Violent criminals in Mississauga and Brampton are not just packing more illegal guns—they’re pulling the trigger faster and firing a barrage of bullets at homes and people, leaving a trail of trauma in their wake. Peel Regional Police report a staggering 1,249 rounds of ammunition blasted across 174 shootings in 2024, dwarfing the 661 rounds fired in 102 incidents the year before. That’s an 89% jump in shots discharged and a 70% spike in shootings, signaling an escalating threat to public safety.
Peel police Det.-Sgt. Ian Harloff laid bare the numbers during Friday’s Peel Police Service Board meeting, warning that the surge isn’t unique to the region—it’s a Greater Toronto Area-wide scourge. “What alarms me most is the spike in rounds discharged,” Harloff told the board at Peel headquarters in Brampton. “These aren’t just stats—they’re bullets tearing through lives, leaving victims shaken and communities scarred.”
Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich echoed the urgency, noting that illegal firearms have become a daily menace. “We’re seeing one seized or used every single day,” he said. “These weapons fuel carjackings, home invasions, shootings, and murders—tools of chaos ripping apart our neighborhoods.”
The 2024 data marks a sharp break from the relative stability of 2021 to 2023, when shootings, shots fired, and gun seizures held steady. Last year alone, police confiscated 205 illegal firearms—a record haul, averaging one every 36 hours—up more than 60 from 2023. Nearly all traced back to the U.S., smuggled across a porous border Peel police are begging Ottawa to tighten.
Chief Nishan Duraiappah has taken the fight to the feds, pressing for a crackdown on gun trafficking to match recent efforts against drugs. “We need a coordinated, smart approach to choke off this flow of firearms and organized crime,” he said in a February statement. Board chair Nando Iannicca doubled down: “Drugs aren’t the only threat—gun smuggling demands equal focus. We’re ready to team up with Ottawa to stop this.”
The plea follows a landmark bust last July, when Peel cops nabbed 71 guns—69 smuggled from the U.S., including 67 handguns and four assault rifles—believed earmarked for violent crimes across the GTA. Police say virtually every carjacking and home invasion in Peel involves these illicit weapons. Earlier this month, the board fired off a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and top ministers, urging beefed-up border measures to stem the tide.
For now, residents face a grim reality: more guns, more shots, more danger. As Harloff put it, behind every bullet is a story of fear and loss—and the numbers only tell half the tale.