Gun deaths cut in half, Statistics Canada says

[applegrove]

Last Updated Tue, 28 Jun 2005 20:55:08 EDT
CBC News
The risk of death by gunshot has been cut in half in Canada and is far smaller than in the United States, Statistics Canada says.


"Guns seized by Toronto police in February 2005.
In a study issued on Monday, the federal agency notes that Canadian gun-control laws have been stiffened in recent decades and gun registration has been made compulsory, but it draws no conclusions about the cause of the falling death toll.

It says that 816 people — 767 males and 49 females — died of firearms-related injuries in Canada in 2002, the most recent year examined in the study. This represented 2.6 deaths per 100,000 population, down from 5.9 per 100,000 in 1979, it said.

Among males, the 2002 rate was 4.9 deaths per 100,000, down from 10.6 in 1979. Among females, it was 0.3, down from 1.2.

In a cross-border .... "

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http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/06/28/gun-deaths050628.html


Related Story: How our gun control works.

A closer look at the Firearms Act

Justin Thompson, CBC News Online | Updated January 7, 2004


"Canada's Firearms Act is being implemented in two phases. The first phase, already complete, was aimed at registering and licensing all firearm owners by January 1, 2001. As of November 23, 2002, a total of 1,897,161 of Canada's estimated three million gun owners were licensed.

These licences come in different forms. Here is the breakdown:

Possession of Firearm Without Certificate
Subsections 91(1) and 92(1) of the new Part III of the Criminal Code create offences for the possession of a firearm without being the holder of a licence and registration certificate. Someone charged under subsection 91(1) could be prosecuted summarily or on indictment. If the latter, the maximum penalty would be imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

Section 92 is aimed at particularly serious fact situations such as premeditated criminal activities, organized crime or possession of a large number of unregistered guns, possibly for the purposes of underground trade in firearms or criminal motorcycle gang wars.

A conviction under subsection 92(1) is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment for a first offence, to a minimum term of imprisonment of one year for a second offence, and to a minimum term of imprisonment of two years less a day for a subsequent offence.

There is also a summary conviction offence under section 112 of the Firearms Act in the case of a first-time offender who inadvertently fails to register a long gun. The offence applies only where the accused is a first-time offender and the firearm is a long gun. The offence is punishable by up to $2,000 and/or six months in prison.


From Canadian Firearms Centre


Possession-Only (POL)
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Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL)
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Minor's Licence (ML)
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http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/guncontrol/act.html