Juristat
Firearms and violent crime in Canada, 2023

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While firearm-related violent crime represents a small proportion of crime in Canada, it accounts for a disproportionate share of more severe violent crime, organized crime and gang-related crime. Firearm-related violence continues to receive considerable media and public attention. There is ongoing and growing concern and dialogue about firearms and the threat they pose to public safety.

In recent years, amendments have been made to the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act (Public Safety Canada, 2022). Former Bill C-21, An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms), received Royal Assent on December 15, 2023 (Public Safety Canada, 2024; Public Safety Canada, 2023b). As part of the federal strategy to address gun violence and strengthen gun control in Canada, Bill C-21 codified the national “freeze” on handguns. The freeze prohibits the sale, purchase and transfer of handguns by individuals in Canada, and it prohibits newly acquired handguns being brought into Canada. The Bill included measures to address unlawfully manufactured firearms (untraceable firearms commonly referred to as “ghost guns”), and unlawfully manufactured firearms were added to the definition of “prohibited firearm.” Manufacturing firearms without the appropriate licence issued under the Firearms Act is illegal and individuals can be charged with a criminal offence. The Bill also created new offences for possessing or distributing computer data for use in a 3D printer or other system for the purpose of manufacturing or trafficking a firearm or prohibited device. In addition, the Bill increased the maximum penalties for certain firearms offences (e.g., smuggling and trafficking offences) from 10 to 14 years.

To inform decision-making about firearm policies, programs and enforcement, the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics at Statistics Canada has collaborated with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and police services across the country to expand and improve data collection about firearms and crime in Canada.

Using data from the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey and the Homicide Survey, this Juristat presents an update to the article “Firearms and violent crime in Canada, 2022,” released in early 2024. The current article provides the latest available data on police-reported violent crimes involving firearms, including information on firearm-related violent crime in 2023 and changes observed since 2022.^Note 

This article was produced with funding support from Public Safety Canada.

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Section 1: Firearm-related violent crime

After reaching 14-year high in 2022, firearm-related violent crime declines in 2023

According to police data, the rate of firearm-related violent crime was 36.9 incidents per 100,000 population in 2023, much lower than violent crime involving another type of weapon (254), such as a knife or club, and violent crime involving no weapon (1,080) (Table 1).^Note  A firearm was present for 2.6% of incidents of violent crime in Canada. Firearms (2.8% excluding the province of Quebec) were less common than knives or piercing or cutting instruments (6.0%) but more common than burning liquids or caustic agents (2.5%) and clubs or blunt instruments (2.3%).^Note 

There were 14,416 incidents of firearm-related violent crime in 2023, including violent crime where a firearm was present, and the firearm-specific violations of discharging a firearm with intent, using a firearm in the commission of an offence and pointing a firearm. This reflected 176 more incidents of firearm-related violent crime than in 2022. However, accounting for population size over time, the rate of firearm-related violent crime was 36.9 incidents per 100,000 population in 2023, marking a decline of 1.7% from 2022, when the incident rate reached a 14-year high (Chart 1).^Note  In contrast, the incident rate for overall violent crime increased 4.0% between 2022 and 2023.^Note 

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In 2018, revisions were implemented to the UCR Survey—namely, a new definition of “founded” crime was introduced (see Text box 3). Since then, incidents of firearm-related violent crime increased 22% (from 30.2 incidents per 100,000 population to 36.9), while overall violent crime increased 25% (from 1,117 to 1,397).^Note 

In 2013—prior to UCR Survey revisions—the rate of firearm-related violent crime was 23.7 incidents per 100,000 population, marking an increase of 55% in 2023. In comparison, the rate of overall violent crime was 1,075 incidents per 100,000 population in 2013. While 2023 also marked an increase for overall violent crime, the rise was relatively smaller (+30%) compared to firearm-related violent crime.^Note 

Firearm-related violent crime declines in provincial urban south, but rises in all other regions

The prevalence of firearm-related violent crime differs widely by geographic location, both across provinces and territories, and between urban and rural regions. For analysis of police-reported data, urban police services are those where the majority of the population lives in a census metropolitan area (CMA) or a census agglomeration (CA). Rural police services are those where the majority of the population lives outside of a CMA or a CA.^Note 

In 2023, the rate of firearm-related violent crime in the territories was 180 incidents per 100,000 population—the highest of any region in Canada. In comparison, in the provinces, the rate of firearm-related violent crime was 165 in the rural north and 45.3 in the urban north, while the rate was 40.6 in the rural south and 32.0 in the urban south (Table-2a).^Note  This pattern was similar for violent crime overall, with rates highest in the territories (9,789), the provincial rural north (4,722) and the provincial urban north (2,236), and lowest in the provincial rural south (1,485) and the provincial urban south (1,226).

