Go ahead, blame the guns.

John Tory, the mayor of Toronto, said at a City Council meeting on Monday that the shooting, part of a recent surge in gun violence in the city, was a “cowardly act” and “an attack on our city itself.”

“I’ve said for some time that the city has a gun problem,” he said. “Guns are far too readily available to far too many people.”

Complete article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/0...oting-greektown.html

Toronto ‘Shocked’ by Shooting That Left 2 Dead and 13 Injured

By Catherine Porter, Matthew Haag and Matt Stevens
July 23, 2018

TORONTO — Two people were killed and 13 others were injured after a man with a handgun opened fire on a bustling avenue in Toronto on Sunday night, the police said. The suspect was later found dead.

Officers confronted the suspect, who was identified only as a 29-year-old man from the Toronto area, on a nearby street and exchanged gunfire with him, the authorities said. The suspect ran from the police and was found dead with a gunshot wound on a street.

John Tory, the mayor of Toronto, said at a City Council meeting on Monday that the shooting, part of a recent surge in gun violence in the city, was a “cowardly act” and “an attack on our city itself.”

“I’ve said for some time that the city has a gun problem,” he said. “Guns are far too readily available to far too many people.”

Those killed were an 18-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl, Chief Mark Saunders of the Toronto Police Service said on Monday afternoon. Thirteen people, ages 10 to 59, were being treated in a hospital on Monday, the chief said, and their injuries ranged from minor to serious.

“We don’t know why this has happened,” Chief Saunders said at a news conference.

The authorities have made a public appeal for help in identifying a motive in the shooting, which started on Danforth Avenue, and the chief has said he would not rule out terrorism. The Special Investigations Unit, which reviews shootings involving the police, was also investigating.

“When you have this many people that are struck by gunfire, it’s a grave concern,” Chief Saunders said. “I’m not closing any doors.”

The police had requested a search warrant for the suspect’s residence, the authorities said.

Hours after the shooting, Mayor Tory called for a review of Canadian gun laws, which are much more restrictive than those in the United States.

“You’ve heard me ask the question as to why anyone would need to buy 10 or 20 guns, which they can lawfully do under the present laws,” he said. “And that leads to another question we need to discuss: Why does anyone in this city need to have a gun at all?”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday morning that his “thoughts are with everyone affected by the terrible tragedy on the Danforth last night in Toronto.”

“The people of Toronto are strong, resilient and brave — and we’ll be there to support you through this difficult time,” Mr. Trudeau said on Twitter.

The police were called to the corner of Danforth and Logan Avenues, in the city’s Greektown neighborhood, around 10 p.m. Sunday. Terry Browne, the lead investigator from the homicide squad on the case, said the attack unfolded very quickly, beginning in one location before moving down the road.

As a result, the police were investigating multiple scenes. He said that bystanders provided medical assistance and that emergency services responded quickly. He called the attack “disturbing,” adding that there were “so many unknown answers to questions we have right now.”

“All of us as members of this community are shocked that this occurred,” Mr. Browne said.

He added: “We have control of the city. This is a tragic incident, but we will get through this.”

Andreas Papadopoulos, a bartender at the Greek restaurant Mezes on Danforth Avenue, said the staff initially thought there were fireworks. But a co-worker who went outside to investigate was quickly caught in gunfire. Another co-worker who pulled the person back inside, Mr. Papadopoulos said, was shot in the hand and taken to a hospital.

“There was a whole bunch of commotion,” he said in an interview. “There is lots of blood here.”

Restaurants along the avenue were locked down after the mass shooting.

“The world is definitely in flux, and I don’t care where you live, you’re not safe anywhere anymore,” said John Klianis, who was working at Pappas Grill when he heard gunfire.

The strip of Toronto known locally as the Danforth is the heart of one of the city’s most coveted residential enclaves. Once packed with Greek immigrants, it has since become the go-to neighborhood for hipsters and young families, who spend more than $1 million on small homes to be in sight of downtown and near parks, shopping, and bars and restaurants with outdoor patios.

The street throbs with over a million people during Taste of the Danforth, a weekend festival of food, music and dance held each August.

In late March, the Trudeau administration proposed legislation to restore requirements for keeping records of some rifle and shotgun sales in Canada and to expand background checks for all gun owners.

