Department of Justice


Firearms Statistics
(Updated tables)

Prepared by
Kwing Hung, Ph.D.
Senior Statistician
(613-957-9631)

Research and Statistics Section
Department of Justice

August 1996

You may reproduce this information without permission of the Department of Justice, provided that the material is accurately reproduced and acknowledgement of the source work is included.

CONTENTS

Table 1. Restricted Weapons: Number of Registrations and Rate (per 100,000 population), 1978-1995

Table 2. Firearms Acquisition Certificates (FACs): Number and Rate (per 100,000 population), 1979-1995

Table 3. Firearms Permits for Restricted Weapons and Minor's Permits: Number, 1979-1995

Table 4. Firearm Business Permits: Number Issued, 1979-1995

Table 5. Firearms Reported Missing/Lost/Stolen and Recovered: Cumulative Total, 1978-1995

Table 6. Persons Prohibited from Possession of Firearms: Number Issued Each Year, Cumulative Total and Rate (per 100,000 population), 1978-1995

Table 7. Import and Export of Non-Military Firearms: Number (by type), 1970-1995

Table 8. Firearm Homicides: Number, Rate (per 100,000 population) and Percentage of All Homicides, 1974- 1995

Table 9. Types of Firearms Used in Firearm Homicides: Number and Percentage of All Firearm Homicides, 1974-1995

Table 10. Gender of Homicide Victims: Number and Percentage of Firearm Homicide to All Homicides by Gender, 1974-1995

Table 11. Age of Homicide Victims: Number of Firearm Homicide and Percentage of Firearm Homicide to All Homicides by Age Group, 1974-1995

Table 12. Robberies Involving Firearms and Other Weapons: Number, Rate (per 100,000 population) and Percentage of All Robberies, 1974-1995

Table 13. Offensive Weapon Offences: Number and Rate (per 100,000 population), 1974-1995

Table 14. Firearm Deaths: Number and Rate (per 100,000 population), 1970-1994

Table 15. Homicidal Deaths and Suicides Involving Firearms: Number and Percentage of All Homicidal Deaths and Suicides, 1970-1994

Table 16. Age of Suicide Victims: Number of Firearm Suicide and Percentage of Firearm Suicide to All Suicides by Age Group, 1974-1994

Table 17. Hospitalization resulting from Firearm Injuries: Number and Rate (per 100,000 population), 1981/82 to 1991/92

APPENDIX. Summary Information from the 1991 Firearms Survey

Table 1. Restricted Weapons: Number of Registrations and Rate (per 100,000 population), 1978-1995

YEAR

New Registrations

Withdrawn

Cumulative Total

Rate
Transfer

1978

18,974 5,507 725,421 3,018 53,515
1979
 30,422 2,790 751,775 3,097 80,784
1980
 9,243 11,018 750,000 3,050 87,092
1981
 14,479 7,930 756,549 3,038 35,408
1982
 32,123 12,349 776,323 3,080 18,066
1983
 30,121 11,375 795,069 3,123 21,340
1984
 30,815 9,313 816,571 3,177 18,738
1985
 33,685 9,611 840,645 3,241 20,433
1986
 33,218 11,146 862,717 3,292 19,863
1987
 37,343 6,555 893,505 3,365 22,208
1988
 36,801 7,181 923,125 3,432 20,063
1989
 33,326 9,379 947,072 3,459 18,976
1990
 45,382 11,468 980,986 3,530 20,430
1991
 43,310 12,495 1,011,801 3,598 21,501
1992
 55,083 12,259 1,054,625 3,695 24,232
1993
 55,350 13,288 1,221,179 4,219 28,563
1994
 39,545 14,696 1,246,028 4,260 3,556
1995
 20,165 14,423 1,251,770 4,228 8,220

SOURCE: R.C.M.P.: Annual Firearms Report to the Solicitor General of Canada



NOTES:
(1) Withdrawn registrations are for those weapons that were destroyed, exported, or forfeited by law.
(2) Cumulative total is the grand total of registered restricted weapons recorded in the Firearms Registration and Administration Section (FRAS) of the RCMP at the end of each year. The large increase in the cumulative total between 1992 and 1993 was due to: (a) the conversion from a manual counting system to a computer system, (b) the inclusion of all restricted weapons registered to federal, provincial, and municipal agencies.
(3) The number of refused/revoked registrations is usually small, less than 20 per year. In 1994, there were 7 refusals and 9 revocations. In 1995, there were 13 refusals and 7 revocations.
(4) Transferred registrations are for those previously registered restricted weapons now registered to new registrants. The decrease since 1994 was due to a change in registration procedures.

