From: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V10 #651 Reply-To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Sender: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Errors-To: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Precedence: normal Cdn-Firearms Digest Monday, July 23 2007 Volume 10 : Number 651 In this issue: Toronto Star Poll: Should Canada Ban Handguns? Bryant to push Ottawa for ban on handguns Bail for Project Kryptic suspect will be appealed [LETTER] Emergency services keep murder rate low BOY, 11, AMONG DEAD IN GUNPLAY Re: Bryant to push Ottawa for ban on handguns To the Editor Toronto Star re Bryant the banner' In a weekend of gun violence, 11-year-old's death 'heartbreaking' RE: Bryant to push Ottawa for ban on handguns Sun poll on PMs They must be Liberals; who'da thunk of that? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 08:18:14 -0400 From: Dan Haggarty Subject: Toronto Star Poll: Should Canada Ban Handguns? Organization: Dunhaven Inc. There's a new Toronto Star reader poll part way down the main page at www.thestar.com. The current results are: Should Canada Ban Handguns? Yes 111 68% No 50 31% Dan ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:29:17 -0400 (EDT) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Bryant to push Ottawa for ban on handguns http://www.thestar.com/News/article/238772 Bryant to push Ottawa for ban on handguns Boy's slaying sparks government outrage, with attorney general, police demanding crackdown Jul 23, 2007 04:30 AM Michele Henry Staff Reporter The killing of an 11-year-old boy caught in the crossfire of a gang war has sparked outrage among many levels of government and prompted Ontario's attorney general to lobby Ottawa for tougher gun measures. In the wake of Ephraim Brown's shooting death early yesterday, Michael Bryant said he will push Prime Minister Stephen Harper to ban handguns, tighten up the gun registry and safe storage rules, and enforce the provincial weapons program. "Some people will point out that gun crime is down in Toronto," he said. "Tell that to the family of the 11-year-old who died of a gunshot. We had a weekend of tragedies. We have to redouble our efforts. We have to continue that work tonight, tomorrow and hereafter." After conversations yesterday with Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Julian Fantino and Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, who asked for provincial help to eradicate gun crime, Bryant said he will dedicate whatever resources are necessary. He will support any task force Blair assembles to deal with these issues and pledged to increase the number of prosecutors to assist police in bringing weapons offenders to justice. Thousands of guns are stolen every year and there are too many on Toronto's streets, he said. It's time to crack down on illegal gun traders and make it harder to get a handgun, Bryant said, adding he will ask the federal government for support in "closing the loopholes that exist to get a handgun." "We need to choke off the gun supply from legal gun owners to illegal gun owners." At an emotional news conference yesterday, Blair vowed to do whatever is necessary to catch Ephraim's killers and ensure there is no retaliatory violence from the weekend's events. Comparing this slaying to the Boxing Day 2005 death of 15-year-old Jane Creba, who was gunned down on Yonge St. in a gang shootout, Blair pledged to "change the circumstances" that spark "senseless" killings. "We must do anything and everything that is required to successfully resolve this matter. "I want to assure the family and the community that the Toronto Police Service will dedicate all of the resources required to bring those responsible for this violence to justice." Mayor David Miller, who himself has an 11-year-old son, called the shooting "unimaginable" and said that even though gun crime is down, this incident reinforces the need to get guns off the streets. Ephraim, Toronto's 43rd homicide this year, was killed in an exchange of gunfire in a housing project near Jane St. and Sheppard Ave. W. after two rival gangs came face to face at one of several birthday parties held in the area. Ephraim's sisters, Amanda Taylor, 23, and Camisha Brown, 15, made an impassioned plea to any witnesses or persons involved in the slaying of their brother, a Grade 6 student at Driftwood Public School. They looked directly into the cameras as they spoke, getting only a few sentences out before crumbling. Taylor, holding a picture of her brother, asked the public to do her a "big favour." "If you know anything, anything at all, say something," she said. "Come and talk to anybody, anybody. Please just have the courage to come out and do what's right. Enough is enough. These kids need to stop dying. It really does need to stop with my brother." Deadly weekend SUNDAY 12:58 a.m. – Ephraim Brown, 11, is shot and killed outside a Jane St. and Sheppard Ave. W. area apartment building. A 21-year-old man walks into an area hospital a short time later with a bullet wound to the leg. 1:56 a.m. – A 31-year-old man is found shot to death outside a Bleecker St. apartment near Bloor St. E. 2 a.m. – One man dies following a double shooting near Duncan and Adelaide Sts. in the heart of the Entertainment District. SATURDAY 3 a.m. – Kimel Foster, 21, is shot dead and a 31-year-old man is shot in the abdomen as about 50 people leave a birthday party at the Town Talk bar on Vaughan Rd. near Oakwood Ave. 5:54 a.m. – Two men are shot outside a Barclay St. home near Bathurst St. and Wilson Ave. following a dispute. Another man is charged. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:30:48 -0400 (EDT) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Bail for Project Kryptic suspect will be appealed http://www.thestar.com/News/article/238735 Bail for Project Kryptic suspect will be appealed Alleged Driftwood Crips member, 21, accused of jailhouse plot to deal guns, drugs, among 9 charges Jul 23, 2007 04:30 AM Peter Small Courts Bureau The Crown says it will appeal the granting of bail to a 21-year-old Project Kryptic suspect who is facing trial for armed robbery as well as trying to sell drugs and weapons from jail. Jennoi Mullings, 21, is accused by Project Kryptic detectives of having conspired to traffic in cocaine, marijuana and guns while serving time earlier this year for possession of a loaded gun. Justice of the Peace James Cresswell granted bail to Mullings on Wednesday. Attorney-General's ministry spokesperson Brendan Crawley said in an email that decision will be challenged. Prosecutors will argue the bail ruling failed to adequately consider the safety of the public – including the likelihood of Mullings reoffending – and that keeping him behind bars pending trial is necessary to maintain confidence in the justice system. Mullings, who faces nine charges in all, was among nearly 100 arrests in the June 13 swoop on alleged members and associates of the notorious Driftwood Crips gang based in the Jane-Finch neighbourhood. They include committing crimes for a criminal organization, conspiracy to commit a crime and possession of property obtained by crime. Between March and May, Mullings was allegedly caught on wiretaps conspiring to traffic in weapons and drugs while serving six months on the gun conviction. He was released from jail May 19, at which point his previous bail on the armed robbery charges kicked back in. His trial on those charges is set for December. His lawyer, Rohan Robinson, said in an interview he was pleasantly surprised that his client was granted bail. "I think that the JP applied the law correctly," he said. Crown prosecutor Barbara Glendinning argued for his continued detention on the same grounds as will now be argued on appeal before a Superior Court judge. Under terms of his bail, Mullings is required to live under virtual house arrest at his grandmother's house, unless he is out with his sureties – people who have agreed to guarantee his compliance with bail conditions. Mullings' sureties are his mother and grandmother. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:34:24 -0400 (EDT) From: Bruce Mills Subject: [LETTER] Emergency services keep murder rate low http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/238262 Emergency services keep murder rate low Jul 21, 2007 04:30 AM Re: Canadian crime hits 25-year low, July 19 The Toronto Star put a positive spin on Canadian crime statistics for 2006 that in many important ways paint a different picture. For example, there was a lower murder rate but an increase in the number of attempted murder charges. The obvious inference is that more people attempted to commit murder but did not succeed. I suggest they did not succeed because of tremendous advances in medical science, dedicated trauma centres and quicker, more effective responses by enhanced emergency services that are saving many lives. Robert Cornish, Hawkestone, Ont. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:43:35 -0400 (EDT) From: Bruce Mills Subject: BOY, 11, AMONG DEAD IN GUNPLAY http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=60c13ce3-7bbc-4d28-b5e0-0a3df135e96f BOY, 11, AMONG DEAD IN GUNPLAY Family Appeals To Witnesses; Four Die Across City Mark Medley National Post Monday, July 23, 2007 TORONTO - An 11-year old boy celebrating with other children at a birthday party was fatally shot early yesterday morning, sparking calls from the victim's relatives for witnesses to co-operate with police in a neighbourhood where such help has not been common. Paramedics and police were called to a housing complex on Sheppard Avenue West, east of Jane Street, at 12:59 a.m. yesterday. There they found Ephraim Brown suffering from a gunshot wound to his neck. He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Ephraim was shot while attending the 18th birthday party of Kishuana Thomas, his cousin. Ms. Thomas said friends and family, including many children, were over for a barbecue. Police said the party grew to an "unmanageable size" and included some uninvited people. Gunfire erupted between two rival groups and Ephraim was caught in the crossfire, officers said. "He did not deserve it," Ephraim's aunt, Sharon Osborne, said outside the police