Statistics Canada Report on Firearms and Violent Crime

A new Statistics Canada article in the publication Juristat looks at the prevalence of firearm-related violent crime in Canada. 

Recent trends in firearm-related violent crime are presented at the national, provincial/territorial and census metropolitan area levels as well as for urban and rural regions:

"Firearm-related violent crime represents a small proportion of crimes in Canada, among both police-reported crime and crimes reported by Canadians in victimization surveys. However, firearm-related violent crimes represent a larger share of the most serious crimes—such as homicide, attempted murder, robbery and aggravated assault—and gang-related crime."

"Firearm-related violent crime can have major detrimental impacts on the affected persons and communities. These of course include the physical injuries, often more serious or lethal compared to crimes committed with other types of weapons. Exposure to firearm-related violence is also known to impact mental health (...) These physical injuries and the impacts on mental health can result in significant costs for the healthcare system. In addition, firearm-related crime can adversely affect the perception of crime and safety, particularly because of the extensive media coverage that these incidents sometimes receive. Further, it has been established that an increase in or high level of firearm-related crime can have a negative impact on a community’s economy and well-being (...)"

"As a result, firearm-related violent crime remains a major concern in terms of public safety and justice, and the challenges associated with gun control regularly fuel public debate. Over the past few years, various legislative changes, funding mechanisms, and programs aimed at reducing and preventing this type of crime have been proposed or implemented (...)"

"Using data from the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey and the Homicide Survey, this Juristat article examines the latest trends in firearm-related violent crime, as well as certain characteristics of these incidents, the victims and the accused persons."