Firearm-related violent crime is often considered an urban phenomenon. While the rate of firearm-related violent crime was lowest in the provincial urban south in 2023, seven in ten (71%) such incidents occurred in that region, and a further 4.0% occurred in the provincial urban north (Table 2-a). For reference, the large majority (84%) of the population lived in provincial urban areas in Canada in 2023 (Statistics Canada, 2024b).

Compared to 2022, the rate of firearm-related violent crime decreased in the provincial urban south (-6.5%) in 2023, driving the decrease in the overall rate (Chart 2; Table 2-b). All other regions had increases, with the largest in the provincial rural south (+19%) and the provincial urban north (+13%). Rates also increased in the territories (+9.4%) and the provincial rural north (+6.5%). It should be noted that changes in the number of incidents have a greater impact on the rate where the population is smaller. For instance, there were 23 more incidents of firearm-related violent crime in the territories and 98 more incidents in the provincial rural north in 2023 compared to 2022 (Table 2-a). However, after accounting for the population in these regions, the rate increase was larger in the territories than the provincial rural north.

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Firearm-related violent crime was higher in 2023 than in 2018 for each of these regions, although the size of the increases differed. The rate of firearm-related violent crime increased 92% in the provincial rural north during this period (Table 2-b).^Note  The next largest increase was in the provincial rural south (+66%), followed by the territories (+48%), the provincial urban north (+39%) and the provincial urban south (+10%).^Note  Rates of firearm-related violent crime had even larger increases in each region between 2013 and 2023.

While the territories had the highest regional rate of firearm-related violent crime in 2023, they had the lowest proportion of violent incidents where a firearm was present (1.8%) (Table 2-a). The provincial rural north had the highest proportion of violent crime that was firearm-related (3.5%). The provincial urban north had the lowest proportion of violent crime that was firearm-related (2.0%), followed by the urban south (2.6%) and the rural south (2.7%).

Rates of firearm-related violent crime highest in the territories and the Prairies

Similar to previous trends (Perreault, 2024), firearm-related violent crime was highest in the territories and the Prairie provinces in 2023. Nunavut (312 incidents per 100,000 population) and the Northwest Territories (171) had the highest rates, followed by Saskatchewan (127), Manitoba (81.2) and Yukon (70.8) (Table 2-a). In contrast, the lowest rates were in Newfoundland and Labrador (21.9) and Quebec^Note  (24.6).

There were fluctuations in rates of firearm-related violent crime across Canada between 2022 and 2023, ranging from a 28% decline in the rate in the Northwest Territories (-29 incidents) to a 155% rise in Prince Edward Island (+28 incidents) (Table 2-a; Table 2-b).

The overall decline (-1.7%) in the national rate of firearm-related violent crime was largely attributed to decreases in the rate in Ontario (-6.6%, or -180 incidents), British Columbia (-6.6%, -57 incidents), Quebec (-3.9%, -35 incidents) and the Northwest Territories (-28%, -29 incidents). These declines differed from notable increases in the rate in Saskatchewan (+11%, or +186 incidents), Manitoba (+14%, +166 incidents), Nunavut (+73%, +54 incidents), Prince Edward Island (+155%, +28 incidents) and Nova Scotia (+5.1%, +26 incidents).

North–south, urban–rural differences emerge across provinces

For six provinces—the Atlantic provinces, Manitoba and Saskatchewan—firearm-related violent crime mirrored the pattern for broad geographic regions in 2023; that is, where applicable, it was highest in the rural north, followed by the urban north, the rural south and the urban south (Table 2-a).

Rates in the remaining provinces differed. In Quebec, firearm-related violent crime was slightly higher in the urban south (24.6 incidents per 100,000 population) than the rural south (24.4), and both were higher than the urban north (23.2). In Ontario, the rate was higher in the urban north (32.5) than the rural north (30.7), and the urban south (31.3) was higher than the rural south (16.6). In Alberta, the rural south (87.4) had a higher rate than the urban north (56.2), while in British Columbia, the urban north (83.6) had a higher rate than the rural north (57.5).

Some regions in the provinces had particularly high rates: the rural north in Saskatchewan (1,080 incidents per 100,000 population), the rural north and urban north in Manitoba (399 and 304, respectively), and the rural north in Alberta (174).

Decline in firearm-related violent crime in the provincial urban south driven by decreases in Toronto, Calgary, Montréal and Vancouver

Among the CMAs, Toronto^Note  had the largest number of incidents (2,449) of firearm-related violent crime—by a wide margin—in 2023 (Table 3-a). However, as Canada’s most populous CMA, Toronto ranked 11th in terms of rate (40.4 incidents per 100,000 population). The highest rates among the CMAs were in Red Deer (79.6), Regina (78.9), Chilliwack (54.8), Winnipeg (53.7) and Saskatoon (52.7). In contrast, the lowest rates were in Victoria (8.7), Guelph (11.5), Peterborough (12.1), Sherbrooke (13.6) and Belleville–Quinte West (15.5).