Under the proposed legislation, which is being reviewed by Parliament, stores would be required to keep on file records of every gun they sell and the gun license numbers of all buyers. While the records would be off-limits to the government, the police would be able to access them with a court order.

While buying a gun can happen in some parts of the United States in less than an hour, those seeking a handgun in Canada must go through several steps. Potential buyers must pass an extensive background check, including a review of criminal and mental health records; provide two character references; and prove they practice at an approved shooting club or range, or that they collect guns. They must also pass a written and practical test and register the gun with the police before they can take it home.

Canadian gun control advocates say these measures do not go far enough and fail to eliminate loopholes, including laws that allow those with a gun license to carry their guns at all times, regardless of their intentions.

From 2013 to 2016, criminal episodes with guns in Canada increased 30 percent, while gun homicides increased by more than 60 percent, according to the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. The number of shootings in Toronto specifically has doubled in recent years, according to data from the Toronto Police Service. The city had 177 shootings in 2014 and 395 in 2017, and is on pace to surpass that mark this year. However, gun violence remains much rarer in Canada than it is in the United States.

In April, 10 people were killed in Toronto when the driver of a rental van struck dozens of pedestrians on a sidewalk. The man accused of driving the van had posted a message hostile to women online only moments before the rampage began, the police said.

Last year, Canada was shaken by a shooting at a mosque in Quebec that left six dead and eight others wounded in what Mr. Trudeau quickly labeled a “terrorist attack on Muslims.”

Asked what he was doing given the recent spate of gun violence in Toronto, a city known for its social harmony, Chief Saunders said he was determined to restore a sense of confidence.

“I live in the city of Toronto and I, too, have concerns,” he said, adding that there was a “newness” to what the city was going through. “Other cities go through this more than we have,” he added.

“There is no magic pill,” he said, noting that “we will do everything we can to restore that comfort that people should have in Toronto.”

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All 186 comments are available off the link, most are what you'd expect. However, there is at least one sane person who reads the NY Times, he may be the ONLY one. His comment:

As a strong supporter and gun owner I can honestly say that every time I have left my guns alone never once did they commit any acts of violence perhaps my guns are just better behaved or maybe just maybe it's not the gun but the person behind it that's the problem.

quote:

Canadian gun control advocates say these measures do not go far enough and fail to eliminate loopholes, including laws that allow those with a gun license to carry their guns at all times, regardless of their intentions.

Listen you dumb dumb dumb bitches.

If the intent is evil your laws mean nothing. How hard is that to understand?

So if he got his gun legally, their background checks didn’t work.

If he got his gun illegally, their background checks didn’t work.

What am I missing?

quote:

identified only as a 29-year-old man from the Toronto area

I wonder what they don’t want to tell us about him?

Now they're pushing the mental illness excuse.....name-wise, totally understand why they won't name him.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:

quote:

identified only as a 29-year-old man from the Toronto area

I wonder what they don’t want to tell us about him?

quote:

Hours after the shooting, Mayor Tory called for a review of Canadian gun laws, which are much more restrictive than those in the United States.

“You’ve heard me ask the question as to why anyone would need to buy 10 or 20 guns, which they can lawfully do under the present laws,” he said. “And that leads to another question we need to discuss: Why does anyone in this city need to have a gun at all?”

I wonder, does this idiot have armed protection when he's in the city?

Go ahead, set the example, you jackass. Give up your armed protection while in the city. I dare you.

Commie gun grabbers, they are the same everywhere. It's in the gun banning gene.

The "thinking" is equally illogical in this AP article. Their obvious solution: MORE gun laws. Brilliant!

https://www.washingtonpost.com...m_term=.ae10c3fb3c82

In wake of shooting, gun ownership under debate in Toronto

By Tamara Lush and Rob Gillies | AP
July 24 at 8:41 PM

TORONTO — Of all the things people in Toronto are horrified by in the aftermath of the shooting that killed two people and injured 13, this stands out: The man responsible had a handgun.

To mass shooting-weary America — where there are about 300 million guns of all kinds — possession of a handgun might seem commonplace.

But in Toronto, the very idea that someone would have a handgun, much less take it out in public and fire it, is nearly incomprehensible. On Tuesday evening, after nearly 10 hours of discussing gun crimes, the City Council voted to urge the federal and provincial government to ban the sale of handguns and handgun ammunition in the largest city in Canada, and the fourth largest in North America.