station. "No one deserves to be shot." Ms. Osborne said she had gone inside to take in some dishes when she heard a series of loud pops. At first, she thought it was firecrackers, but when she returned, Ephraim was on the ground with his eyes rolled back. When she checked, he had no pulse. "Enough is enough," said Amanda Taylor, Ephraim's sister. "These kids have to stop dying." "Somebody out there knows something," she said, and pleaded for witnesses to come forward. "He didn't need to get his life taken away," said Camisha Brown, another sister. "The community needs to take charge and take action." Police Chief Bill Blair compared yesterday's shooting to 2005's Boxing Day murder of 15-year-old Jane Creba. He said police will be "relentless" and "dedicate all resources" to finding Ephraim's killers. "This is a totally innocent child," he said. "He should have been safe." Chief Blair said that while the community is helping, he appealed for more witnesses to cooperate. "I would ask that the community trust us, work with us." Officers said that between 50 and 70 people were at the party, and after the shooting a large crowd fled the scene. A 21-year-old man, "known to police," was also taken to hospital to be treated. Police said he is not co-operating. In recent years, police have struggled with residents in troubled Toronto neighbourhoods who fear retaliation if they speak to police. However, the force has been heartened by witness co-operation in several homicide investigations, believing the community has been galvanized by violence, such as the killing of 15-year-old Jordan Manners. Ephraim went to C.W. Jeffreys Collegiate Institute, the same school as Jordan, who was shot in May, the Grade 6 student's sister said yesterday. Chief Blair also asked that no retaliatory acts be carried out. Ephraim was remembered as a smart, polite young man who loved soccer and basketball. "You couldn't ask for a better son," Ms. Osborne said. Ms. Thomas, her face tear-streaked, had one simple wish: "It just needs to stop." Ephraim's murder was one of many violent incidents in Toronto this weekend. The numbers tell a troubling story: 24 hours: nine people shot, two people stabbed, four dead. Less than one hour after Ephraim's death, police and paramedics responded at 1:54 a.m. to a shooting outside an apartment building on Bleecker Street, south of Bloor Street. A man in his mid-twenties was transported to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Five minutes later, at 1:59 a.m., emergency personnel responded to gunfire in the heart of the city's entertainment district. Two men, both in their twenties, were shot in the Adelaide and Duncan streets area. They reportedly had been at a nearby nightclub, although police are not sure what instigated the shooting. It is not known if they were friends, targeted, "or just really unlucky," said Staff Sergeant Jay Frosch of 52 Division, but they were not shooting at each other. One man died of his injuries, while another was taken to hospital suffering from gunshot wounds to his leg and buttocks. The fact that the shooting occurred in an area packed with people was especially troubling for police. "It means that certain people just don't care," Staff Sgt. Frosch said. "There's no doubt about that." Finally, around 2:30 a.m. paramedics and police responded to a call from the Belaire Hotel on Belfield Road, near Pearson airport. They found one man in the lobby and another in a room on the fifth floor, both suffering from multiple stab wounds to the neck, torso and abdomen. They were both transported to hospital. "I've worked here for 30 years and I can't remember a Saturday night bloodbath like that in a long time. That's incredible," said Connie Christie, duty officer for Toronto Emergency Medical Services. The rash of violence followed a Saturday morning shooting that left Kimel Foster, 21, dead, and another man injured outside the Town Talk bar, near Eglinton Avenue and Dufferin Street. In a separate incident, two men were shot on Saturday morning on Barclay Avenue, in the Bathurst Street and Wilson Avenue area. Police arrested one man in connection with that shooting. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:45:54 -0400 From: "mred" Subject: Re: Bryant to push Ottawa for ban on handguns - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bruce Mills" To: Sent: Monday, July 23, 2007 10:29 AM Subject: Bryant to push Ottawa for ban on handguns > http://www.thestar.com/News/article/238772 > > Bryant to push Ottawa for ban on handguns > Boy's slaying sparks government outrage, with attorney > general, police demanding crackdown > > Jul 23, 2007 04:30 AM > Michele Henry > Staff Reporter > > In the wake of Ephraim Brown's shooting death early > yesterday, Michael Bryant said he will push Prime > Minister Stephen Harper to ban handguns, tighten up > the gun registry and safe storage rules, and enforce > the provincial weapons program. > > After conversations yesterday with Ontario Provincial > Police Commissioner Julian Fantino and Toronto Police > Chief Bill Blair, who asked for provincial help to > eradicate gun