As noted previously, among the regions, the rate of firearm-related violent crime decreased only in the provincial urban south. While several CMAs had declines between 2022 and 2023, the decline in the urban south was driven by rate decreases in Toronto (-9.2%, or -157 incidents), Calgary (-22%, -130 incidents), Montréal (-12%, -127 incidents) and Vancouver (-15%, -75 incidents) (Table 3-a; Table 3-b). For Canada’s other largest CMAs, the rate rose in Edmonton (+11%, +100 incidents) and Ottawa^Note  (+5.7%, +25 incidents).

There were notable changes for some CMAs in 2023. Barrie (+73%, or +20 incidents), Lethbridge (+70%, +27 incidents) and Trois-Rivières (+55%, +21 incidents) had the largest increases in the rate of firearm-related violent crime. Meanwhile, Victoria (-61%, -58 incidents) and St. John’s (-44%, -34 incidents) had the largest decreases.

Rates for violent crimes involving handguns, rifles or shotguns, or fully automatic or sawed-off firearms decline

In 2023, half (49%) of firearm-related violent crime involved the presence of a handgun, lower than in 2022 (53%) (Table 4). Still, handguns were the most common type of firearm present in incidents of firearm-related violent crime in 2023, followed by firearm-like weapons or unknown types of firearms^Note  (31%), rifles or shotguns (15%) and fully automatic or sawed-off shotguns (4.7%).

The rate of handgun-related violent crime declined 8.6%, from 19.7 incidents per 100,000 population in 2022 to 18.0 in 2023 (Chart 3). Similarly, firearm-related violent crime involving rifles and shotguns (-4.0%) and fully automatic or sawed-off shotguns (-2.3%) decreased (from 5.9 to 5.6 and 1.79 to 1.75, respectively). In contrast, firearm-like weapons or unknown types of firearms increased 13% (from 10.1 to 11.5). While it is not possible to identify the exact reason behind this increase, the illicit manufacturing of firearms—that is, privately made firearms or “ghost guns”—is a growing safety concern in Canada (Public Safety Canada, 2023a; Royal Canadian Mounted Police, 2023). This includes the rise in the use of 3D printers, as well as the importation and distribution of parts, which are used to build unmarked and untraceable firearms that are untested and dangerous. Former Bill C-21, An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms), created measures to target this risk, including defining unlawfully manufactured firearms (“ghost guns”) as “prohibited firearms,” and creating new offences for possessing or distributing computer data for use in a 3D printer or other system for the purpose of manufacturing or trafficking a firearm or prohibited device. The Bill received Royal Assent on December 15, 2023.

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In terms of counts, there were 436 fewer incidents of handgun-related violent crime in 2023 compared to 2022, and there were 25 fewer incidents involving rifles or shotguns (Table 4). While there was a small increase in the number of violent incidents involving fully automatic or sawed-off shotguns (+4), there were 633 more incidents where firearm-like weapons or unknown types of firearms were present.

Most common type of firearm present differs for urban and rural regions

The most common type of firearm present in incidents of violent crime differed according to urban and rural regions. In provincial urban areas, handguns were the most common type of firearm present in the south (60%) and the north (39%) (Chart 4). In contrast, in provincial rural areas, firearm-like weapons or unknown types of firearms (41% in the south and 44% in the north, respectively) were most commonly present, followed by rifles or shotguns (32% and 33%, respectively) and handguns (20% and 17%, respectively). In the territories, rifles or shotguns (39%) were most often present, followed by handguns (30%).

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While, overall, handguns were the most common type of firearm present in urban areas, there was variation across the CMAs. For instance, around eight in ten incidents of firearm-related violent crime involved handguns in Toronto (79%) and Hamilton (78%). In contrast, firearm-like weapons or unknown types of firearms were most commonly present in incidents of firearm-related violent crime in Regina (43%) and Saskatoon (34%).

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Decline in overall rate of firearm-related violent crime mostly due to fewer robberies

The large majority (80%) of incidents of firearm-related violent crime were physical assaults, robberies and firearm-specific violations in 2023 (Table 5). The decline in the overall rate of firearm-related violent crime was mostly due to robbery, which had 437 fewer incidents in 2023 and for which the rate decreased 14% since 2022. A decline was also noted for firearm-related homicide, other violations causing death and attempted murder, which had 116 fewer incidents in 2023 and for which the rate decreased 17%. In 2023, a firearm was present for 14% of incidents of robbery and 38% of incidents of homicide, other violations causing death and attempted murder.

