Parliamentary Committee Notes: Firearms Statistics

All figures from 2020 unless otherwise noted.

Firearm / Handgun Ownership

2,198,275 individuals licensed
- 87% male (~1.9M), 13% female (~285,000)
7.1% of Canadian adult (18+) population

~10,040,000 total (estimated)
1.1 M Handguns, most are restricted
- 1.0M Handguns owned by 276,000 individuals
- Acquisition exemptions proposed for:
  - 8000 elite level sport shooters and 6000 ATC
699 businesses authorized to sell restricted firearms (HGs)

58% of traced firearms had domestic source (straw purchased or stolen); half long guns and half handguns
- 28% of handguns domestic sourced
- 3,504 firearms stolen in 2018
67% of traced firearms successful (source established)
~20% of firearms seized by police are sent for tracing
Firearms seized at border: 1,122 (2021–2022)
- 57% of seized firearms were handguns

277 firearms homicides (39% of total)
49% (135) committed with a handgun
51% non-gang related, 49% gang-related
4,137 incidents of firearms-related violent crime
- up 84% over decade 2010–2020
Most common types of crime committed using firearms:
- 29% robbery; 26% physical assault; 9% uttering threats; 4% attempted murder; 3% homicide
Handguns most commonly used type of firearm in commission of firearms-related violent crime (54% of total)

594 IPV firearms victims
- 5 X increased chance of IPV fatality if firearm in the home
Victims and perpetrators of firearm-related violent crime (2017): 72% male victims, 90% male perpetrators
10,985 firearms suicides (2000–2018)
- 75% of all firearms deaths in that period (14,647)
- 500 average number of annual suicides by firearm (2013–2018)
- 96% committed by males