NCJ Number
179709
Date Published
1999
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This brochure contains a brief history of Canadian firearms legislation and statistics on firearm ownership and use.
Abstract
The brochure contains narrative and tabular data concerning firearms and related legislation in Canada from 1877 to 1998. Almost one in four homes in Canada contain firearms, with the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories having the highest proportion of firearm owners. Most firearm owners own a rifle or a shotgun and most use their firearm for hunting, target shooting or collecting. Canada's rate of firearm ownership is mid-range globally. The average annual rate of firearm deaths is approximately 5.5 per 100,000 population. More than one-quarter of all domestic homicides involve firearms. Women are more likely than men to be shot by a spouse or a family member; a majority of spousal firearm homicide victims are women. Almost one-third of all robbery incidents involve firearms. Approximately 5 percent of all firearm deaths are accidents. Hospital admissions from gunshot wounds are more often the result of unintentional injuries. Figures