That shooting at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique in 1989 (The Montreal Massacre) has never left the minds of some of us. I think these outbreaks "should not" be happening anywhere. All for tougher gun laws here.

Scarlett: I had a bad day yesterday.. seems like it followed the week. Nothing like you went through (HUGGGGGGGG) so I channeled the unending headache to writing something that got me mad.
Thanks for commenting. Love you.

I'm with Scarlett. When these horrible events happen in a country like Canada, they stand out even more, because Canada is not known to be a violent place. The world should be a safer place. It saddens me to no end to observe the events of last few months, and to be part of the news in this way.
R♥

"...there were 554 murders in Canada in 2010, and 14,748 in the U.S. in the same year." With 35 million people Canada has a population approximately 11.3% that of the USA... adjusted for population the US murder rate is still 300% than that of Canada... so what's the deal? Something in the drinking water?

Fusun.. I was not going to post about this as I doubt anyone but Canada gives a darn and few will read this- but when the only thing you see about Canadian news on the US channels is this and a wing falling of a Air Canada plane it makes me angry

JMac.. who the hell knowas

Fusun.. I was not going to post about this as I doubt anyone but Canada gives a darn and few will read this- but when the only thing you see about Canadian news on the US channels is this and a wing falling of a Air Canada plane it makes me angry

JMac.. who the hell knowas

I have never been to Canada but from what I understand organized crime in Canada is run be the Hells Angels. They are not exactly an institution that is known for taking a strong stand on gun control. They are not giving nobody their guns, nor is your government, nor your foreign enemy's either (being Americas brother next door has its price). In a perfect world we would go back to settling are differences Mano-a-mano with swords but in this world we ultimately settle our differences with guns. Man is a quarrelsome creature. The fact that his neighbor is also armed keeps a man honest. In the end its just like the old saying (the Colt Peacemaker) it is guns that keep the peace. A government that is serving the people should have no fear of those people. Any push for gun control from a government is an inadvertent admission of its own duplicity.

This news certainly caught my attention, especially after the horrific shooting the other day here in Seattle. The world is just getting crazier!

Any shooting like this is sad, no matter what country it's in. Sorry to hear the gun laws may loosen up in Canada, I like to think of Canada as showing us the right way on this stuff.

Jack in Quebec.. it is widely know how the bikers control their nation.
Toronto is fast becoming a nation of crime due to a hop skip and a jump to Buffalo. In the end we are no Detroit or Oakland but this is shocking to most Canadians.

Trilogy.. sometimes I feel like we do live in hell

Kevin : I do agree with you

People are going crazy everywhere, I am afraid. We can only be wary.

The world is going mad and it seems to be accelerating, it's like the madness spreads out. Maybe being crazy is catching. I don't understand much of anything anymore.

It makes me wonder how the government conceives its base if police organizations and victims groups both oppose the changes.

I can’t even **imagine** what the scene must have been like when this went down in the Eaton Centre food court on a Saturday afternoon (!!!), knowing full well how packed and saturated with humanity it is at that time. In a general sense, though, this overly doesn’t worry me as I don’t see it as a particularly escalating norm or a trend. Not that this should be going on, and not that this isn’t awful, but I am in downtown pretty Toronto regularly and feel safe walking around at all hours. Not that I’d do so in the Jane/Finch area.

Miguela: I am with Jmac on this one.. what is in the water?
Bleue: if you try you get headaches like I do..:)
Abrwawang: South parks vision of Canada is somewhat spot on sad to say
Various. I feel comfortable walking anywhere there.. We keep our door unlocked and I am a bad one for not locking my car. Last year some kid opened the door and stole my Twilight hoodie. I was more shocked than anything.

You'd think that other countries would learn from the U.S. and not try and emulate us when it comes to gun laws. Maybe once 16 year old kids are shooting at other 16 year old kids in Canada, they'll get the idea.

When the news from Canada starts to sound like a crime report from the 'hood in Oakland- things are seriously out of whack...

Good job with the crime scene photos.

Rightly or wrongly, I do always think of Canada as being a more civilized nation than the US in part because of their gun laws. I hate to think of gun violence as a trend that is spreading.

