Legally registered firearms rarely used to commit criminal acts

By LegalMatters Staff • Legitimate firearm owners have long argued that gun control legislation singles out them instead of criminals using unregistered weapons. A recent Statistics Canada report confirms that position

“Among homicides where information was available, the accused had a licence in only 13 per cent (16 out of 119 homicides) involving handguns and 12 per cent (seven out of 59) involving rifles or shotguns,” states Firearms and Violent Crime in Canada, 2022.

“This should be a wake-up call for the federal government, which has been unfairly targeting legitimate firearm owners through gun control legislation,” says Calgary criminal lawyer Greg Dunn.

He notes the StatsCan report found that the rate of firearm-related violent crime in Canada reached a 14-year high in 2022, with police services reporting nearly 14,000 firearm-related violent crimes..

“That number may sound significant but it only represents 2.8 per cent of all violent crimes reported by the police that year,” says Dunn. “We can all agree that Canada has a gun-crime problem. But who is to blame for that? The report exonerates registered firearms owners.”

He points to a section of the report that states, “The firearms used in homicides were rarely legal firearms used by their legal owners who were in good standing.”

Dunn says lawful gun owners are already under tremendous scrutiny, with the vast majority meticulously adhering to existing and rigorous firearms regulations.

“They understand that firearm ownership is a fragile privilege in this country. That’s why they are extremely careful about how they purchase, store and use a weapon,” he says.