Overall, most victims of violent crime were not injured, and very few violent crime injuries were caused by firearms. In 2020, nearly 122,000 victims of violent crime were injured as a result of their victimization; Of these, nearly 2,000 (1.6%) had firearm-related injuries. Victims of firearm-related violent crime were more likely to be male. In 2020, male victims accounted for two-thirds (67%) of victims of firearm-related violent crime (Table 11). In comparison, among victims of non-firearm-related violent crime, 46% were male and 54% were female. In rural areas, victims of gun crime were more likely to be women (39% in rural southern and northern rural areas) than in urban areas (31%). In 2020, when this information was reported, 6% of firearm-related violent crime was identified by police as confirmed or suspected by a criminal organization or street gang and in favour of a criminal organization or street gang. In these cases, most (75%) of the victims involved were male. It should be noted that among male and female victims of firearm-related violent crime, the proportion of IPV was higher in 2020 than in previous years. In particular, the proportional increase between 2019 and 2020 was the result of an increase in the number of victims of spousal violence combined with a decrease in the number of victims when the perpetrator was a stranger, possibly due to pandemic-related restrictions. Over the six-year period from 2009 to 2014, 18% of female and 1.6% of male victims of firearm-related violent crime were victims of spousal violence.

On average, between 2015 and 2020, 22% of women and 1.7% of male victims of firearm-related violent crime were victims of spousal violence. Among victims of firearm-related violent crime who were injured or died, the majority (71%) of injuries were caused by a firearm. Among victims who did not have a firearm, the most common cause of injury or death was physical abuse (73% of injured victims). Even among victims of gun crime who sustained a minor injury that did not require medical attention, the majority (61%) were caused by a firearm. Of the 8% of victims who sustained a serious injury requiring medical attention, 85% suffered firearm-related injuries. Almost all deaths (99%) in firearm-related violent crime were caused by a firearm. In 18% of these incidents, no information about the victim was provided by police. As a result, this section may not be representative of persons accused of firearms-related crime based on victim records presented earlier in this report.

In addition, the information in this section is based on the most serious breach reported in the incident, which may or may not be a privacy breach against specific victims in that case. More recently, researchers have sought more information on the type of firearms used in crime or other incidents reported to police (Axon & Moyer, 1994; Daniel Antonowicz Consulting, 1997; Don, 1995; Department of Justice Canada, 1995b). The information is limited to incidents where firearms have been seized by police, and these represent only a small proportion of all incidents involving firearms. These offences account for 54% of the difference in rate change and 43% of the increase in the number of offences. Among all non-firearms crimes were homicide and other offences resulting in death and attempted murder (45% in 2020 combined) and robbery (18% in 2020; Table 5). In addition, firearms, like firearm-related violent crime as a whole, have become more common in these crimes. The proportion of homicides and other homicides resulting in death and attempted murder committed with a firearm increased from 36% of victims of these crimes between 2009 and 2014 to 43% between 2015 and 2020. In robbery, the proportion of firearms increased from 14% to 19%. There was little change in larger attacks (3.2% to 3.3%). Other firearm-like weapons, such as pellet guns or flares or an unknown type of firearm, accounted for 23% of firearm-related violent crime in Canada in 2020.

They were also proportionally more common in the rural south (29%) and rural north (32%) than in urban areas (20%). Between 2009 and 2014 and between 2015 and 2020, rates of firearm-related crime increased by 6% in urban areas, 4% in rural southern areas and 26% in rural northern areas. Much of the information and analysis on this site is based on our original research. Most government documents focus solely on crime and contain almost no data or statistics on the legal use of firearms. “It`s very similar in Alberta and Manitoba, a lot of these guns come from burglaries – the work we need to do there is to educate people beyond safe storage, not to steal these guns from a farm and then convert them and use them in crimes.” It is legal for you to possess certain firearms “if” you take the required courses, pass the required tests, and obtain the necessary permits and documents. Between 2009 and 2014, half (50%) of those charged with firearms in Canada were young men (aged 12 to 24), compared to 43% between 2015 and 2020. In non-firearm-related violent crimes, young men accounted for 27% of accused between 2009 and 2014 and 22% thereafter. Over time, these proportions have declined in part due to an overall decline in juvenile delinquency over this period. Several authors have noted that a lack of international cooperation can weaken national efforts to control illicit access to firearms (Goldring, 1997).

Some national firearms regulations can even cause international problems. For example, if certain firearms are banned in a country where there is no way to destroy them, this can result in a surplus of those firearms in the legal or illegal international firearms market. The United Nations has noted that effective regulation of the availability of firearms requires a close link between national and international efforts (1997a; 1998). In 2020, historically trendy violence accounted for about one in five crimes brought to the attention of police. Firearm-related violent crime generally accounts for less than 3% of police-reported violent crime in Canada. Nevertheless, it has significant emotional and physical effects on victims, families and communities.