Wow. I was shocked when I heard about this yesterday. Perhaps I am living in the past. Canada for me, (and Toronto, especially) was always a place to visit my relatives, knowing they never locked their front door, and didn't seem to understand the crime that plagued us right across the border.
I shouldn't be so shocked, but I am. ~r

Blaming guns for an outbreak in violence is simplistic and unrealistic. Making it more difficult for ordinary law-abiding citizens to own firearms only leaves them more vulnerable to predators. It makes more sense to address the root causes of crime. A frustrated underclass will eventually resort to violence, by whatever means available, if the society blocks opportunities for those desperate people to improve their situation to support themselves and their families with dignity.

Rugrat: This is a huge thing now and I am sure the government is going to take action.
Thanks Enemy: Crime is becoming my thing sad to say

Bellewether: Lets hope the trend stops
Joan H.. So am I

Chicken maan .. You know I respect people s opinon but you and I will never agree with all this. A 78 year old woman having a hand gun she barely knows how to use is wrong.. Just my opinion..

I was never in favour of the long-gun registry -- and especially not the way it was handled. As someone once remarked: "The only thing it'll do is keep track of hunters".

I grew up around weapons, spent a lot of time firing both civilian and military versions and was quite proficient. I even taught hunter safety 100 years or so ago (although I've never hunted in my life).

That said, the only thing a handgun was ever designed to do was kill people. I'm assuming that's what was used in Toronto (the latest reports indicate it was the ever-popular "gang-related" violence). I loathe the damned things.

Yup it was a handgun...
Word is the culprit is barely 18. Kids with guns.

Spinning , spinning spinning out of Control. Bravo Linda for such a poignant tour de force.

merci algis..:)

I agree with your example, but there's no reason why the 78-year-old woman, perhaps more needful than most folks to have a means of self defense handy, has to be ignorant of how to use the weapon. In Virginia people need to show proof they've had instruction on how to handle a handgun before a judge will grant them a concealed carry permit. No such requirement exists for mere ownership, but anyone considering purchase of a handgun for self defense would be a fool to do so without training on how to use it. I hope you're not suggesting that more people are apt to be fools about this than not. I know many governments assume the people they're supposed to serve are fools - until election time rolls around, of course - which is all the more reason to keep governments as much out of our private lives as possible.

Sadly before this is over I believe we will all need weapons of some sort, I wish it was not to be so but....if they who will kill us for no reason have guns what should we do? Take the innocent's guns then only those who hate, steal, and kill will have guns. It just makes me sad and fearful...

Chicken M.. the thing is I know a 70 year old woman that had one and shot someone. Yes it was in her own home but it happened to be a family member late at night.
There are just too many people now that are ready to shoot now and ask questions later. How many robberies of handguns are there now that get into the wrong hands?
Like I said we will never ever agree on this but I respect your opinion.

Lunchlady.. I hope that day never happens.

This post leaves me deeply despairing. Prior to becoming a permanent expat, I enjoyed so many wondrous times North of the border. In my late teens, a friend and I took a three month journey through The Thousand Island, all the way through to Toronto.

On another visit, to see hsitoric Quebec City, we slept outdoors without fear a kilometer away from the Chateau Frontenac, above the St. Laurence River below.

As a farewell "honeymoon," I took my wife to Niagara Falls, and we were in awe of the greater peace and majesty on the Canadian side.

A short while later, we were dining at the one of the largest Chinatowns in North America.

So sad to see Canada falling victim to the ever-spreading world chaos.


-R-

What...wait a minute...our beloved Canada gone shooting? It makes no sense at all. One of the nicest, cleanest, coolest places is learning from our Bad NRA! Yikes. Thanks for this L.

I agree MIJ.... I can walk down the street like Various Artist and not worry. Yes there are problems now but this sucks.
Tg within.. The NRA are trying to infiltrate and abolish our gun laws.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/09/13/canada-nra-gun-registry.html

Here is an example how horrified Canadians are when the Prime Minister (President) steps in:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper also expressed his confidence that Toronto Police would capture the gunman.

“Canadians should be assured that such depraved and monstrous acts will be met with the full force of the law,” Harper said in a statement.


How many people get shot every day in the US and does the President comment on them?

This is heavy duty stuff for trusting peaceful Canadians.

There's crazy stuff going on everywhere. I hope Canada stays safe and that we get better control of stuff down here. That's quite a remarkable difference in crime figures. I can't help but think that guns are a part of it.

JLS: I look at the local US robberies listed and 2 out of 4 are stolen guns. They are going somewhere after being stolen. This is a huge deal for Canadians. When you are raised in that kind of culture you do not believe in guns.

