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With Toronto’s gun-related murders already at 31 this year, the city’s smoke and mirrors approach to combating gangs and guns — including a handgun ban — won’t stop the bullets and bloodshed, law enforcement sources say.

And until civic leaders start having honest conversations about the roots of gun violence and how to deal with it, little is likely to change.

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Like other major North American cities, Toronto is struggling to cope with a deadly mix of gangs, guns, crime and poverty, made terrifyingly real by recent gangland shootouts and the tragic mass shooting on the Danforth.

How are we responding?

Toronto Mayor John Tory and Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders have suggested the city has enough cops, even though there are nearly 800 fewer on the job than in 2010.

They’ve also pledged to hire 200 new officers this year and another 200 next year, but fail to mention as many or more cops will be lost through attrition by the time the new hires hit the street.