When it came to firearm-specific offences, the overall rate increased between 2022 and 2023 (+3.8%, or +326 incidents). Each of the three unique offences also rose: the rate for using a firearm in the commission of an offence increased 7.7% (+87 incidents), discharging a firearm with intent increased 3.1% (+141 incidents) and pointing a firearm increased 2.9% (+98 incidents).

While the overall rate of firearm-related assault increased between 2022 and 2023 (+3.1%, +184 incidents), the increase was largely due to major assault (assault with a weapon or causing bodily harm [level 2] and aggravated assault [level 3]). The rate of major assault with a firearm present increased 5.2% (+207 incidents), but the rate of common assault and other assault^Note  with a firearm present decreased 7.3% (-23 incidents). In addition, the rate of firearm-related threats, extortion and intimidation also increased since 2022 (+11%, +200 incidents).

Proportion of firearm-related violent crime cleared by charge differs according to offence type

In 2023, almost half (48%) of incidents of firearm-related violent crime were not cleared by police,^Note  while a similar proportion (46%) was cleared by the laying or recommendation of charges and a small proportion (5.4%) was cleared otherwise.^Note  Similarly, almost half (46%) of violent crime overall remained uncleared, while four in ten (40%) incidents were cleared by charge and one in seven (14%) incidents were cleared otherwise.

The proportion of firearm-related violent crime that was cleared by charge was comparable in 2022 (47%) and slightly higher in 2018 (50%) and 2013 (49%). The same emerged for violent crime overall (41% in 2022, 47% in 2018 and 46% in 2013). The decline since 2018 may be partly attributed to the revisions that were implemented that year in the UCR Survey (see Text box 3).

Firearm-related violent crime was most often cleared by the laying or recommendation of charges for the offence of using a firearm in the commission of an offence (75%) in 2023 (Table 5). This was followed by hostage taking, kidnapping, forcible confinement and trafficking in persons (66%), common assault and other assault (65%) and sexual assault (65%) where a firearm was present. Firearm-related violent crime was least often cleared by charge when it came to discharging a firearm with intent (30%), pointing a firearm (40%), threats, extortion or intimidation (41%) and robbery (43%).

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Men and boys account for two in three victims and nine in ten persons accused of firearm-related violent crime

Similar to previous years, men and boys accounted for the majority of victims of police-reported firearm-related violent crime in 2023. Of the victims where both gender and age were known to police, over half (56%) of the 11,178 victims were men aged 18 and older, and one in nine (11%) were boys aged 17 and younger (Table 6).^Note  Women accounted for nearly three in ten (28%) victims, while a relatively small proportion (5.5%) of victims were girls. The median age of victims of firearm-related violent crime was slightly lower than victims of overall violent crime (29 versus 31 years).^Note  Among victims of firearm-related crime, the highest rate was noted for men aged 18 to 24 (86.4 per 100,000 population) followed by boys aged 12 to 17 (76.7) (Table 6).

Half (50%) of all victims of firearm-related violent crime were victimized by a stranger, which was much more common than for victims of violent crime in general (26%).^Note  Just over one in six (15%) victims of firearm-related violent crime were victimized by an intimate partner or a family member.^Note  Of these 1,699 victims, two-thirds (67%) were women and girls.^Note  More specifically, there were 1,051 victims of intimate partner violence where a firearm was involved, the large majority (84%) of whom were women and girls. For firearm-related intimate partner and family violence, firearm-like weapons or unknown types of firearms were present for 33% of victims, equal to handguns (33%), followed by rifles or shotguns (27%) and fully-automatic or sawed-off shotguns (7.4%).

In 2023, there were 7,841 persons accused in incidents of firearm-related violent crime (Table 6).^Note  The large majority (89%) of accused were men and boys. The median age of those accused of firearm-related violent crime was lower than those accused of violent crime in general (26 versus 33 years),^Note  and nearly one-quarter (23%) of those accused of firearm-related violent crime were youth aged 12 to 17 years.^Note  Among persons accused of firearm-related crime, the highest rate was noted for boys aged 12 to 17 (127 accused persons per 100,000 population) followed by men aged 18 to 24 (91.9) (Table 6). Among youth accused, more than nine in ten (93%) were boys. Incidents with youth accused most often involved handguns (48%) and firearm-like weapons (43%).

For more detail on recent trends in characteristics of victims and persons accused of firearm-related violent crime in Canada, see Perreault, 2024.