People have other opinions and I respect them but I will not change in my beliefs nor will most Canadians. Comments on Canadian news sites say to weld the cell shut when they catch him and god help him when they do catch him.

Just different views on guns on either side of the border.

I had no idea. Thanks for writing about all this.

I had no idea. Thanks for writing about all this.

Sometimes it takes such a horrific act to motivate people...I used to hunt, but gave it up when my own brother took a rifle and killed himself. I know guns do kill people...when manned. I hope you can quell the violence. Sorry to hear about this. I don't watch the news anymore for all the doom and gloom.

Sheila: My son was in Toronto yesterday.. I immediately worried for my shopaholic son and his better half

buffy: when I was 6 my father used to take me rat hunting down at the dump during hunting season ( no it is not an official thing in Canada:)). Then my uncle put someone's eye out and after that guns were a no no in my family. My grandfather paid dearly for that kids eye. I am so sad about your brother though.. HUGGGGGG

You are so right on here. We have new conceal carry laws here and I am sure we are just one nutcase away from an incident like this.
With citizens like this who needs foreign terrorists.
rated with love

Ya reckon if there was more beaver eating south of the border there would be less killing?

You are right RP.. I guess I will never understand the thrill and I had one son into BB guns and I was just like the father in Christmas Story always screaming "You' ll put your eye out" but never went furthur than that.

Larry: You have the comment of the day. Spit my good old Yankee beans and franks out hahaha. Well done!!

I have long held the view that tougher gun laws merely leave guns and arms in the hands of criminals. Every "law abiding citizen" should have the right to bear arms. A great deal of responsibility rests with those who choose to own guns; goes without saying.

This is some serious and relevant reporting, Linda. I agree with Fusun, but rest at ease Canada with never reach our violent crime numbers, not in a million years. R

Cathy: Like Matt I respect everyone's opinion but see what the gun laws do around 'the hood". Pretty scary
Thoth: The citizens of Toronto have risen today and government is listening. Different than would happen here as violence is frowned upon.

Dreadful! What the hell is wrong with Conservatives wanting all those guns? Don't they understand...they are the dangerous ones!

maureen, heck you are not even Canadian and you are bashing the Tories hahaha. Good girl hahah

Ha ha ha, too little too late; you'll never catch up to the US in terms of gun deaths. If it weren't for stupid Mexico we'd be #1.

Damnit I was all shocked by the post, till I reached the end and hit "Janie's got a gun". I was a big Aerosmith fan growing up, so now I'm all nostalgia-happy and feeling terribly guilty about being happy after reading this at the same time!
BTW, I notice those pictures are credited to you, are you like a news reporter or something? Coz if you're not, there's only one other reason you're at every other crime scene.... kidding.

Tragic. I hadn't heard about the mall shooting on Saturday, Linda.

Canadians are safer and less violent than peoples living in America. By adopting less stringent gun ownership laws, including the application process by legitimate firearms dealers, the murder rates could eventually compare to those in America.

We need changes in the application process when purchasing firearms from dealers or trade shows and purchases from individuals should be monitored/regulated as well.

It makes no sense why citizens and police wouldn't want more stringent gun laws in place.

No idea how I missed this terrific post, Linda. Canada's got some problem.
Rated.

So sad indeed that this has happened in a country that has been so much safer than so many others. I'm afraid the world of crime knows no borders. Laws can help. Canada has often been way ahead of many other countries in that regard.

Margaret: Now lets not all cheer 'we're number one!" :)

Icy Highs: I am in a bad neighburhood what can I say and have my camera always ready sad to say.:(


Erica.. it is!! :(

Belinda.. high five to that sister friend

Jon: There is public outcry right now.

Linda, thank you for reporting this and sharing your photos. I hope the gun violence doesn't spread even more to Canada. Sometimes I wonder why the right to own guns is greater than the right of innocent people to live without being shot?

I feel we are exporting violence to the rest of the world, too; the US is the largest arms exporter in the world. Dr. Oscar Arias, the former president of Costa Rica (who received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work trying to bring peace to Central America), said "By the end of my presidency, I was convinced that the arms trade
represents the single most significant perversion of human
priorities in our era." He says there is 1 gun for every man, woman, and child on Earth.

Why don't we think it's a problem if we're killing 14,748 of our own civilians each year, about a quarter of them our own family members? I hope Canada will look south and reconsider what they're doing.