Table 2. Firearms Acquisition Certificates (FACs): Number and Rate (per 100,000 population), 1979-1995

YEAR
New FACs
Rate

FACs Refused
FACs Incomplete
FACs Prohibited

1979

251,207 1,035 930 3,598 26
1980
 209,757 853 1,057 7,349 29
1981
 167,537 673 944 10,291 29
1982
 146,353 581 967 9,448 18
1983
 133,515 524 910 8,060 18
1984
 171,537 667 944 8,262 35
1985
 175,979 678 1,117 10,368 54
1986
 168,348 642 1,339 11,377 25
1987
 165,347 623 1,413 9,583 49
1988
 160,351 596 1,454 10,621 38
1989
 177,398 648 1,461 10,369 34
1990
 187,499 675 1,777 11,046 38
1991
 199,589 710 2,072 13,850 57
1992
 287,957 1,009 2,614 15,929 65
1993
 80,371 278 1,241 7,508 53
1994
 49,367 169 743 --- ---
1995
 46,797 158 340 --- ---

SOURCE: R.C.M.P.: Annual Firearms Report to the Solicitor General of Canada



NOTES:
(1) New FACs include FACs issued with fee [Subsections 100(8) and 106(1) of the Criminal Code], free sustenance FACs [Subsections 100(8) and 106(2) of the Criminal Code]. Starting from 1993, the total includes renewals before expiry.
(2) FACs Refused are those applications that result in refusal without reference to a magistrate. [Subsection 106(5) of the Criminal Code]
(3) FACs Incomplete are those applications that result in neither issuance nor refusal. This could be caused by applicants not claiming their certificates after approval, or by death of the applicants. Starting 1994, this category is no longer valid because of a change in FAC application procedure.
(4) FACs Prohibited are those applications that result in prohibitions. [Subsections 100(6) and 100(7) of the Criminal Code]
(5) Data for FACs issued as replacements are not included in this table.

Table 3. Firearms Permits for Restricted Weapons and Minor's Permits: Number, 1979-1995

YEAR

Permit to Carry
Permit to Transport

TOTAL

Minor's Permit

1979

19,119 28,121 47,240 3,998
1980
 21,223 29,117 50,340 3,918
1981
 22,226 38,989 61,215 3,075
1982
 31,114 40,900 72,014 2,891
1983
 32,586 44,204 76,790 2,897
1984
 36,327 47,704 84,031 3,238
1985
 38,254 49,735 87,989 2,979
1986
 40,592 46,627 87,219 3,639
1987
 42,885 45,573 88,458 3,263
1988
 43,904 47,645 91,549 3,503
1989
 45,419 52,866 98,285 3,074
1990
 47,069 43,869 90,938 2,359
1991
 49,537 43,357 92,894 3,795
1992
 50,103 49,640 99,743 4,165
1993
 53,390 48,082 101,472 4,216
1994
 51,896 44,798 96,694 3,976
1995
 46,045 37,778 83,823 4,813

SOURCE: R.C.M.P.: Annual Firearms Report to the Solicitor General of Canada



NOTES:
(1) Permits to carry are issued to persons who require to carry restricted firearms for reasons such as protection of life, use in a lawful occupation, and target practice. The individual circumstances and restrictions are specified in the permit. [Subsections 110(1) and 110(2) of the Criminal Code]
(2) Permits to transport are issued on a temporary basis to persons who require to transport restricted weapons for reasons such as a change of residence and gun shows. The individual conditions are specified in the permit. [Subsection 110(3) of the Criminal Code]
(3) Minor's permits are for possession of non-restricted weapons by persons below the age of 18. They include: (a) "minor's permits", issued to persons aged 12 to 17, under supervision [Subsection 110(7) of the Criminal Code], (b) "minor's sustenance permits", with no minimum age requirement or conditions for supervision in cases where the applicant requires a firearm for personal or family sustenance [Subsection 110(6) of the Criminal Code].

Table 4. Firearm Business Permits: Number Issued, 1979-1995

YEAR
Retail

 Wholesale
Manufacture
Gunsmith
Pawnbroker
Ammunition
Storage
Gun Shows

 TOTAL

1979

8,931 358 33 168 48 6,882 -- -- 16,420
1980
 5,582 173 20 122 32 4,505 -- -- 10,434
1981
 5,878 192 27 150 32 4,929 -- -- 11,208
1982
 5,304 193 25 152 25 4,664 -- -- 10,363
1983
 5,139 180 18 192 45 4,606 -- -- 10,180
1984
 4,992 160 25 192 35 4,609 -- -- 10,013
1985
 5,143 180 24 199 33 4,356 -- -- 9,935
1986
 5,157 173 22 288 46 4,511 -- -- 10,197
1987
 4,996 190 16 205 48 4,262 -- -- 9,717
1988
 5,258 194 22 247 58 4,370 -- -- 10,149
1989
 4,913 178 29 268 51 4,200 -- -- 9,639
1990
 4,680 154 18 221 80 4,056 -- -- 9,209
1991
 4,617 152 19 197 65 3,911 -- -- 8,961
1992
 4,483 137 26 206 84 3,680 -- -- 8,616
1993
 3,655 110 24 208 80 3,699 8 55 7,839
1994
 3,221 77 15 103 105 3,919 13 74 7,527
1995
 2,657 84 18 70 99 3,392 13 45 6,378

SOURCE: R.C.M.P.: Annual Firearms Report to the Solicitor General of Canada



NOTE:
(1) Types of firearm businesses are described in subsections 105(1), 105(2), and 105(5) of the Criminal Code.

