Gun Violence

Measures to Reduce Gun Violence: 2020-21 Allocation of GGVAF Funding
Province 2019-2020 2020-2021 Length of Agreement Date Signed
Newfoundland $             162,233 $             380,786 5-yr Agreement March 21, 2019
Prince Edward Island $                  - ** $             387,316 Pending -
Nova Scotia $             416,269 $             977,051 5-yr Agreement March 6, 2019
New Brunswick $             238,406 $             559,577 5-yr Agreement March 19, 2019
Quebec $          8,100,748 $          9,635,901 4-yr Agreement November 6, 2019
Ontario $           9,377,756 $        13,533,928 2-yr Agreement February 14, 2019
Manitoba $           1,174,313 $          2,756,304 2-yr Agreement March 21, 2019
Saskatchewan $           1,046,695 $          2,456,764 5-yr Agreement March 1, 2019
Alberta $           4,684,258 $          6,166,714 2-yr Agreement March 18, 2019
British Columbia $           2,686,047 $          6,304,591 2-yr Agreement January 21, 2019
Yukon $              198,018 $             464,780 5-yr Agreement December 21, 2018
Northwest Territories $              198,018 $             464,780 5-yr Agreement March 19, 2019
Nunavut $              198,018 $             464,780 5-yr Agreement February 21, 2019
Total

 $        28,480,778

 $        44,165,957*

*does not include PEI total

Information on Firearms Crime


Firearms homicides

Nationally, firearm-related homicides account for about one in five firearm-related fatalities. According to 2017 vital statistics (the latest year for which figures are available), there were a total of 769 deaths in Canada from firearm-related injuries compared to 723 in 2016. Among these, 75% were suicides, 23% were homicides and 2% were classified as accidental.

In 2018, there were 249 homicides caused by a firearm (firearm-related), 18 fewer than in 2017. The firearm-related homicide rate decreased 8% from the previous year. Prior to 2018, firearm-related homicide had been increasing since 2014, with gang-related violence being the primary driver. In 2018, 51% of firearm-related homicides were related to gang activity. Overall, in 2018, gang-related homicide committed with a firearm represented 20% of all homicides, compared to 22% the year before and 20% in 2016.

Firearms smuggling

The CBSA seizes approximately 700 firearms each year. Since January 1, 2020, the Agency has seized 351 firearms, a lower number than average that reflects reduced cross-border traffic resulting from travel restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Firearms theft

Break and enter to steal a firearm has more than tripled since 2009 (0.9 versus 2.9 incidents per 100,000 population in 2009 and 2018, respectively). There were 9.5 incidents where a firearm was reported as stolen for every 100,000 Canadians in 2018 (a total of 3,504 incidents). Most guns reported as stolen property were rifles and the majority of thefts were from a private residence. This rate has increased since 2013, but is lower than its peak in 2015 (11.7 incidents per 100,000 population).

Firearms and intimate-partner violence

9% of victims of firearm-related violent crime in 2018 were victimized by an intimate partner. Most intimate-partner violence incidents involve physical force, whereas a fraction (approximately 13-15%) involve some type of weapon. The number of IPV victims where a firearm was involved increased from 512 in 2013 to 594 in 2018.

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