Incidents of violent crime with a firearm present more commonly involve multiple victims

Despite accounting for a small proportion of violent crime overall, incidents of violent crime where a firearm was present more often involved in incidents with multiple victims. Of the firearm-related violent incidents where victim records were provided, nearly one in four (22%) involved multiple victims, more common than when there was another type of weapon present (14%) or no weapon present (7.4%). More specifically, around one in seven (15%) incidents where a firearm was present involved two victims, while 4.2% of such incidents involved three victims and 2.6% of incidents involved four or more victims. This was less common for incidents with another type of weapon present (11%, 2.3% and 1.1%, respectively) or no weapon present (6.1%, 0.9% and 0.4%, respectively).

When it came to different types of firearms, the proportions of incidents that involved multiple victims were relatively similar: 24% of incidents where a rifle or shotgun was present, 22% where a fully automatic or sawed-off shotgun was present, 22% where a handgun was present and 20% where a firearm-like weapon or an unknown type of firearm was present involved multiple victims. Of the incidents of firearm-related violent crime involving multiple victims, a handgun was most often present (52%), followed by a firearm-like weapon or an unknown type of firearm (27%), a rifle or shotgun (16%) and a fully automatic or sawed-off shotgun (5.2%).

In terms of the severity of incidents, the UCR Survey also captures information about the weapon causing injury. Of the victims of violent crime who were injured in 2023, 2,204 victims (1.6%) were injured by a firearm.^Note  Most (59%) of these victims sustained a minor injury,^Note  while three in ten (29%) sustained a major injury^Note  and one in eight (12%) died. In contrast, where another type of weapon or physical force caused injury, the vast majority (94%) of victims sustained minor injuries, while 5.4% sustained major injuries and 0.3% died.

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Section 2: Firearm-related homicide

After increasing every year since 2018, firearm-related homicide falls in 2023

Between 2018 and 2022, there were year-over-year increases in the rate of firearm-related homicides in Canada. In 2023, there were 289 homicides involving a firearm, representing a rate of 0.72 incidents per 100,000 population (Chart 6).^Note  This marked a decline of 18% in the rate from 2022, when there were 343 incidents of homicide involving a firearm, or 0.88 incidents per 100,000 population. A decline was also noted for homicide in general, which went from 882 incidents in 2022 to 778 in 2023, or from 2.27 to 1.94 incidents per 100,000 population (-14%).

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There were similar declines for homicides caused by stabbing (-20%) and beating (-16%). When it came to longer-term trends, the rate of firearm-related homicide in 2023 (0.72 incidents per 100,000 population) was 5.6% higher than 2018 (0.68, or 253 homicides), which compared to an increase of 19% for stabbing homicides, a decline of 5.3% for beating homicides and an increase of 8.3% for homicide in general. Compared to 2013 (0.38, or 134 homicides), the rate of firearm-related homicide was 89% higher in 2023, a much larger increase than stabbing homicides (+5.0%), beating homicides (+7.2%) and homicide in general (+33%).

In 2023, shooting homicides accounted for nearly four in ten (38%) of all homicides.^Note  Shooting was the leading cause of death among homicide victims, followed by stabbing (31%), beating (17%) and other methods^Note  (14%). Among homicides, shooting has been the most common primary method causing death every year since 2016.

Since 1995, handguns have been the most common firearm causing death in shooting homicides. In 2023, more than half (56%) of all shooting homicides were caused by handguns, followed by rifles or shotguns (25%) and other types of firearms^Note  (19%) (Chart 7). Compared to 2023, handguns were somewhat more common in 2022 (63%) while rifles or shotguns and other types of firearms were slightly less common (23% and 14%, respectively).

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Four in five firearm-related homicides occur in provincial urban areas

Four in five (80%) shooting homicides occurred in provincial urban areas in 2023, which compared to 83% of such incidents in 2022, 87% in 2018 and 79% in 2013. Similarly, nearly four in five (78%) of all homicides occurred in provincial urban areas in 2023.^Note  As mentioned, the large majority (84%) of the population lived in provincial urban areas in Canada in 2023 (Statistics Canada, 2024b).

The remaining shooting homicides took place in the provincial rural south (12%), the provincial rural north (6.9%) and the territories (1.0%) in 2023. Like firearm-related violent crime, the highest rate for shooting homicides was in the territories (2.29 incidents per 100,000 population) and the rural north (2.14). Rates were lower in the urban north (1.58), the rural south (0.71) and the urban south (0.63). It should be noted that while the territories had the highest rate, there were three shooting homicides in that region.

The vast majority (90%) of victims killed in handgun homicides were in provincial urban areas. The remaining handgun homicides occurred in the provincial rural south (6.8%) and rural north (3.1%), and the territories (0.6%). Homicides committed with a rifle or shotgun differed, with 59% occurring in provincial urban areas, 26% in the provincial rural south, 14% in the provincial rural north and 1.4% in the territories.