Table 5. Firearms Reported Missing/Lost/Stolen and Recovered: Cumulative Total, 1978-1995
Missing/Lost/Stolen
YEAR
Restricted
Rifle
Shotgun
Others
TOTAL
Recovered

1978

15,911 8,019 4,496 564 28,990 1,012
1979
 16,353 8,392 4,780 529 30,054 947
1980
 17,185 9,612 5,590 606 32,995 1,083
1981
 17,327 11,034 6,446 762 35,569 1,269
1982
 16,309 10,590 6,389 590 33,878 1,648
1983
 17,551 11,598 7,162 655 36,966 2,105
1984
 18,441 12,826 7,842 700 39,809 1,818
1985
 19,475 13,968 8,571 780 42,794 1,839
1986
 20,514 14,992 9,197 882 45,585 1,974
1987
 21,485 16,217 9,891 1,030 48,623 2,364
1988
 22,107 17,159 10,378 1,052 50,696 3,369
1989
 23,156 17,845 10,854 1,131 52,986 4,053
1990
 24,608 18,837 11,330 1,151 55,926 4,900
1991
 25,956 19,874 12,029 1,232 59,091 5,501
1992
 28,070 20,305 12,419 1,331 62,125 7,367
1993
 30,364 21,187 12,925 1,450 65,926 6,294
1994
 32,309 21,489 13,124 1,465 68,387 6,883
1995
 42,595 21,797 13,210 1,460 79,062 6,408

SOURCE: R.C.M.P.: Annual Firearms Report to the Solicitor General of Canada



NOTES:
(1) The above numbers are cumulative totals of firearms recorded in the Canadian Police Information Centre at the end of each year.
(2) At the end of 1995, of the 79,062 firearms still recorded as stolen/lost/missing, 63,868 (81%) were reported stolen while 15,194 (19%) were reported lost or missing. For the year of 1995, a total of 14,610 firearms were reported stolen/lost/missing; 4,792 (33%) of them were reported stolen and 9,818 (67%) were reported lost or missing. Normally, the numbers for lost or missing are much smaller (for example, in 1994, 1,375 firearms were reported lost or missing). The large total in 1995 was the result of a large number of firearms (9,331) reported missing in Ontario.
(3) Recovered firearms include firearms that were recovered or found and whose ownership had not been established at the end of each year. During 1995, 2,119 firearms were recovered.

Table 6. Persons Prohibited from Possession of Firearms: Number Issued Each Year, Cumulative Total and Rate (per 100,000 population), 1978-1995

YEAR

Number of Persons
Cumulative Total

Rate

1978

877 1,306 5
1979
 1,228 3,187 13
1980
 2,890 4,866 20
1981
 3,228 6,799 27
1982
 4,115 9,366 37
1983
 5,160 12,055 47
1984
 5,937 14,648 57
1985
 7,084 17,446 67
1986
 5,378 20,307 77
1987
 5,973 22,714 86
1988
 6,947 25,227 94
1989
 7,554 27,499 100
1990
 7,794 29,418 106
1991
 9,584 32,505 116
1992
 11,594 37,159 130
1993
 13,664 42,219 146
1994
 16,125 47,876 164
1995
 17,046 52,857 179

SOURCE: R.C.M.P.: Annual Firearms Report to the Solicitor General of Canada



NOTE:
(1) Cumulative total is the grand total of persons still prohibited from possessing firearms, ammunition, or explosive substances recorded in the Canadian Police Information Centre at the end of each year.