Big ((((huggggssss)))) to you, Ms. Linda, and thanks for posting! Congratulations on your book! :)

Clayball: HI!!!
So nice to see you and they are already on the job.. the killer has been arrested less than 72 hours later

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2012/06/04/toronto-eaton-centre.html?cmp=rss

p.s. Actually, former President Arias said in one of his writings there is 1 gun for every 10 people on earth, but in other places like the Brady Campaign, it says it is closer to almost 1 for every man, woman, and child...too many, in any case...

Linda, I posted the p.s. while you were posting the news...that's a relief that they found the person.

I just added a picture my son sent me.. Man that kid is made out of the same cloth ;0

Apparently there is a suspect now in custody for the Eaton's Mall shooting. Also Luka Magnotta has been arrested (in Germany).

Myiad: I added the link and proud they caught him.

Baltimore: The drinking age varies in Canada but in Ontario it was 19 until they were put up against the wall because Hull Quebec across the river 's drinking age was 18.

I still do not hear of as many drinking and driving as in the US. As I said to good friend Matt Paust I respect everyone's opinions but am proud of my country for doing the best they can for their citizens..
'
Not supporting a war in Iraq, pulling out of Afghanistan when they knew no one was winning. free health care for all and cheap prescription drugs for low income and seniors, but the best?
Respect for their population.

Thank you for commenting.

This richly deserves the Editor's Pick. Well done, you.
Canada, the home of the sane and polite, have a long way to go to catch up with the US...we're No. 1...hooray for us...in number of guns per capita...how's that for American Exceptionalism! Why would anyone think that the ability to own a gun makes the world a safer place.

It's a sad fact that due to this being one of so many sick acts of needless violence I seem anaesthetised to these situations. Probably stems back to when the IRA used to bomb the crap out of the UK with US and others funding them - who knows?

I thought the Canadian Police were rather chilled and relaxed at the time when handling the crowds but how the hell did the shooter escape at the time?

Good post and rated with an Ug. "Prod the big R button after sending please FRed(tm)."

Mercy! Don't let it get out of hand like we in the U.S. did once. So foolish--catching up once it's been nixed, then reinstated can make any gun referendum seem wobbly and even ineffectual.
Gracious, Canada! Don't go that route!
R

Every time the rural tries to run the urban, or vice versa, chaos will ensue. Don't doubt it.
C'mon, Canada! Vote those bums out!

MARY S.. You slipped in some how..and I missed you.. Thanks for the comment.

Marsha: Way too much crime now. Time to do something about it

Creekend: You are right. You become hardened to it.

Poor Woman: I agree. Vote the bums out.

What a horrible thing to happen, no matter where it happened. Thank you for your coverage and perspective - and also for the link to the update. F@&@! gangs. My heart goes out to all the victims, and of course the sad part is, every person in that food court is a victim - being in a place where you feel safe and relaxed and having that suddenly turn into hell, leaves all kinds of scars. I hope they all find peace and happiness soon.

I have been to that mall and food court many times, and never felt unsafe. And even though the nearby streets are filled with young people, homeless, and some rather odd looking folks, I always felt right at home there. I hope they don't make it easier for Canadians to own guns. It hasn't worked too well down here.

When W and I lived in Detroit while he was in school, we loved going across the river to Windsor. Everything was so clean and we felt safe. I loved visiting his cousins in Toronto and have nothing but fond memories of Eaton Centre. I wish US was more like Canada. This is so shocking. I'm glad they caught the shooter - was he mentally disturbed?

Alysa: They got him.. was not the Mounties either..:)

Frank: I agree it has not and they should smarten up
CC: part of a gang of course.. blah

Guns! When will we learn?

Never rita, never

Linda, I hadn't read this before now. Really outstanding think piece. I have long bemoaned the liberty in the U.S. to own just about any type of firearm possible. Everyday I see ads in the local paper for a outdoors store (I even blogged about it once on OS) for which there is only one purpose--to kill people. Otherwise why would anyone need to own a cut-down, sawed off shotgun with a 9 round capacity? Certainly not for upland game or waterfowl hunting! They're designed to kill people and advertised as "self defense" weapons.
However, my wife and I were having a conversation recently and somehow got talking about "the big one" (i.e. SoCal devasting earthquake) which will trap those who survive in an area from which there will be no escape--the east/west and north/south freeways will be impassable). If chaos and anarchy ensued (which it would), would it be beneficial to have a handgun for self protection? Hell of a question and hell of an indictment on current infrastructure and current societal norms which would allow for that kind of civil degeneration.
Again, thanks for this post. Sorry for blathering on.