crime, Bryant said he will dedicate > whatever resources are necessary. > > He will support any task force Blair assembles to deal > with these issues and pledged to increase the number > of prosecutors to assist police in bringing weapons > offenders to justice. > > Thousands of guns are stolen every year and there are > too many on Toronto's streets, he said. It's time to > crack down on illegal gun traders and make it harder > to get a handgun, Bryant said, adding he will ask the > federal government for support in "closing the > loopholes that exist to get a handgun." > > "We need to choke off the gun supply from legal gun > owners to illegal gun owners." > All this will do is make legal gun-owners buy illegal handguns on the street. What an OPPURTUNITY for smugglers if this goes through / The illegal handgun market will blossom like a rose with manure. Ed/ontario ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:27:00 -0400 From: Bill Subject: To the Editor Toronto Star re Bryant the banner' Organization: TechniSoft Printing & Promotional Sent this morning Letter to the editor.. Michael Bryant is at it again.. He thinks simply by banning handguns they will magically go away. when in fact what will happen is the street price will go way up, making it much more lucrative to smuggle and sell them. The results of the U.K. ban certainly support this theory. Drowning is the number one cause of child death in this country. Why is Bryant not fighting to ban backyard pools? Is it perhaps, because he owns one of these 'killer pools' himself? Remember, its for the children. Will he be the first to fill his in? There have been several hit and runs in Toronto this year, why is he not banning cars? After all, no one in Toronto really 'needs' a car they can only be stolen and used in a crime! When is Bryant going to do the responsible thing, and start blaming the 'people' that commit these crimes, and not the inanimate object used. Perhaps we should all be blaming 'pencils' for most of the stupid things he says! Bill ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:53:22 -0400 (EDT) From: Bruce Mills Subject: In a weekend of gun violence, 11-year-old's death 'heartbreaking' http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070723.SHOOTING23/TPStory/TPNational/Ontario/ SHOOTINGS: WINNIPEG, HALIFAX, TORONTO STRUCK In a weekend of gun violence, 11-year-old's death 'heartbreaking' JESSICA LEEDER With a report from Jennifer Lewington July 23, 2007 It was around midnight Saturday when two telltale cracks cut the sounds of happy partygoers and children playing outside right out of the air. The fast pattern of gunfire that followed sent mothers within a North Toronto public housing complex into a panic. In No. 1880, the centre block, some began hollering out the names of their children, listening for their calls back. While the shouting carried on, 11-year-old Ephraim Brown was splayed on the ground in an alleyway next to the building, unable to even speak his name. Caught in a rain of gunfire while zooming around on his scooter, neighbours said, the Grade 6 pupil took a bullet to the neck. By the time a brood of women from the complex found him and carried him into a nearby unit to tend to him, his blood pressure had dropped. It appeared they were too late. "I was holding him in my arms," a women who gave her name as Karen said. "As soon as I held him, I knew there was something wrong. We were trying to do CPR. We were trying," she said, shaking her head. Young Ephraim, the city's 43rd homicide victim of the year, was one of three males in the Toronto area killed by gunfire over the weekend, prompting renewed calls for a crackdown on illegal guns and an end to the gang violence that has made the northern corridor of Toronto's Jane Street notorious. The Toronto shootings came as gun-related violence played out in other Canadian cities over the weekend. Three women and a man were shot outside a downtown nightclub in Winnipeg when a man walked up to a group standing outside the entrance of the club and fired seven shots before fleeing on foot, police said. The man, believed to be a bouncer, was seriously injured. In Halifax, Glenn Brian Bourgeois, 37, died Saturday afternoon after he was shot several times and left on the street. Toronto Mayor David Miller, the father of an 11-year-old, noted that all shooting deaths are tragedies, but he called Ephraim's death "exceptionally heartbreaking." Late yesterday, while police continued their investigation into the boy's shooting at the complex near the intersection of Jane Street and Sheppard Avenue West, children on bicycles nonchalantly wove over and under police tape, as if the yellow streamers were simply decorations left over from a birthday party. Among some violence-weary residents lounging in the hot afternoon sun amidst the police tape, it seemed as if a malaise has set in. "Another life gone. Nothing we can do," one young mother said. "It happens all the time. I'm not afraid it's spreading: I know it's spread. Before this happened, this part of Jane ... was considered safe," she said. Up the road at a community