Table 7. Import and Export of Non-Military Firearms: Number (by type), 1970-1995
IMPORT
EXPORT
YEAR
Shotguns
Rifles
Handguns
TOTAL
TOTAL

1970

51,227 81,469 13,975 146,671 100,272
1971
 55,984 76,604 24,305 156,893 76,729
1972
 80,033 111,332 37,643 229,008 98,279
1973
 105,650 108,093 22,475 236,218 121,304
1974
 79,015 124,657 28,408 232,080 148,267
1975
 114,553 126,266 32,865 273,684 119,402
1976
 103,147 114,162 25,537 242,846 105,103
1977
 49,420 117,108 32,891 199,419 78,233
1978
 51,458 98,171 24,835 174,464 81,320
1979
 62,263 102,300 24,013 188,576 70,611
1980
 29,795 64,414 36,437 130,646 18,252
1981
 36,736 80,468 21,947 139,151 2,991
1982
 46,064 72,320 24,359 142,743 11,097
1983
 40,559 65,599 22,012 128,170 9,876
1984
 57,294 126,573 28,624 212,491 6,039
1985
 58,796 99,454 44,050 202,300 1,659
1986
 53,305 101,117 50,929 205,351 11,992
1987
 39,761 105,434 49,329 194,524 36,231
1988
 51,071 93,141 35,450 179,662 45,977
1989
 68,930 107,984 44,438 221,352 47,999
1990
 63,405 108,774 44,434 216,613 26,012
1991
 49,249 77,659 27,922 154,830 21,111
1992
 34,828 50,833 19,549 105,210 14,925
1993
 48,437 104,357 28,745 181,539 38,110
1994
 42,111 70,606 41,946 154,663 49,162
1995
 20,376 53,065 34,130 107,571 80,535

SOURCES: Statistics Canada: Imports by Commodity (Catalogue 65-007)
Statistics Canada: Imports -- Merchandise Trade (Catalogue 65-203)
Statistics Canada: Exports by Commodity (Catalogue 65-004)

NOTES:
(1) Blackpowder (rifle) and rifle/shotgun combination are not included in this table. The total import of such firearms is less than 5,000 a year.
(2) Handguns include air pistols. The total import of such firearms is less than 2,000 a year.
(3) Data included are located under Code 9300 in the publications.

Table 8. Firearm Homicides: Number, Rate (per 100,000 population) and Percentage of All Homicides, 1974-1995

YEAR

All Homicide

Rate

Firearm Homicide

Rate

% of all Homicides

1974

600 2.62 283 1.24 47.2
1975
 701 3.02 292 1.26 41.7
1976
 668 2.84 258 1.10 38.6
1977
 711 2.99 260 1.09 36.6
1978
 661 2.75 250 1.04 37.8
1979
 631 2.60 207 0.85 32.8
1980
 593 2.41 195 0.79 32.9
1981
 648 2.60 199 0.80 30.7
1982
 668 2.65 248 0.98 37.1
1983
 682 2.68 224 0.88 32.8
1984
 667 2.60 228 0.89 34.2
1985
 704 2.71 222 0.86 31.5
1986
 569 2.17 175 0.67 30.8
1987
 642 2.42 200 0.75 31.2
1988
 575 2.14 169 0.63 29.4
1989
 657 2.40 218 0.80 33.2
1990
 660 2.37 196 0.71 29.7
1991
 756 2.69 271 0.96 35.8
1992
 732 2.56 247 0.87 33.7
1993
 630 2.18 195 0.67 31.0
1994
 596 2.04 196 0.67 32.9
1995
 586 1.98 176 0.59 30.0

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: Homicide Survey (unpublished tables)



NOTE:
(1) The above data are based on police reports. Another source of homicide data is the provincial death registrations as reported by coroners and doctors. Because the coroners are normally more reluctant to classify a death as homicide than the police, the numbers for homicides in this table are in most cases higher than the numbers in Tables 14 and 15.

Table 9. Types of Firearms Used in Firearm Homicides: Number and Percentage of All Firearm Homicides, 1974-1995

YEAR
Handgun
%

Rifle Shotgun

%
Other
%

All Firearm Homicide

1974

76 27 180 64 27 10 283
1975
 88 30 183 63 21 7 292
1976
 68 26 165 64 25 10 258
1977
 61 23 161 62 38 15 260
1978
 63 25 177 71 10 4 250
1979
 54 26 135 65 18 9 207
1980
 62 32 120 62 13 7 195
1981
 59 30 123 62 17 9 199
1982
 88 35 146 59 14 6 248
1983
 78 35 127 57 19 8 224
1984
 66 29 142 62 20 9 228
1985
 73 33 131 59 18 8 222
1986
 38 22 114 65 23 13 175
1987
 58 29 108 54 34 17 200
1988
 47 28 94 56 28 17 169
1989
 54 25 131 60 33 15 218
1990
 69 35 99 51 28 14 196
1991
 135 50 103 38 33 12 271
1992
 129 52 90 37 28 11 247
1993
 91 47 75 38 29 15 195
1994
 90 46 66 34 40 20 196
1995
 95 54 61 35 20 11 176

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: Homicide Survey (unpublished tables)



NOTE:
(1) Other firearms include fully automatic firearms, saw-off rifles and shotguns, and firearms of an unknown type.

