After declining for several years, the rate of violent gun crimes is rising in Canada, most of which include guns, according to a recent Statistics Canada report.
Published on Friday, the report compares cases of violent firearms-related crimes over two periods, ranging from 2009 to 2014 and 2015 to 2020.
The report shows that the rate of violent crimes related to firearms in 2009 was 29 per 100,000 people. That number dropped to 19 in 2013, as violent crime also fell overall before returning to 29 in 2020.
In 2020, police reported 8,344 victims of gun crime, representing 2.8% of all victims of violent crime in Canada in the same year.
Pistols remain the most serious weapon used in most violent gun crimes in Canada – 59 percent.
This was the case for both periods analyzed by StatCan, which, according to the federal agency, means that pistols do not disproportionately contribute to the overall growth of firearms crimes.
What has changed, however, is the type of violent firearms crime reported by police, namely the deliberate firing of firearms, the targeting of firearms and the use of firearms as a felony, the report said.
The number of victims of these crimes has increased from eight percent of all violent firearms-related crimes in 2009 to 21 percent in 2019 and 22 percent in 2020.
The report comes after a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uwalde, Texas last week that killed 19 children and two teachers. The federal government also plans to introduce new legislation on firearms on Monday.
It remains to be seen what exactly will be in the bill, but a number of arms control measures promised by the Liberals remain unfulfilled, including the federal government’s program to buy back banned firearms.
GAPS IN DATA
Despite the figures, StatCan points out that there are gaps in its reporting.
“It is important to recognize that there are limitations in our knowledge of the firearms used in crime,” the report said.
One of those omissions is the limited information gathered on the details of certain firearms, such as their exact type, who owned them, how they were stored or whether the owner was licensed, the agency said.
There is also no consistent definition of shooting among police officers in Canada, nor are there consistent criteria for determining whether the shooting actually occurred.
In addition, there are gaps in the nature of gun violence in Canada, including the extent to which organized crime is involved and whether there are any patterns of ethnicity, indigenous identity, except in the case of homicide data, and socially related -economic factors.
The provinces also do not require investigators to send weapons used in crime for tracking, although even this process has varying degrees of success, StatCan said.
“It is of particular concern that little information is currently available to determine the source of the firearms used in the crime: for example, whether the weapons used in the crime were stolen, illegally purchased or smuggled into the country,” the report said. .
“This information is sometimes not recorded by the police, it is recorded inconsistently, or in some cases the information is simply not available.”
HAND SCRATCHES
The majority of violent crimes related to firearms in 2020 are robberies, 29 percent, or serious assault, 23 percent.
Weapons are more commonly used in urban areas, where they account for 63% of violent gun crimes in 2020.
Meanwhile, rifles and shotguns are more commonly used in rural areas, including 46% in rural south and 39% in rural northern areas.
In 2020, pistols account for 75% of all firearms robberies. Weapons also accounted for 60% of homicides, other offenses resulting in death and attempted murder with a firearm, and 54% of sexual offenses involving firearms.
Weapons such as firearms, such as pellets or flares, account for 23 percent of all violent gun crimes in Canada in 2020.
Police reported 743 homicide victims in Canada in 2020 at a rate of 1.95 per 100,000 people.
Of these, 277 cases involved firearms at a rate of 0.73 homicides per 100,000 people.
The share of homicides with firearms has increased from 26% in 2013 to 37% in 2020.
Gang activity was confirmed or suspected in 39% of all firearms-related homicides in 2020. Overall, gang-related homicides involving firearms fell from 20% of all homicides in 2019 to 14% in 2020
CITIES WITH THE HIGHEST PRICES
The cities with the highest rates of violent crime, where there were firearms in 2020, are Regina, Brantford, Ont., Toronto, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Windsor, Ont.
While Toronto reports a relatively low rate of violent gun crimes, StatCan says it still accounts for a relatively high proportion of all violent crimes.
The way in which the police report information about the victims will also affect the results. StatCan says the Toronto Police Department, for example, has made improvements to its reporting system, which partly explains the increase seen in the city in 2015.
The rate of violent firearms in 2020 was higher in rural areas than in urban centers in most provinces, which StatCan says may be due to higher levels of firearms ownership in rural areas. communities where hunting or farming may be required.
The mass shooting in 2020 in Nova Scotia, which killed 22 people, also affected the killing rate in the province and nationally.
VICTIMS AND PERPETRATORS
Men make up two-thirds of all victims of violent gun crimes in 2020.
Most men victims of violent firearms crimes do not know the perpetrator – 55 percent, compared to 41 percent of women victims.
This is largely the case in urban areas, with victims in rural communities being more likely to report knowing the perpetrator.
Among women victims of violent gun crimes, the current or ex-spouse or other intimate partner is responsible for one in four cases, compared to 2.2% of cases involving male victims.
The majority of violent gun-related crimes involving the victim have been uncovered, with at least one indictee identified. This is more likely in rural north and south, 83 and 72 percent, respectively, compared to 54 percent in urban areas.
In 2020, 5,955 people were charged with firearms crimes. 87 percent of them are men.
The percentage of violent crimes related to firearms is highest among young men between the ages of 18 and 24, with 110 accused per 100,000 people, and those between the ages of 12 and 17, with 75 per 100,000 people.
With files from CTVNews.ca online policy producer Rachel Ayelo
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