With gunfire flaring around the Lower Mainland almost every day of late, why do our courts routinely drop gun-related charges?

On Monday night there was another shooting -- and another victim with a criminal past, according to police.

He may have been arrested in the past -- and maybe even charged. But that doesn't necessarily mean he's been on trial.

Take Kosham Alemy, the husband of the woman killed in the Cadillac last week, or Dan Lovric who lived in the apartment where a man fell to his death on February 19.

Both have gang ties, and both were charged with gun possession.

And in both cases -- the charges were stayed.

"We may know the gun is there, we may be able to take the gun off the street but it's sometimes very difficult to prove who had the gun," said Steve Fudge, the president of the B.C. Crown Counsel Association

That's because gangsters know the law.

"Tuck the gun under the passenger seat so the driver's not in possession because he's not sitting in the seat where the gun is found, and the passenger's not in possession because his defense is 'I just got in the car I didn't know the gun was there,'" explained Fudge.

And gangsters can also afford the best lawyers.

"Sometimes because of a shortage of resources at Crown Office we find less senior prosecutors, people who don't have the same level of experience and knowledge that these defense lawyers who specialize in these cases - [they] are somewhat overmatched when it comes to defending a wiretap authorization or search warrant authorization," Fudge added.

Tougher laws would make his job easier. But the attorney general says it's not that simple

"We as Canadians have to decide if we want to lower the standards for proof in a criminal case, thereby convicting more people and taking the chance we may be convicting people who may not be guilty," said Wally Oppal.

Sunday's rally in Surrey was proof that Canadians are fed up. Hours later there are more gunshots in Vancouver, and now a man is in critical condition.

The shooter got away and is another gunman walking the streets.

With a report by CTV British Columbia's Shannon Paterson.