Table 10. Gender of Homicide Victims: Number and Percentage of Firearm Homicide to All Homicides by Gender, 1974-1995

All Homicide
Firearm Homicide
Firearm as Percentage of All Homicides

Year
Male
Female
Male
Female
Male
Female

1974

376 224 196 87 52.1 38.8
1975
465 236 208 84 44.7 35.6
1976
436 232 181 77 41.5 33.2
1977
480 230 186 74 38.8 32.2
1978
446 215 186 64 41.7 29.8
1979
404 227 148 59 36.6 26.0
1980
386 206 138 57 35.8 27.7
1981
402 245 141 58 35.1 23.7
1982
447 220 168 80 37.6 36.4
1983
440 242 159 65 36.1 26.9
1984
435 232 163 65 37.5 28.0
1985
451 253 155 67 34.4 26.5
1986
364 203 111 64 30.5 31.5
1987
417 226 134 68 32.1 30.1
1988
374 202 123 46 32.9 22.8
1989
410 246 144 74 35.1 30.1
1990
423 237 150 46 35.5 19.4
1991
484 271 186 85 38.4 31.4
1992
487 245 178 69 36.6 28.2
1993
421 209 150 45 35.6 21.5
1994
396 199 157 39 39.6 19.6
1995
391 195 133 43 34.0 22.1

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: Homicide Survey (unpublished tables)



NOTE:
(1) The total numbers for males and females may not add up to the total number of homicide victims in Table 8 because the gender may be unknown in some cases.
(2) Example for the above data: In 1995, there were 391 male homicide victims; 133 were victims of firearm homicide, accounting for 34.0% of all male homicide victims.

Table 11. Age of Homicide Victims: Number of Firearm Homicide and Percentage of Firearm Homicide to All Homicides by Age Group, 1974-1995
Firearm Homicide
Firearm as Percentage of All Homicides

Year
<12
12-17
18-34
35-54
55+
<12
12-17
18-34
35-54
55+

1974

15 12 144 85 26 28.3 41.4 57.4 49.1 28.6
1975
9 14 166 81 21 18.8 32.6 53.5 41.5 20.4
1976
7 11 136 73 30 11.1 30.6 51.5 38.4 26.3
1977
5 18 146 68 22 8.3 52.9 47.4 34.9 19.5
1978
12 11 129 74 20 17.9 33.3 45.6 39.4 24.1
1979
5 11 109 60 22 8.5 27.5 39.9 37.0 23.2
1980
7 6 100 61 21 17.5 25.0 38.8 34.9 22.8
1981
9 16 92 65 17 16.1 34.8 35.4 34.4 17.9
1982
6 18 127 68 29 12.0 48.6 43.2 36.2 29.6
1983
7 6 108 76 27 12.3 21.4 37.9 36.9 26.0
1984
12 4 111 72 29 16.4 18.2 37.1 41.1 29.6
1985
6 11 116 63 26 10.3 33.3 36.8 30.3 28.9
1986
16 9 75 60 15 27.1 34.6 31.9 36.8 17.4
1987
8 8 92 76 18 17.4 30.8 33.7 41.3 15.7
1988
7 5 88 51 18 15.2 25.0 35.5 28.5 21.7
1989
6 15 113 58 26 12.0 41.7 40.6 31.7 23.9
1990
5 11 101 55 24 10.4 32.4 34.9 28.5 25.0
1991
11 10 132 89 29 23.4 27.8 41.5 37.2 25.0
1992
3 8 121 91 24 5.2 28.6 41.2 34.5 27.6
1993
3 7 94 74 17 6.5 31.8 33.2 37.6 20.7
1994
3 7 101 60 25 5.1 19.4 39.6 36.6 31.3
1995
7 7 73 72 17 13.5 33.3 34.6 33.3 20.0

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: Homicide Survey (unpublished tables)



NOTE:
(1) The total numbers for all age groups may not add up to the total number of homicide victims in Table 8 because the age may be unknown in some cases.
(2) Example for the above data: In 1995, there were 17 firearm homicide victims aged 55 and older, accounting for 20.0% of all homicide victims aged 55 and older.

