NCJ Number
171900
Date Published
1997
Length
69 pages
Annotation
This report examines the statistical, legislative, and cultural similarities and differences between Canada and the United States with respect to firearms and their use for self-defense.
Abstract
Data reveal that people in the United States are three times more likely than Canadians to own firearms on a per-capital basis and are five times more likely to own a handgun. At most, only 5 percent of Canadians obtain a firearm for self-defense. In contrast, about one-third of gun owners in the United States cite self-defense as the main reason for keeping firearms. The rate of firearm homicides is 7 times higher in the United States than in Canada, and the handgun homicide rate is 15 times higher. The rate of robberies involving firearms in the United States is almost 3.5 times the Canadian rate; the firearm suicide rate is 2 times higher; and the rate of deaths from firearms accidents is 3 times higher. In addition, police officers in the United States are seven times more likely than Canadian police officers to be killed in the line of duty; they are almost always killed by firearms. The data also suggest that people in the United States are generally more supportive than Canadians of civilian gun ownership and the use of firearms for self-defense; they also place a higher value on individual rights, while Canadians are more likely to value the collective good. Canadians are authorized to carry handguns for self-defense only in rare circumstances; the majority of States in the United States allow citizens to carry concealed weapons. Both countries maintain a strong tradition of firearms use for hunting and sport shooting. Tables, list of cases, fact sheet, separate report presenting firearms statistics, and 70 references