing the atrocities.