Table 12. Robberies Involving Firearms and Other Weapons: Number, Rate (per 100,000 population) and Percentage of All Robberies, 1974-1995

YEAR

All Robbery

Rate

Firearm Robbery

Rate
%

Other Weapon

Rate
%

1974

16,955 74 5,861 26 34.6 2,809 12 16.6
1975
 21,299 92 8,962 39 42.1 3,503 15 16.4
1976
 20,050 85 7,908 34 39.4 3,371 14 16.8
1977
 19,491 82 7,507 32 38.5 3,350 14 17.2
1978
 19,673 82 7,203 30 36.6 3,338 14 17.0
1979
 20,899 86 7,439 31 35.6 3,806 16 18.2
1980
 24,581 100 8,594 35 35.0 4,763 19 19.4
1981
 26,292 106 9,040 36 34.4 5,455 22 20.7
1982
 27,257 108 8,954 36 32.9 6,161 24 22.6
1983
 24,274 95 7,505 29 30.9 5,789 23 23.8
1984
 23,310 91 6,886 27 29.5 5,826 23 25.0
1985
 22,752 88 6,789 26 29.8 5,578 22 24.5
1986
 23,268 89 6,710 26 28.8 6,183 24 26.6
1987
 22,523 85 5,960 22 26.5 5,772 22 25.6
1988
 24,249 90 6,086 23 25.1 6,705 25 27.7
1989
 25,709 94 6,442 24 25.1 7,472 27 29.1
1990
 28,051 101 7,414 27 26.4 7,743 28 27.6
1991
 33,225 118 8,995 32 27.1 9,430 34 28.4
1992
 33,186 116 8,726 31 26.3 10,796 38 32.5
1993
 29,961 104 8,044 28 26.8 9,719 34 32.4
1994
 28,888 99 7,371 25 25.5 9,336 32 32.3
1995
 30,273 102 6,692 23 22.1 10,136 34 33.5

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: Canadian Crime Statistics (Catalogue 85-205)



NOTE:
(1) Other weapons include all non-firearm weapons such as knives.

Table 13. Offensive Weapon Offences: Number and Rate (per 100,000 population), 1974-1995

YEAR

Prohibited Weapon
Restricted Weapon
Other Weapon

Explosives
TOTAL
Rate

1974

804 1,812 7,914 282 10,812 47
1975
 1,112 2,068 9,014 384 12,578 54
1976
 1,591 2,065 9,361 495 13,512 57
1977
 1,524 2,008 9,534 366 13,432 56
1978
 2,091 2,713 10,897 412 16,113 67
1979
 1,988 1,837 11,012 461 15,298 63
1980
 2,166 1,812 11,522 438 15,938 65
1981
 2,709 2,047 12,437 513 17,706 71
1982
 3,011 1,863 12,314 472 17,660 70
1983
 3,156 1,859 10,945 457 16,417 64
1984
 3,374 1,855 10,416 374 16,019 62
1985
 3,270 2,176 10,743 451 16,640 64
1986
 3,566 2,409 10,457 590 17,022 65
1987
 3,242 2,566 10,687 540 17,035 64
1988
 3,364 2,390 10,791 448 16,993 63
1989
 3,244 2,393 11,064 450 17,151 63
1990
 3,463 2,775 11,846 490 18,574 67
1991
 3,513 3,109 12,584 496 19,702 70
1992
 3,022 2,541 11,694 454 17,711 62
1993
 3,579 2,146 12,500 447 18,672 65
1994
 3,567 2,290 12,614 448 18,919 65
1995
 3,381 1,908 11,592 621 17,502 59

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: Canadian Crime Statistics (Catalogue 85-205)



NOTES:
(1) Prohibited weapon offences include carrying, pointing, or possessing prohibited weapons such as automatic firearms, silencers, or spring knives.
(2) Restricted weapon offences include carrying, pointing, or possessing restricted weapons without permits.
(3) Other weapon offences include carrying or pointing of non-restricted firearms, such as shotguns, rifles, and knives.
(4) Explosives include dangerous substances such as dynamite.

Table 14. Firearm Deaths: Number and Rate (per 100,000 population), 1970-1994

YEAR
Homicide
Suicide
Accident

Legal Interv.
Undetermined

TOTAL
Rate

1970

184 796 129 11 16 1,136 5.2
1971
 190 924 143 14 27 1,298 5.9
1972
 203 935 102 7 21 1,268 5.7
1973
 213 950 123 10 35 1,331 5.9
1974
 269 1,021 122 8 47 1,467 6.4
1975
 263 1,053 111 8 87 1,522 6.6
1976
 220 1,095 89 7 70 1,481 6.3
1977
 229 1,271 100 10 93 1,703 7.2
1978
 229 1,287 90 16 94 1,716 7.1
1979
 183 1,098 71 15 62 1,429 5.9
1980
 184 1,119 74 6 43 1,426 5.8
1981
 180 1,171 62 7 55 1,475 5.9
1982
 213 1,197 56 6 58 1,530 6.1
1983
 197 1,235 41 11 33 1,517 6.0
1984
 214 1,050 60 15 34 1,373 5.3
1985
 179 1,038 63 14 27 1,321 5.1
1986
 170 1,185 50 3 28 1,436 5.5
1987
 187 1,124 60 14 39 1,424 5.4
1988
 151 1,067 60 9 29 1,316 4.9
1989
 195 1,076 77 7 12 1,367 5.0
1990
 182 1,054 66 9 13 1,324 4.8
1991
 240 1,109 66 13 16 1,444 5.1
1992
 214 1,048 63 8 21 1,354 4.7
1993
 173 1,053 44 5 11 1,286 4.4
1994
 170 973 38 4 14 1,199 4.1