“If anything, what’s happened in the United States is what not to do,” said City Councilman Joe Cressy, who proposed the motion Tuesday.

Agreed Toronto Mayor John Tory: “Why does anyone in this city need to have a gun at all?”

The measure passed 41 to four; the country’s public safety minister said Tuesday that Ottawa was already considering tightening handgun laws, even prior to Sunday’s shooting.

It’s unclear how the shooter in Sunday’s tragedy obtained his gun. And officials haven’t discovered a motive for why 29-year-old Faisal Hussain targeted diners enjoying a warm summer night at restaurants and cafes in Toronto’s popular Greektown neighborhood, killing a 10-year-old girl and 18-year-old woman. His parents said he had suffered from severe mental illness his entire life.

Cressy acknowledged that banning handguns isn’t the only thing Toronto should do to combat gun violence, which is on the rise in the city. Crime prevention programs, helping those released from prison find jobs, mentoring kids and diversion programs are all initiatives that should be beefed up, along with meeting people’s mental health needs, he said.

Even before Sunday’s shooting, city leaders were concerned about an uptick in gun violence that had prompted the Toronto police to deploy dozens of additional officers over the weekend. The city has seen 23 gun homicides so far this year, compared to 16 fatal shootings in the first half of 2017.

Canada overhauled its laws after the country’s worst mass shooting in 1989, when gunman Marc Lepine killed 14 women and himself at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique college. It’s now illegal to possess an unregistered handgun or any kind of rapid-fire weapon. Canada also requires training, a personal risk assessment, two references, spousal notification and criminal record checks to obtain a permit.

Canadians have long taken comfort in the peacefulness of their communities and are nervous about anything that might indicate they are moving closer to their American counterparts.

“There isn’t a handgun culture here,” said Toronto resident Alison MacLean, shaking her head and wearing a T-shirt with symbols of a peace sign, a heart and a moose. “Handguns aren’t part of the common discourse.”

Before 2012, about 75 percent of illegal firearms in Canada were trafficked from the United States. By 2017, however, about half originated from domestic sources, putting an end to the idea that most of Canada’s illegal guns come from across the border, said Det. Rob Di Danieli of the Toronto police guns and gangs unit.

Legal Canadian gun owners are selling their weapons illegally, he said.

The allure of a quick sell at a high profit margin is one reason legal owners might sell their guns. One man sold 47 guns and made over $100,000 in a five-month period, Di Danieli said.

“They go get their license for the purpose of becoming a firearms trafficker,” he said. “A lot of people are so ready to blame the big bad Americans, but we had our own little problem here.”

A big difference between Canada and the U.S. is the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which grants Americans the right to bear arms. In Canada, gun ownership is not enshrined in the constitution.

“Canadians, unlike Americans, do not have a constitutional right to bear arms,” Canada’s high court said in a 1993 decision that upheld a ban on convertible semi-automatic weapons.

“Indeed, most Canadians prefer the peace of mind and sense of security derived from the knowledge that the possession of automatic weapons is prohibited,” the court said.

Another difference is that Canadian politicians are not beholden to groups like the National Rifle Association, which donates millions of dollars to U.S. campaigns. Canada’s federal elections laws put limits on contributions to political parties so that only individuals, not corporations or lobby groups, may donate.

In the wake of Sunday’s shooting, many here said they were reminded of another mass shooting, one that happened 1,500 miles (2,414 km) away in Florida in February, when a former student walked into a school with an assault rifle and killed 17 students and staff members and injured 17 others.

“I was thinking about the victims in Parkland, and their strength,” said 24-year-old Laila Hawrylyshyn. “And I hope the victims here in Toronto have the strength to recover from this.”

She and a several dozen of her classmates in a government relations class at York University attended the City Council session on Tuesday where council members discussed gun violence with the city’s police chief.

Said Cressy: “A 10-year-old and an 18-year-old dying is heartbreaking enough. I can’t fathom what it’s like as a parent to wake up and send your child off to school and wonder if they’ll be killed. That’s not a city you want to live in.”

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press.

