Gun Violence in Toronto: Perspectives from the Police

This article discusses the ways in which the Toronto Police Service has constructed the problem of gun violence in the city. This violence is commonly associated in the media with young black males. The data for the study derived from semi‐structured interviews with police officers and secondary sources, including police public statements, press releases, and official documents. The most prominent police frame attributed the problem of gun violence in Toronto to the proliferation of gangs, illegal gun smuggling and illicit drug trafficking. Other frames, to a lesser degree, blamed structural factors such as poverty and unemployment, disintegrated neighbourhoods and families, and a faulty legal system.