GUN CONTROL WORKS Gun Death and Injury Declines In spite of the recent increase in gang violence with

illegal handguns in Canadian cities such as Toronto, the fact is that overall in the country, firearm crime, death and injury have declined significantly. Gun violence, like cancer, takes many forms and requires integrated solutions. Gang violence with guns is very different from domestic violence with guns. Regrettably there are no easy solutions. Appropriate strategies must begin with a careful and fact-based analysis of the problem. Gang related homicides and crimes are only one part of the problem associated with the misuse of firearms. Incidence of domestic violence with firearms are also important, so is the misuse of guns by legal owners. The last police officer shot in Toronto was shot by a disturbed man with a legally owned shotgun. John OKeefe, an innocent bystander walking home on Torontos Yonge st. in January 2008 was shot by a young gun club member. Daniel Tessier, a Laval (Quebec) police officer, was shot and killed while on duty by a legal handgun owner who had failed to report his change of address in March 2007. In October 2006, Mila Yoynova and her two daughters, Iva, 17, and Alice, 10, were killed by her husband with a legally owned handgun in Beaconsfield (Quebec). Anastasia de Sousa was killed at Montreals Dawson College in 2006 by a legal gun owner and gun club member armed with a semi-automatic rifle. Canadian Trends National homicide and firearm homicide rates are much lower than they were in 1991 when controls on rifles and shotguns were first introduced. The firearm homicide rate is down by 40% while the homicide rate without guns is down only 28%. The rate of homicides with rifles and shotguns and the rate of women murdered with guns have plummeted. Both the 1991 and 1995 focused on strengthening controls on rifles and shotguns. The rate of homicides with rifles and shotguns have decreased by 70% since 1991. Homicides with handguns remain relatively constant because many illegal handguns are smuggled and less affected by national laws. The number and rate of firearm deaths have decreased since 1991. Domestic homicides with firearms, suicide with firearms and robberies with firearms have also declined dramatically over the last decade.

Total Firearm Homicide Rates, Rifle and Shotgun Homicide Rates, and Handgun Homicide Rates in Canada 1976 to 2006

Firearm Death and Crime Statistics 1991-Now Year Total firearm deaths Number Rate per 100,000 Homicides with guns Number Rate per 100,000 Homicides with rifles & shotguns Number Rate per 100,000 Homicides of women with firearms Number Rate per 100,000 Robberies with firearms Number Rate per 100,000 1991 1444 5.2 271 0.97 103 0.37 85 0.6 8995 32 1995 1125 3.8 176 0.6 61 0.21 43 0.29 6692 23 Latest 2003 792 2.5 2006 190 0.58 2006 36 0.11 2004 32 0.2 2007 3281 10 Change -45% -51% -30% -40% -66% -70% -62% -67% -63% -68%

Comparison with the United States While rates of crime without guns are at similar levels, rates of crime with guns are dramatically higher in the US.

Canada versus the US Comparison

C om paraison C anada-U s (H om icide 2006)

6 Rate per 100,000 5 4 3 2 1 0 T otal hom icide H om icide w ith firearm s H om icide w ithout firearm s

US C anada

Com paraison Canada-US (Robbery 2006)

160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Total R obbery R obbery with firearm s Robbery without firearm s

Rate per 100,000

US C anada

Source: US Department of Justice, 2006 Crime statistics, Expanded Homicide Data, September 2007. Table 10 and 15. Warren Silver. Crime Statistics in Canada 2006, Statistics Canada. Juristat, vol. 27, no. 5, July 2007. Geoffrey Li. Homicide in Canada 2006, Statistics Canada. Juristat, vol. 27, no. 8, October 2007.