Concern over the availability of handguns is on the rise in Toronto, spurred by the gun-related death of a 14-year-old girl last week.
The latest year-to-date police statistics say the number of shooting injuries and deaths in Toronto are up over 56 per cent so far this year, when compared to 2014.
“It’s unbelievable the amount of guns in the city,” Toronto police Det. Rich Petrie said at a news conference on Thursday, following the 14-year-old's death.
“And people are using them,” Petrie added.
As of July 10, there have been 83 people killed or injured in shootings this year, up from 53 in July 2014. Of those 83 victims, 11 were killed and 72 were injured.
The number of shooting deaths and injuries so far in 2015 is higher than each of the past three years.
The number of shooting occurrences (when someone is shot or shot at) in 2015 is also much higher than in 2014. There have been 122 shooting occurrences so far this year, compared to 91 at this time in 2014.
Police say the number of victims (people shot or shot at) in 2015 is up an alarming 77 per cent compared to 2014. So far in 2015, there have been 201 shooting victims. By July of 2014, there were 113.
At the end of 2014, there were a total of 196 shooting victims in Toronto. Of those, 27 were killed.
During the so-called "year of the gun" in 2005, firearms were used in 52 of 80 murders during the year.
Police say they “rely on the public” to alert them of guns around the city.
“In almost every single (shooting) instance, somebody is aware of the gun and they choose to turn a blind eye,” Petrie said.
Toronto police have released a map of where shootings have occurred across the city in 2015. Each red dot indicates a shooting occurance.
All data is via the Toronto police website.