Jihad Denial in Toronto: Hussain Was a Known Wolf
According to police, Hussain -- who had lived for a time in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- had “expressed 'support' for a website that was seen as 'pro-ISIL.'” This and other fishy online activity had led the authorities to speak to him. Indeed, reported Warmington, Hussain had been on the radar of the Toronto Police, the Ontario Provincial Police, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Well, that certainly sounds dispositive. But while Warmington was serving up this hard information about Hussain's jihadist sympathies and shady background (what was he doing all that time in Afghanistan and Pakistan?), virtually every other journalist or public figure in Canada seemed determined to lead the public down this or that garden path --whether by calling for even tighter gun laws, meditating on the mystery of the individual human soul, serving up academic hogwash about toxic masculinity, or embracing the argument that it was all about mental problems. They were willing, in short, to make any argument, however absurd, rather than to acknowledge the manifest possibility that a young ISIS fan named Faisal Hussain might be yet another enemy within, driven to mow down infidels in the name of the caliphate.

https://pjmedia.com/trending/j...in-was-a-known-wolf/

They named him on the radio this morning, but I couldn’t recall what it was, just that it wasn’t quite Mohammad, but not far off. They were also saying they had no idea what his motivations for the shooting were. I just rolled my eyes.

quote:

A big difference between Canada and the U.S. is the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which grants Americans the right to bear arms.

You ignorant ass, that's not at all what the US Constitution does.

Gun, van, knife or bomb it doesn't matter terrorist are here to kill.

Interesting article on the topic.

Illegal guns sourced in Canada are surging, compared to those smuggled from the U.S.

https://nationalpost.com/news/...se-smuggled-from-u-s

quote:

Toronto ‘Shocked’ by Shooting That Left 2 Dead and 13 Injured

AKA a slow Tuesday night in Chicago, one of the cities with the most restrictive gun laws in the US.

Looks like Mr. Tory wants to follow down the path of Chicago, which is a shinning example to follow.

They were openly welcoming "Syrians" while I lived in Calgary 2014-2016. Couldn't verify they actually came from Syria, but come on in any way. My boss even took in a Syrian family and then told everyone about it, repeatedly (ridiculous virtue signaler).

This marks the 10th Islamic terrorism act since '99.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:

quote:

Hours after the shooting, Mayor Tory called for a review of Canadian gun laws, which are much more restrictive than those in the United States.

“You’ve heard me ask the question as to why anyone would need to buy 10 or 20 guns, which they can lawfully do under the present laws,” he said. “And that leads to another question we need to discuss: Why does anyone in this city need to have a gun at all?”

I wonder, does this idiot have armed protection when he's in the city?

Go ahead, set the example, you jackass. Give up your armed protection while in the city. I dare you.

Guns for me, but not for thee.

quote:

“And that leads to another question we need to discuss: Why does anyone in this city need to have a gun at all?"

I hope this means the police will no longer have access to firearms either. After all, if gun bans really do prevent criminals from acquiring them there will be no need for cops to continue to have them as the criminals will always be unarmed.

I went to Canada once years ago. I will never set foot in that country ever again.

Sounds pretty simple to me: refugee or immigrant we let in with weak immigration laws and liberal policies wasn’t stable and shot up a bunch of natural citizens.

We can’t admit that our stupid immigration/refugee policies led to this, so we’ll blame the gun and hope people aren’t paying attention.

Then they ask why anyone would need a gun in the city. Uuuuuuuum cause you keep letting in people who want to kill us? Maybe? I dunno.

Oh look, the shooter supported ISIS! I'm shocked!

Link

OAN Newsroom UPDATED 6:15 AM PT — Wed. July 25, 2018

Newly released information is shedding light on what may have motivated a deadly mass shooting in Toronto. On Tuesday, authorities said gunman Faisal Hussain had expressed support for ISIS and visited the terror group’s websites.

The 29-year-old killed a 10-year-old girl and 18-year-old woman Sunday night, when he opened fire on several businesses in a crowded Toronto neighborhood.

13 others were injured in the rampage and taken to three local hospitals. Their conditions were listed as ranging from serious to critical, with most stable.

Hussain died on the scene after a shootout with local police.

Investigators are also looking in to whether he lived in Pakistan or Afghanistan.

There's that other shoe I was waiting for.

You know, instead of addressing the problem, let's call for gun control. Predictable as the rising and setting of the sun, every time one of these assholes shoots a bunch of innocent people (Pulse), we have to "have a conversation about gun violence" while we try to "minimize backlash against Islamic communities." It's fucking horseshit.