CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Gun Control
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Telling the Emperor he has no clothes
Political marketing
Gun control
Academic freedom
The NRA and methodology
September 11th opened eyes
Terrorists, not gun owners
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Myth Number 1
• Criminal violence
means guns.
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Criminal violence means guns?
Violent Crimes (1994)
• Homicide
• Attempted murder
• Assault
[3%]
• Sexual Assault
• Other sexual offences
• Abduction
• Robbery
• Total violent crimes
[6% of
TOTAL
WITH FIREARMS
596
918
236,364
196 [32%]
306 [33%]
5,959
31,690
3,812
1,130
28,888
303,398
50 [< 1%]
0
0
7,371 [26%]
18,204
violent crimes]
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Criminal violence means guns?
Total deaths with firearms
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100%
Suicide with firearm
Murder with firearm
Firearm accident
Legal intervention
1,031
818 79%
159 15%
45
5%
9
1%
1997 statistics
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Criminal violence means guns?
Suicides (1997)
• Total suicides
• Firearms
3,671
818 [22%]
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Criminal violence means guns?
Accidental Deaths (1997)
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Total accidental deaths
Motor vehicles
Falls
Surgical/medical
misadventures
• Firearms
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
8,801
3,042
2,622
193
45 [1%]
Myth Number 2
• Women are the victims of gun
violence.
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Women are the victims?
Homicide in Canada (1994)
• Total homicides
– Involving a firearm
596
196 [32%]
• Victims
– Male
– Female
398 [66%]
198 [33%]
• Spousal homicides
– Women killed by conjugal intimate
– Women killed by conjugal intimate w/firearm
85
65
24
Source: Special request, Senator Anne Cools, her testimony to The Supreme Court of Canada
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Women are the victims?
Homicide in Canada (1999)
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Total
– Involving a firearm
– Committed during another criminal offence152
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165 [30%]
Victims
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536
Male
Female
Consumed alcohol/drugs
Known criminal record
67%
33%
38%
41%
Accused
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Consumed alcohol/drugs
Known criminal record
Previous conviction for violent offence
Known history of spousal violence
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
50%
62%
60%
74%
Myth Number 3
• Gun ownership
leads to violence
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Gun ownership
violence?
Household Ownership of Firearms
CITY/TOWN SIZE
• Over 500,000
• 10,000 – 499,999
• Under 10,000
HANDGUN
FIREARM
1%
4%
6%
11%
24%
44%
Source: Mauser and Buckner (1995)
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Gun ownership
violence?
Regional Variations in Violent Crimes
(1994)
• Total violent crimes
• Involving firearms
• Percent
CANADA
RURAL
URBAN
95,993
5,929
6.2%
9,740
370
3.8%
86,253
5,559
6.4%
Source:special request, Stats Can Incident-Based Survey [1995].
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Gun ownership
violence?
Urban and Rural Firearm Deaths
in Canada (1991)
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CITY/TOWN SIZE
HOMICIDE RATES
Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver
50,000 +
49,999 – 10,000
9,999 – 1,000
2.64
2.15
2.06
1.68
• Less than 1,000
2.32
Source: Canadian Firearms Centre Report, Urban and Rural Firearm Deaths in Canada
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Myth Number 4
• Guns are not used in
self-defence in Canada
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Guns used in self-defence?
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Myth Number 5
• Gun control
keeps us safe.
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Gun control keeps us safe?
Trends in
handgun
homicides in
Canada
(rates as
percent of
gun
homicides
and total
homicides)
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Gun control keeps us safe?
History of gun law in Canada
• 1935
– handguns registered
• 1977
– required a police permit to purchase a firearm [Firearms Acquisition
Certificate]
– ban a large variety of weapons, including fully automatic firearms
– eliminated protection of property as a legitimate reason for
registering handguns
– introduced penalty for “unsafe storage” of firearms
– introduced requirements for Firearms and
Ammunition Business Permits
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Gun control keeps us safe?
• 1991
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registration of semi-automatic military-style rifles
ban of converted automatic rifles
ban of high-capacity magazines
ban of “non-sporting” ammunition
new FAC requirements: applicants have to:
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complete the firearm safety course,
Fill out the long application form (35 questions),
provide a passport-type photograph
obtain two references (one a wife or spouse)
mandatory 28-day waiting period
– increased regulations for firearms dealers
– specific regulations for safe storage, handling and
transportation of firearms
– introduction of firearm safety course for FAC applicants
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Gun control keeps us safe?
• 1995
– prohibition and confiscation of over half of all registered
handguns (so called “Saturday Night Specials”)
– introduction of firearms owners licences
– POL – Possession Only Licence
– PAL – Possession and Acquisition Licence
– new requirements for PAL: applicants have to:
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have separate rifle and handgun safety courses
fill out the long application form (35 questions)
provide a passport-type photograph
obtain two references (Plus spouse or former spouse)
– new stricter regulations for safe storage, handling
and transportation of firearms
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Gun control keeps us safe?
• 1995 (continued)
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regulation of shooting clubs, shooting ranges, and gun shows
new regulations for export and import of firearms
broadening of police powers of “search and seizure”
suspects of Firearms Act required to testify against themselves
licensing of firearm owners
• January 2003
– All firearms required to be registered
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Gun control keeps us safe?
• Brief Summary of Evaluation Studies of
Canadian Firearms Legislation
Dependent
Variable
Significant
Effect
– Scarff (1983)
Homicide rate
Yes
– Sproule and Kennett (1988)
Homicide rate
No
– Mundt (1990)
Homicide rate
No
– Mundt (1990)
Armed robbery rate
No
– Mauser and Holmes (1992)
Homicide rate
No
– Mauser and Maki (1998)
Armed robbery rate
No
– Department of Justice (1996)
Homicide rate
Yes
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Gun control keeps us safe?
Evaluating
1977
Canadian
Gun
Legislation:
Homicide
Rate
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Gun control keeps us safe?
Evaluating 1977
Canadian Gun
Legislation:
Robbery, Armed
Robbery, and
Robbery with
Firearm
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
US vs. Canada Comparison
Sources: Juristat, "Homicide in 1992" vol.14, No 4.
Crime in the United States1992, FBI
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Gun control keeps us safe?
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Gun control keeps us safe?
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Gun control keeps us safe?
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Gun control keeps us safe?
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.
Conclusions
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Ready, aim, fire
Fire, aim, ready
Fear and freedom
Cultural diversity
Thanks to Nora and Ted Sterling
CONTROVERSY: Will gun control make us safe? Debunking the myths.