police detachment, Ephraim's family, who moved to the complex only recently, appealed to their neighbours for help in solving his killing. "It could just as easily have happened to one of your family members," Amanda Taylor, Ephraim's 23-year-old sister, said yesterday while clutching her brother's picture to her chest and fighting back tears. "For those of you who don't know me or my family or my little brother, I'm sure what I'm about to ask you is going to sound like a really big favour," she said. "I'm asking if you know anything, anything at all, you say something. We all know somebody out there knows something." While police have yet to make any arrests in the shooting, Toronto Police Detective Sergeant Gary Giroux said police are working with numerous witnesses. The incident has its roots in a birthday party held at the complex Saturday that got out of hand when rival gang members carrying handguns came face to face. Ephraim was saying goodbye to some friends, about to wheel his way home, when numerous shots were fired, neighbours said. Toronto Police Chief Blair yesterday vowed to make Ephraim's shooters "pay for the terrible crime they committed." He said he spoke with Mr. Miller and Attorney-General Michael Bryant, and both pledged to do "anything and everything that is required" to apprehend and prosecute the shooters, and to stop the trend of violence in the area. He also implored the community not to engage in retaliation. "That will not bring the young boy back," he said. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:58:31 -0400 From: "Ed Sieb" Subject: RE: Bryant to push Ottawa for ban on handguns Bryant to push Ottawa for ban on handguns http://www.thestar.com/News/article/238772 Bryant to push Ottawa for ban on handguns Boy's slaying sparks government outrage, with attorney general, police demanding crackdown ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 11:05:24 -0400 From: Lee Jasper Subject: Sun poll on PMs 2007 07 23 In the year 2107, which Canadian prime minister will be most fondly remembered? Pierre Trudeau 58% Brian Mulroney 9% Jean Chretien 3% Stephen Harper 30% Total Votes for this Question: 4046 The Stangler and The Chin appear as 'blips' on the landscape and PM the pm has already been erased from the social conscience of Canucks. Just hope our Man Steph doesn't end up like Tony Blair. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 11:12:39 -0400 From: Lee Jasper Subject: They must be Liberals; who'da thunk of that? Project recycles trash gas Instead of putting it into air, pipes power 1,500 homes Toronto Sun; 2007 07 23; By Rosalyn Solomon HALTON -- Halton is not wasting time or energy -- literally. In a new landfill gas project, Halton Region and Oakville Hydro have partnered to collect harmful landfill gas -- methane -- and use it to produce electricity. Halton installed pipes in landfills to collect the gas to power a generator that sends electricity to the provincial grid. "You're killing a lot of birds with one stone, first you're destroying this environmentally harmful gas, you're producing electricity with it, displacing the electricity that would have been produced by coal burning," says Alex Bystrin, president of Oakville Hydro. "It's a double positive environmental effect." The project was officially launched a week ago and Gerrit Buitenhuis, manager of Waste Operations for Halton Region, said they've already seen some improvements. The odours that used to come from the gas have decreased and there has also been improved growth in the grass they grows over some areas of the landfill. "Even though it's the environmentally good thing to do, from an economical point of view it makes sense as well, because we're getting money for the sale of this electricity," he said. The project actually began six years ago and on top of creating a healthier atmosphere, it now generates enough electricity for about 1,500 houses per day. "We have the gas there anyway, normally it's vented into the atmosphere - -- methane is 21 times worse than CO2," Buitenhuis said. "But instead of burning it and not getting anything else in return, we are now putting that gas into an engine and producing green energy -- the response was very positive." ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V10 #651 *********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:akimoya@cogeco.ca List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca FAQ list: http://www.magma.ca/~asd/cfd-faq1.html and http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/homepage.html FTP Site: ftp://teapot.usask.ca/pub/cdn-firearms/ CFDigest Archives: http://www.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca/~ab133/ or put the next command in an e-mail message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca get cdn-firearms-digest v04.n192 end (192 is the digest issue number and 04 is the volume) To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next five lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-alert unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".) 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