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: Causes of Death (Catalogue 84-208)



NOTES:
(1) Firearm deaths include the following groups in the publication:
Homicidal deaths E965 (excluding E965.5 to E965.9)
Suicides E955 (excluding E955.5)
Accidents E922
Legal intervention E970 (i.e., shot by police)
Undetermined E985 (excluding 985.5)
(2) The above data are based on provincial death registrations. Because coroners and doctors are normally more reluctant to classify a death as homicide than the police, numbers for homicides in this table are in most cases lower than the numbers in Table 8.

Table 15. Homicidal Deaths and Suicides Involving Firearms: Number and Percentage of All Homicidal Deaths and Suicides, 1970-1994
Homicidal Death
Suicide
YEAR
All
Firearm
%
All
Firearm
%

1970

421 184 43.7 2,413 796 33.0
1971
 458 190 41.5 2,559 924 36.1
1972
 505 203 40.2 2,657 935 35.2
1973
 529 213 40.3 2,773 950 34.3
1974
 543 269 49.5 2,902 1,021 35.2
1975
 604 263 43.5 2,808 1,053 37.5
1976
 556 220 39.6 2,935 1,095 37.3
1977
 597 229 38.4 3,317 1,271 38.3
1978
 570 229 40.2 3,475 1,287 37.0
1979
 583 183 31.4 3,357 1,098 32.7
1980
 495 184 37.2 3,358 1,119 33.3
1981
 560 180 32.1 3,403 1,171 34.4
1982
 592 213 36.0 3,523 1,197 34.0
1983
 592 197 33.3 3,755 1,235 32.9
1984
 580 214 36.9 3,440 1,050 30.5
1985
 537 179 33.3 3,259 1,038 31.9
1986
 513 170 33.1 3,670 1,185 32.3
1987
 565 187 33.1 3,594 1,124 31.3
1988
 487 151 31.0 3,510 1,067 30.4
1989
 552 195 35.3 3,492 1,076 30.8
1990
 554 182 32.9 3,379 1,054 31.2
1991
 622 240 38.6 3,593 1,109 30.9
1992
 597 214 35.8 3,709 1,048 28.3
1993
 526 173 32.9 3,803 1,053 27.7
1994
 498 170 34.1 3,749 973 26.0

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: Causes of Death (Catalogue 84-208)



NOTE:
(1) The above data are based on provincial death registrations as reported by coroners and doctors. Because coroners and doctors are normally more reluctant to classify a death as homicide than the police, numbers for homicides in this table are in most cases lower than the numbers in Table 8.

Table 16. Age of Suicide Victims: Number of Firearm Suicide and Percentage of Firearm Suicide to All Suicides by Age Group, 1974-1994
Firearm Suicide
Firearm as Percent of All Suicides

YEAR
0-14
15-34
35-54
55+
0-14
15-34
35-54
55+

1970

5 297 301 193 29.4 37.0 31.4 30.5
1971
 9 362 342 211 50.0 41.8 33.6 32.1
1972
 8 436 316 174 34.8 42.4 32.0 28.3
1973
 9 431 306 204 37.5 42.3 31.0 27.5
1974
 6 504 330 181 35.3 42.5 31.8 27.4
1975
 7 502 318 221 28.0 43.0 33.2 33.9
1976
 4 578 317 189 18.2 44.9 32.3 29.8
1977
 12 679 365 213 36.4 46.2 33.4 30.3
1978
 12 675 369 228 38.7 42.9 34.6 28.7
1979
 3 616 302 177 13.0 40.6 28.7 23.3
1980
 6 569 321 222 28.6 38.4 31.2 26.9
1981
 11 604 316 240 31.4 41.3 30.2 28.1
1982
 10 606 337 244 35.7 38.7 30.9 29.3
1983
 6 599 332 298 26.1 36.7 29.2 30.9
1984
 7 490 300 252 25.0 33.3 27.7 29.5
1985
 5 489 301 243 27.8 35.0 29.3 29.9
1986
 8 562 355 260 32.0 35.8 30.0 29.2
1987
 9 512 338 263 30.0 33.7 28.8 30.2
1988
 8 467 331 261 28.6 31.3 28.8 31.0
1989
 7 469 344 256 28.0 32.1 29.4 30.7
1990
 10 471 340 233 33.3 32.8 28.9 31.7
1991
 13 482 336 278 44.8 32.0 27.0 34.2
1992
 8 477 340 223 23.5 31.4 25.3 27.4
1993
 14 404 381 254 31.1 27.9 25.9 30.3
1994
 13 339 373 248 26.5 24.5 25.1 30.0

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: Causes of Death (Catalogue 84-208)



NOTE:
(1) The total numbers for all age groups may not add up to the total number of firearm suicides in Table 15 because the age may be unknown in some cases.
(2) Example for the above data: In 1994, there were 248 firearm suicide victims aged 55 and older, accounting for 30.0% of all suicide victims aged 55 and older.