Said another way, more than six in ten (63%) victims of shooting homicide in provincial urban areas were killed by a handgun, while equal proportions were killed by a rifle or shotgun (19%) or another type of firearm (19%). In provincial rural areas, over half (53%) of shooting homicide victims were killed by a rifle or shotgun, followed by a handgun (29%) and another type of firearm (18%).

Organized crime or street gang activity connected to almost half of homicides involving firearms

In 2023, nearly half (45%) of all shooting homicides were related to confirmed or suspected organized crime or street gang activity, while this was much less common for homicides committed by another method (8.3%).^Note  Organized crime or street gang-related activity was associated with a slightly larger proportion of shooting homicides in 2022 (48%), 2018 (50%) and 2013 (49%).

The proportion of shooting homicides linked to organized crime or street gang activity differed according to the type of firearm that was used. Just over half (52%, or 84 of 162) of shooting homicides involving handguns in 2023 were related to organized crime or street gangs. This compared to 21% (15 of 73) of shooting homicides involving a rifle or a shotgun and 59% (32 of 54) of shooting homicides involving another type of firearm.

In all, nearly four in five (78%) homicides linked to organized crime or street gang activity were shootings, nearly two-thirds (64%) of which were committed with a handgun.

Small proportion of solved shooting homicides perpetrated by an accused with a valid licence for the classification of firearm that was used

Information about how firearms used in shooting homicides were initially obtained was available for a minority (26%) of shooting homicides in 2023.^Note  Of the shooting homicides where this information was known, the primary firearm had initially been legally obtained in one-third (33% or 25 of 76) of incidents.^Note  It was more common for rifles or shotguns to have initially been legally obtained (43% or 10 of 23) than handguns (30% or 14 of 47). Of the shooting homicides where the firearm had initially been legally obtained, the accused was the legal firearm owner in 75% or 15 of 20 incidents.^Note 

Where the primary firearm was not legally owned at the time of the homicide, 18 firearms had been illegally purchased from the legal Canadian owner or were illegal weapons (e.g., never owned legally in Canada, smuggled into Canada, purchased on the dark net or homemade). A further four firearms were lost or missing, or stolen, from the legal Canadian owner.

The primary firearm causing death was recovered for 33% of shooting homicides. Of the primary firearms that were recovered, nearly two-thirds (65% or 60 of 93) had an unknown origin. Meanwhile, 18% (17 of 93) originated from Canada, 13% (12 of 93) originated from the United States and 4.3% (4 of 93) originated from other countries.

In the large majority (91%, or 112 of 123) of solved shooting homicides, the accused did not have a valid licence for the classification of firearm that was used.^Note  More specifically, the accused had a valid licence in 9.1% (6 of 66) of homicides involving a handgun and in 11% (5 of 45) of homicides involving a rifle or shotgun.

More than eight in ten shooting homicide victims are men and boys

Men and boys have consistently accounted for the majority of homicide victims in Canada. In 2023, around three-quarters (73%) of homicide victims were men and boys, and men and boys represented an even larger proportion of victims of shooting homicides (85%).^Note  More specifically, where age and gender were both known to police, eight in ten (81%) victims of shooting homicides were men aged 18 and older, and 4.2% were boys aged 17 and younger. Meanwhile, women accounted for one in seven (14%) victims and a small proportion (1.0%) of victims were girls. The median age of shooting homicide victims was lower than victims of other types of homicide (31 versus 38 years).^Note 

Most often, solved homicides (43%) and solved shooting homicides (50%) were perpetrated by an acquaintance.^Note  Meanwhile, more than one in three (36%) solved homicides and nearly one in four (23%) solved shooting homicides were perpetrated by a family member or an intimate partner.

While women and girls accounted for nearly one in four (23%) victims of solved shooting homicides in 2023, they accounted for half (50% or 15 of 30) of victims of shooting homicides perpetrated by a family member or an intimate partner. This marked a decline from 2022 (64%), 2018 (68%) and 2013 (62%) when women and girls represented more than six in ten victims of solved shooting homicides perpetrated by a family member or an intimate partner.

In 2023, there were 95 persons accused in shooting homicides. Nearly all (97% or 92 of 95) accused in shooting homicides were men and boys. The median age of those accused in shooting homicides was lower than those accused of other types of homicide (28 versus 34 years),^Note  and one in seven (14% or 13 of 95) of those accused in shooting homicides were youth aged 12 to 17 years.