Better late than never. Great Post and congrats on the EP~

This is a kind of off topic, Linda, but I just wanted to add that the majority of gun deaths in the US (about 56%) are suicides.

If about a quarter of homicides in the US are of family members (about 10% of total gun deaths), that means that 66% or two thirds of gun deaths in the US are either a person killing themselves or an family member.

This study says "Simply having a gun in the home increased the risk of a firearm homicide or firearm suicide in the home."

Instead of making our homes and families safer, we're putting ourselves and our loved ones at greater risk.

Mary: I so agree about the Tories and Harper's ques to become a President instead of a Prime Minister but I am still proud of my country for what they stand for.
Yes, discrimination has become a problem with the arrival of Somalians and before that from the Carribean. Still we all get along a lot better than the US sad to say.

Walter: The film Escape to LA comes to mind if such a scenario should occur in my lifetime but I wish we could go back to teh days of waterfowl and simple hunting

Thanks Scanner

Clayball makes sense to me which my next topic will be.. suicide.. sigh.. all too easy

Canada again proves to have a basically sane population. I hope the world stops creating crazies who use guns to act on their lunacy! And I hope registering hand guns helps stop the crazies from getting weapons. Thanks for posting.

So well done, Linda, as always. This is packed with information and incredibly telling images. R

I was in Toronto recently and felt comfortable walking or riding a bike just about anywhere. It was a shock to hear this news story because it seems so uncharacteristic for Ontario or for Canada.

Too many places in the U.S. have too many guns without the same sense of responsibility that seems to be the norm in Canada. I'd hate to see the loss of responsibility that might come with a loosening of gun restrictions in Canada.

Linda - You know I love you, but I can't agree with the way you've framed this.

Handguns, oft demonized, are in no way shape or form responsible for any change whatsoever in crime.

Just as crack cocaine is not responsible for crack babies.

People are responsible for their own behavior. We are not automatons. We are not children, and shouldn't be treated as such.

The crazy a-hole who went on that killing spree should have been taken down by responsible armed citizens.

Instead many people have been turned into innocent, pacifist tatically weak elements of society that are good only for calling 911, and then only some of the time.

This moral weakness does not extend to everyone, but it has spread like a plague. "Let someone else handle it. Let's pass a law and feel better about things."

In the end, the Wolves will come. They always come.

An elderly woman, surprised in her shower by a rapist managed to grab her .22 and kill him after he threw her down on the bed.

Hundreds of thousands of such self defense situations occur every year, with the vast majority not even ending in a shot.

The right (not the privledge) of an individual to defend themselves with small arms (rifles, shotguns and handguns) is not subject to the whims of the tyrannical majority, it is a logical extension of natural law.

The ingenuity of the human mind has developed many things which can violently and quickly end us in tragic and spectacular ways.

Trains, cars, planes, nukes, etc. These things will not go away for any romatic luddite notion of peace through inferior firepower.

Only a great joining of causes, a strong co-identification and a complete disincentive for crime combined with better medical screening, treatment and follow up will have any effect on crime.

A billion social issues cannot be hammered away with any gun law.

Comparisons between the U.S. and Canada's 'gun crime' rate are not a reason to draw direct casual relationships that do not take the myriad of other factors into account. Correlation without causation.

It would be nice if we could wave a wand and make the world a better place, but "poofing" guns wouldn't do it.

"Poofing" our insane, our hate and our unwillingness to cooperate with eachother might, and if you come up with that, I highly encourage you to share!

Much love dear, just because I disagree with you doesn't mean I don't think you're awesome. Nice pics btw!

The people that are advocating tougher gun laws have lost me completely. What exactly are they saying, that guns go out on their own and shoot people?

Do you see where I am going here? Guns are inanimate objects why restrict their freedom? It is the people, and as people are a product of their environment, ultimately it is the environment in the USA that creates the danger not the gun.

About the figures in the article re homicides, are we talking about murder by firearm or all murders?

Assuming firearm, what areas are bad for homicide and how does Canada's equivalent areas compare re the homicide rate.

Come on people, lets take a deeper look rather than being shallow