Table 17. Hospitalization resulting from Firearm Injuries: Number and Rate (per 100,000 population), 1981/82 to 1991/92

FISCAL YEAR
Injured by Others
Injured by Self

Accident

Legal Intervent.
Undetermined

TOTAL
Rate

1981/82

111 280 877 13 224 1,505 6.0
1982/83
 124 275 753 23 181 1,356 5.4
1983/84
 148 304 731 11 200 1,394 5.5
1984/85
 163 288 723 16 205 1,395 5.4
1985/86
 157 325 636 11 179 1,308 5.0
1986/87
 157 292 677 18 155 1,299 5.0
1987/88
 153 312 609 15 163 1,252 4.7
1988/89
 153 291 602 15 149 1,210 4.5
1989/90
 145 321 597 12 172 1,247 4.6
1990/91
 208 264 581 19 145 1,217 4.4
1991/92
 269 326 564 13 139 1,311 4.7

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: Hospital Morbidity Survey (unpublished reports)



NOTES:
(1) The above data are releases (separations) from hospitals. They include the following groups:
Injured by others E965
Injured by self E955
Accident E922
Legal intervention E970 (i.e., shot by police)
Undetermined E985
(2) Data not available: Prince Edward Island, 1983/84 to 1985/86; New Brunswick, 1988/89 to 1991/92
(3) The above total includes injuries resulted from explosives which account for about 10 to 15 cases per year.
(4) For 1981/82 and 1982/83, data from British Columbia only include firearm accidents. It is estimated that the Canadian totals for those two years were about 110 cases higher than shown in the table (including 50 injuries by others, 30 injuries by self, and 30 with undetermined causes).

APPENDIX. Summary Information from the 1991 Firearms Survey
When was the survey conducted?

It was conducted in February 1991 by the Angus Reid Group for the Department of Justice. About 10,000 households were selected at random from across Canada for telephone interview.

How many firearms are there in private households?

Based on the survey, there were 3.1 million rifles and 2.3 million shotguns. Based on data from the Firearms Registration and Administration Section of the RCMP, there were 1 million handguns.

How many households own firearms?

2.2 million private households owned one or more firearms, accounting for almost one quarter (23%) of all private households in Canada.

Are there regional variations in firearm ownership?

Firearm ownership was highest in the Territories (Yukon and Northwest Territories) where 67% of all households own one or more firearms. Among the provinces, firearm ownership ranged from a high of 39% in Alberta to a low of 15% in Ontario.

Territories
67%
Alberta
39%
New Brunswick
35%
Saskatchewan
32%
Newfoundland
32%
Nova Scotia
31%
Manitoba
28%
British Columbia
24%
Quebec
23%
Prince Edward Island
20%
Ontario
15%


How many firearms are there per household?

There were 2.7 firearms per firearm owning household. More than half (60%) of firearm owning households owned only one to two firearms while 10% or 220,000 households own seven or more firearms.

How many of the firearms are semi-automatic?

Over one-fifth (22%) or 1.3 million firearms were semi-automatic.
  Among rifle owning households, 24% had one or more semi-automatic rifles.
  Among shotgun owning households, 17% had one or more semi-automatic shotguns.
  Among handgun owning households, 36% had one or more semi-automatic handguns.

What are the main reasons for owning firearms?

Two-thirds (67%) of firearm owning households cited hunting as the main reason for owning firearms, followed by collection (13%), target shooting (12%), employment (2%), and protection (1%). Hunting was cited as the predominant reason for owning rifles and shotguns; target shooting and collection were cited as the predominant reason for owning handguns.

How often are the firearms used?

One half (50%) of firearm owning households reported using their firearms in the previous 12 months.

What proportion have safety instruction?

About one half (49%) of firearm owning households reported taking some firearm safety instructions in the past 5 years. In the 1976 Firearms Survey, 52% of firearm users received some formal instructions, 24% received some non-formal inst ructions, while 24% received no instructions.

Who are the firearm owners?

  Gender: 86% male
  Age: 46% middle aged (35 to 54 years of age)
  Education: 55% with high school or less; 15% university graduates
  Occupation: 33% blue collar workers; 18% professionals
  Income: 45% with household income of $40,000 or more

C.L. September 13, 1996