Prior criminal conviction more common for those accused in shooting homicides

Persons accused in incidents of shooting homicides more often had a prior criminal conviction than those accused of homicide by other means (e.g., stabbing, beating). In 2023, nearly two-thirds (64% or 60 of 94) of persons accused of firearm-related homicide had a prior conviction, compared to over half (54%) of those accused of homicide by another method.^Note  More specifically, just over half (52% or 49 of 94) of persons accused in shooting homicides had a prior violent conviction (compared with 43% of those accused of another type of homicide), 39% or 37 of 94 had a prior property conviction (compared to 35%) and 54% or 51 of 94 had a prior conviction related to other Criminal Code or federal statute offences, such as offences related to drugs or firearms (compared to 40%).

When it came to a history of family or intimate partner violence known to police, the opposite emerged for persons accused of shooting homicides. One-third (32%) of those accused in family or intimate partner shooting homicides between 2013 and 2023 had a known history of violence with the victim.^Note  A known history of violence with the victim was more common for those accused of family and intimate partner homicides committed by another method (42%). As such, among those accused of family or intimate partner homicides, a known history of violence with the victim was less common for shootings than other types of homicide.

For detailed information about homicide in Canada, see David & Jaffray, 2022. For the latest information about homicide, see Statistics Canada, 2024a.

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Summary

In 2023, there were 14,416 incidents of police-reported firearm-related violent crime, including violent crime where a firearm was present, and the firearm-specific violations of discharging a firearm with intent, using a firearm in the commission of an offence and pointing a firearm.

Firearm-related violent crime continued to account for a small proportion (2.6%) of violent crime in Canada. This marked a decrease (-1.7%) in the rate of firearm-related violent crime from 2022, while overall violent crime increased 4.0%. The rate of firearm-related violent crime went from 37.5 incidents per 100,000 population in 2022 to 36.9 in 2023. This decline was attributed to the decrease in the provincial urban south. All other regions had increases, with the largest in the provincial rural south (+19%) and the provincial urban north (+13%).

The rate of firearm-related violent crime differed according to region, with the highest rates in the territories and the provincial rural north. Overall, firearm-related violent crime most often involved the presence of a handgun. In the provinces, handguns were most common in urban areas while rifles or shotguns, and firearm-like weapons or unknown types of firearms were more common in rural areas.

Despite accounting for a small proportion of violent crime overall, incidents of violent crime where a firearm was present more often involved multiple victims than incidents where there was another type of weapon present or no weapon present. Major injury and death were also more common for victims when a firearm was present than victims of violent crime in general.

While there were year-over-year increases in the rate of firearm-related homicide between 2018 and 2022, 2023 marked a decline of 18% when there were 289 homicides involving a firearm, representing a rate of 0.72 incidents per 100,000 population. There was a similar decline for homicide in general (-14%). Shooting was the leading cause of death among homicide victims, and more than half of all shooting homicides were caused by handguns.

Detailed data tables

Table 1 Incidents of police-reported violent crime, by most serious weapon present, province or territory and region, 2023

Table 2-a Incidents of police-reported firearm-related violent crime, by province or territory and region, 2013, 2018, 2022 and 2023

Table 2-b Incidents of police-reported firearm-related violent crime, by province or territory and region, 2013 to 2023

Table 3-a Incidents of police-reported firearm-related violent crime, by census metropolitan area, 2013, 2018, 2022 and 2023

Table 3-b Incidents of police-reported firearm-related violent crime, by census metropolitan area, 2013 to 2023

Table 4 Incidents of police-reported firearm-related violent crime, by most serious type of firearm present, Canada, 2009 to 2023

Table 5 Incidents of police-reported firearm-related violent crime, by type of violation and clearance status, Canada, 2022 and 2023

Table 6 Victims and persons accused of police-reported firearm-related violent crime, by gender and age group, Canada, 2013, 2018, 2022 and 2023

Data sources and concepts

Uniform Crime Reporting Survey

The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey was established in 1962 with the co-operation and assistance of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. The UCR Survey is a compilation of police-reported crimes that have been reported to federal, provincial and municipal police services in Canada.

One incident can involve multiple offences. To ensure comparability, data presented in this article are based on the most serious violation in the incident. Police determine the most serious violation according to standardized classification rules in the UCR Survey that consider, for instance, whether the offence is violent as well as the maximum penalty imposed by the Criminal Code.

For the purposes of this analysis, a firearm-related violent crime refers to a crime where a firearm was present during the commission of the offence and where police determined that the firearm was relevant to the crime, regardless of whether it was used. Firearms include handguns, rifles or shotguns, fully automatic or sawed-off firearms, and firearm-like weapons, such as starter pistols, flare guns, air guns, ghost guns and BB guns. Firearm-specific offences—including discharging a firearm with intent, using a firearm in the commission of an offence and pointing a firearm—are included in firearm-related violent crime, regardless of the most serious weapon present.

This release uses a hybrid approach to measure firearm-related violent crime—first adopted with the release of firearm data from 2022 (Perreault, 2024). Now, each victim is counted as a unique incident, as is each incident where there is no associated victim record. For more information, see Text box 1.

