Elijah, one of my friends from elementary school always strived for more as he grew up. He was a bubbly, outgoing, and courageous individual who never quit anything that he did not finish. He was an exceptional athlete who always acquired a spot in all the sports teams in my school. He was also an amazing cook — always bringing in sensational lunches every day in class that he cooked for himself. He wanted to become a chef and take after his mother, and I believed it would truly happen one day. If not a chef, I believe he still would have been successful for any other one of his crafts. However, this was not the case.
On September 14th, 2018, my friend Elijah Aziavor was murdered near his residence at the age of 16. He suffered a gunshot wound and died on his way to the hospital. According to Homicide Canada, he was the 77th homicide in 2018. It bothers me to see that Elijah was not being documented on the news for something positive but instead as a number — a statistic that will soon be forgotten.
Despite Canada having strict gun laws, the issue of gun violence seems to be getting progressively worse in Toronto. In 2018, Toronto had approximately 50 gun-related homicides, and at least 406 shootings by the end of 2018. (MacLeod, 2018) A year after, there was approximately 451 shootings at the end of 2019, and at least 35 deaths because of the shootings. (Ayvazian, 2019) In 2019, there was also 167 non-fatal injuries having resulted from gun-related incidents. The reoccurring theme in these cases is that majority of these incidents are related to gang-related activity. (Ayvazian, 2019)
A huge factor in the increase of gun violence in Toronto is the illegal smuggling of firearms that are manufactured in the United States and are then brought over the border to Canada. (Tasker, 2020) Many of these guns from the United States are sold to Canada in bulk and are resold throughout the nation. There is approximately 8 to 11 million firearms being shipped between the border each year, with only small fractions of this amount being seized. (Tasker, 2020) Because of this, it gives me reason to believe that many of these firearms reach the city of Toronto since gun-related incidents progressively increase each year.
Another possible factor in the growth of gun violence in Toronto is due to the Conservative government’s past efforts in dismantling a “national gun registry” in 2012. (McGuffin, 2020) The national gun registry was a list that all gun owners in Canada were required to sign after each gun purchase. (Mcguffin, 2020) Without the list, individuals would be able to acquire guns without having to legally authenticate their purchase. After this list was dismantled, an increase of firearm imports from the United States occurred, which saw at least 2 million firearms being sold throughout Canada. (McGuffin, 2020) As a result, the overall rate of gun violence in Canada increased by 40% between the years 2013 and 2017, with much of the increase stemming from cases in Toronto. (McGuffin, 2020)
I hope that efforts in preventing the illegal smuggling of firearms from the United States are more efficient in the future so that more guns can be seized. It would further prevent these weapons being used by ordinary citizens for malicious intentions.
Bibliography
Admin. “Toronto Homicide #77 — Elijah Aziavor, 16 Fatally Shot in Scarborough.” Homicide Canada, 25 Sept. 2020, homicidecanada.com/toronto-homicide-77–16-year-old-boy-dies-of-a-gunshot-wound-in-scarborough/.
Ayvazian, Vatche. “Gun Violence Reaches Record High in Toronto.” The Toronto Observer, 12 Dec. 2019, torontoobserver.ca/2019/12/03/gun-violence-reaches-record-high-in-toronto/.
MacLeod, Meredith. “A Deadly Year of Gun Violence in Toronto.” CTVNews, CTV News, 21 Dec. 2018, www.ctvnews.ca/canada/a-deadly-year-of-gun-violence-in-toronto-1.4222566.
McGuffin, David. “Why Gun Violence Is Surging In Toronto.” NPR, NPR, 17 Jan. 2020, www.npr.org/2020/01/17/794510796/why-gun-violence-is-surging-in-toronto.
Tasker, Jean Paul. “Federal Government’s Gun Strategy Won’t Work without a Border Crackdown, Experts Say | CBC News.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 2 May 2020, www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tasker-us-border-illegal-firearms-1.5551432.
