Firearms regulation in Canada
Firearms in Canada are federally regulated through the Firearms Act and related provisions of the Criminal Code. Regulation is largely about licensing and registration of firearms, including air guns with a muzzle velocity of more than 500 ft/s or 150 m/s and muzzle energy greater than 4.2 ft⋅lb or 5.7 J.[1]
Handgun registration became law in 1934, and automatic firearms registration was added in 1951. In 1969, laws classified firearms as "non-restricted", "restricted", and "prohibited". Starting in 1979, people who wished to acquire firearms were required to obtain a firearms acquisition certificate (FAC) from their local police agency. From 1995 to 2012, all firearms owners were required to possess a firearms licence—either a possession and acquisition licence (PAL), a possession-only licence (POL), a FAC, or a minor's licence—and all firearms were required to be registered. In April 2012, the Parliament of Canada enacted the Ending the Long-gun Registry Act to eliminate the requirement to register non-restricted firearms. The requirement for all firearms owners to possess a valid firearms licence remained law.[2]
A 1996 study showed that Canada was in the mid-range of firearm ownership when compared with eight other western nations. Nearly 22% of Canadian households had at least one firearm, including 2.3% of households possessing a handgun.[3] In 2005, almost 3% of households in Canada possessed handguns, compared to 18% of U.S. households that possessed handguns.[4] Also in 2005, almost 16% of households in Canada possessed firearms of some kind.[4] As of September 2010, the Canadian Firearms Program recorded a total of 1,831,327 valid firearm licences, which is roughly 5.4% of the Canadian population. The four most licensed provinces are Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia.[5]
On May 1, 2020, in the wake of a mass killing in Nova Scotia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the Government of Canada would immediately ban around 1,500 models of "military-grade assault-style weapons", mostly rifles, via an order in council under the authority of the Criminal Code.[6][7] In May 2022, Trudeau announced new legislation that would ban the ownership of "military-style assault weapons" in a mandatory gun buyback program, and impose restrictions banning the sale, purchase, importation or transfer of handguns.[8] The legislation would also limit magazine capacity and ban toys – such as airsoft guns – that look like guns.[9]
On October 21, 2022, the Government of Canada implemented a freeze on handgun sales and proposed a gun buyback program.[10] As of April 2024, collection of the "unloaded and secured" banned guns in "government-issued boxes" has not yet started with Canada Post reportedly informing the government of concerns about employee's security.[11]
In Canada, controls on civilian use of firearms date from the early days of Confederation, when justices of the peace could impose penalties for carrying a handgun without reasonable cause.[12] Amendments to the Criminal Code between the 1890s and the 1970s introduced a series of controls on firearms, including registration of handguns, and later, registration of fully automatic firearms. In the late 1970s, additional controls were introduced, followed by additional increases in controls in the mid-1990s.
The following is a summary of the history of gun control laws in Canada:[12][13]
Violent crime, suicide, and accidents[edit]
In the years immediately following the introduction of firearms licensing in Canada in 1976, the overall homicide rate did not significantly decline. Increases were seen in the proportion of murders committed by methods other than shooting; but these homicides were less likely to involve multiple victims.[73] From 1977 to 2003, Canada firearm homicide has declined from 1.15 to 0.5 per 100,000, while other mechanisms declined from 1.85 to 1.23 per 100,000.[73][74]
A comprehensive review of firearm control legislation found that studies on the effects of the 1977 bill C-51 and bill C-68 from 1995 on firearm homicide rates came to differing conclusions, but generally found that bill C-17 from 1991 was not associated with an overall reduction of firearm homicide.[75] A 2011 study found no significant associations between gun laws passed and firearm homicide rates in Canada from 1974 to 2008.[76] A 2020 study examining laws passed from 1981-2016 found no significant changes in overall homicide or suicide rates following changes in legislation. In addition, it also found that firearm ownership by province was not correlated to overall suicide rates by province.[77]
As of 2010, shooting and stabbing represented the two most common mechanisms for homicide in Canada, each accounting for approximately one-third of murders.[78]
Overall suicide in Canada peaked in 1978 at 14.5 per 100,000,[79] declining by 22% (11.3 per 100,000) by 2004.[80] Several studies have found that the 1977 bill C-51 was linked to lower suicide and firearm suicide rates in Canada.[75] Several studies examining the effect of bill C-17 (primarily using data from Quebec) found that it was associated with a decline in firearm suicides, but that the rate of overall suicides did not change, largely because of a rise in suicides due to hanging, suggesting a substitution of suicide methods.[75]
Accidental death, of any kind, claimed 27.9 people per 100,000 in 2000. Of these, firearms accidents accounted for 0.3% (0.1 per 100,000), ranking below the 37% for transportation (10.2 per 100,000), 28% for unspecified (7.7 per 100,000), 18% for falls (5.1 per 100,000), and 11% for poisoning (3.1 per 100,000).[81] Two studies by Leenaars and Lester using national data from 1969 to 1985 find that bill C-51 was associated with a reduced accidental death rate from firearms.[75]