Incident-based Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Trend Database

The Incident-based Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR2) Survey, Trend Database, is a microdata survey that captures detailed information on crimes reported to police, including the characteristics of incidents, victims and accused persons. UCR2 coverage between 2009 and 2023 is estimated at 99% of the population of Canada. UCR2 includes only the police services that have consistently responded to allow for comparisons over time.

In Quebec, the information management system used by most police services produces a relatively high proportion of unknown values for the variable “most serious weapon present.” Although incidents of firearm-related crime are likely correctly recorded in the vast majority of cases, undercounting remains possible. Therefore, caution should be used when comparing data from Quebec to data from other provinces and territories.

This analysis excludes data from the Québec City Police Service due to data quality concerns for the variable “most serious weapon present.” Data for the Saint John Police Service (SJPS) are also excluded. The Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, in communication with the SJPS, decided to remove SJPS data from the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2023 research files due to concerns with data quality in these years. As a result, SJPS data have also been removed from the trend file, which includes only those police services who have consistently reported data every year between 2009 and 2023.

Homicide Survey

The Homicide Survey collects police-reported data on the characteristics of all homicide victims, accused persons and incidents in Canada. The Homicide Survey began collecting information on all homicides in 1961.

Whenever a homicide becomes known to police, the investigating police service completes the survey questionnaires, which are then sent to Statistics Canada. There are cases where homicides become known to police months or years after they occurred. These incidents are counted in the year in which they become known to police. Information on persons accused of homicide are only available for solved incidents (i.e., where at least one accused has been identified). Accused characteristics are updated as homicide cases are solved and new information is submitted to the Homicide Survey. Information collected through the victim and incident questionnaires are also updated accordingly when cases are solved.

The Homicide Survey recently underwent a redesign to improve data quality and enhance relevance. Changes were made to existing questions and additional questions were added as of the 2019 reporting period.

Geographic regions

An urban area is defined as a census metropolitan area (CMA) or a census agglomeration (CA). A CMA consists of one or more neighbouring municipalities situated around a major urban core. A CMA must have a total population of at least 100,000, of which 50,000 or more live in the urban core. To be included in the CMA, adjacent municipalities must have a high degree of integration with the central urban area, as measured by commuting flows derived from census data. A CA must have a core population of at least 10,000. Rural areas are all areas outside of CMAs and CAs.

The provincial south includes Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and the southern regions of Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia (Variant of Standard Geographical Classification 2021 for North and South). The provincial north includes the northern regions of Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Of note, the Nunavik Police Service reports data through the UCR Aggregate Survey (UCR1). As such, in this article, northern areas in Quebec refer to northern regions south of Nunavik.

Types of firearms

For the purposes of the UCR Survey and the Homicide Survey, a firearm is any barrelled weapon from which any shot, bullet or other missile can be discharged and can cause serious bodily injury or death to a person. Different types of firearms are distinguished as such by the two surveys (presented in descending order of seriousness according to the hierarchy for determining most serious weapon):

• Fully automatic firearm: Any firearm that allows continuous and rapid fire of bullets with one pull of the trigger.
• Sawed-off rifle or shotgun: Any rifle or shotgun with a barrel length that has been altered to less than 457 millimetres, or with an overall weapon length of less than 660 millimetres.
• Handgun: Any firearm designed to be held and fired by the action of one hand.
• Rifle or shotgun: Any long-barrelled firearm with a barrel length of 660 millimetres or more.
• Firearm-like weapon: Any firearm-like weapon capable of propelling any object through a barrel by means of gunpowder, compressed carbon dioxide, pumped air, etc. Includes, for example, starter pistols, flare guns, air guns, ghost guns and BB guns. This category also includes unknown types of firearms.

References

Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. (2018). Revising the classification of founded and unfounded criminal incidents in the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

David, J.-D. & Jaffray, B. (2022). Homicide in Canada, 2021. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Perreault, S. (2024). Firearms and violent crime in Canada, 2022. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Public Safety Canada. (2024). Former Bill C-21: Keeping Canadians safe from gun crime.

Public Safety Canada. (2023a). Parliamentary committee notes: Ghost guns and illegal manufacturing in Canada. Standing Committee on Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs.

Public Safety Canada. (2023b). Strengthened measures to protect Canadians from gun violence.

Public Safety Canada. (2022). Main changes to firearms legislation.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police. (2023). RCMP warn the public on the dangers of 3D printed firearms.

Statistics Canada. (2024a). Homicide trends in Canada, 2023. The Daily.

Statistics Canada. (2024b). Table 17-10-0148-01 – Population estimates, July 1, by census metropolitan area and census agglomeration, 2021 boundaries.