Violent Gun Crime Is on the Rise in Canada

Firearm-related crimes are on the rise in Canada after falling steadily for years, according to a new report.

The survey put out by Statistics Canada compared rates of firearm crimes between 2009 to 2014, and 2015 to 2020. The report also shows that between 2009 and 2013, firearm-related violent crimes dropped from 29 to 19 per 100,000 people, but returned back to 29 by 2020. Handguns were the most used weapons in these crimes for both periods, sitting at 59 percent. 

Also in 2020, there were 8,344 victims of a crime where a firearm was present, which represents 2.8 percent of all violent crime victims in Canada that year. 

The findings also show that gun violence is higher in rural areas than in urban centres in most provinces, which StatCan says may be due to higher rates of firearm ownership in rural communities.

The Canadian cities with the highest rates of violent crime where a firearm was present in 2020 were Regina, Brantford, ON, Toronto, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, and Windsor, ON.

Overall, 25 percent of violent crimes perpetrated against female victims were committed by a current or former partner, contrasting the 2.2 percent of male victims to domestic violence involving guns.

This report comes on the tails of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, as well as the federal government’s plan to table new firearms legislation on Monday. While it’s not yet known what measures will be presented, the Liberals have a few outstanding gun-control measures they have yet to bring to Parliament. 

Read the whole report of the Statistics Canada website.