Just the Facts
Firearm-related violent crime, 2009 to 2017
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Firearm-related violent crime declined 33% from 2009 to 2013, reaching its lowest point in recent years. The downward trend stopped in 2013 and, since then, it has gone up 42%. Between 2013 and 2017, 16 of Canada’s census metropolitan areas saw increases in their rate of firearm-related violent crime, including 7 of the 10 largest. Of note, 43% of the national increase since 2013 is due to more victims in Toronto. Each year since 2009, about six in ten firearm-related violent crimes involved handguns.
Firearm-related violent crime shows the number of victims of violent Criminal Code offences where a firearm was fired or used as a threat, and/or where a firearm was present and not used but the presence of the firearm was relevant to the incident, according to the police.
Data table for Chart 1
Year | OttawaData table Note 1 | TorontoData table Note 2 | Calgary | Edmonton | Vancouver | Canada |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
rate per 100,000 population | ||||||
2009 | 34.02 | 40.68 | 35.47 | 26.17 | 33.58 | 28.64 |
2010 | 21.22 | 22.44 | 32.93 | 24.79 | 32.92 | 23.24 |
2011 | 16.81 | 22.12 | 25.16 | 25.73 | 24.35 | 21.90 |
2012 | 14.73 | 20.54 | 21.43 | 27.92 | 29.48 | 21.88 |
2013 | 16.29 | 17.78 | 22.06 | 26.85 | 22.93 | 19.18 |
2014 | 16.72 | 25.56 | 23.84 | 29.31 | 22.74 | 21.00 |
2015 | 15.55 | 29.40 | 30.72 | 43.73 | 27.08 | 24.94 |
2016 | 21.31 | 32.86 | 24.44 | 38.48 | 20.41 | 26.03 |
2017 | 20.20 | 35.66 | 29.85 | 28.74 | 16.17 | 27.32 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey. |
Firearm-related violent crime does not include non-violent or administrative-type firearm offences—such as break and enter to steal a firearm or unsafe storage—as these data are collected and reported separately.
Year | Break and enter | Unsafe storage | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
number | rate per 100,000 | number | rate per 100,000 | |
2009 | 309 | 0.9 | 1,208 | 3.6 |
2010 | 673 | 2.0 | 1,196 | 3.5 |
2011 | 772 | 2.3 | 1,077 | 3.1 |
2012 | 913 | 2.6 | 1,115 | 3.2 |
2013 | 918 | 2.6 | 1,053 | 3.0 |
2014 | 1,000 | 2.8 | 990 | 2.8 |
2015 | 1,164 | 3.2 | 962 | 2.7 |
2016 | 1,272 | 3.5 | 993 | 2.7 |
2017 | 1,175 | 3.2 | 921 | 2.5 |
Note: Break and enter includes the Criminal Code offences of break and enter to steal a firearm and break and enter of a motor vehicle to steal a firearm. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey. |
Data table for Chart 2
Year | Shooting | Stabbing | Beating |
---|---|---|---|
rate per 100,000 population | |||
1996 | 0.72 | 0.66 | 0.44 |
1997 | 0.65 | 0.56 | 0.38 |
1998 | 0.5 | 0.62 | 0.41 |
1999 | 0.55 | 0.47 | 0.41 |
2000 | 0.6 | 0.49 | 0.42 |
2001 | 0.55 | 0.55 | 0.39 |
2002 | 0.48 | 0.58 | 0.4 |
2003 | 0.52 | 0.45 | 0.39 |
2004 | 0.54 | 0.64 | 0.43 |
2005 | 0.69 | 0.61 | 0.44 |
2006 | 0.59 | 0.64 | 0.37 |
2007 | 0.57 | 0.57 | 0.36 |
2008 | 0.6 | 0.61 | 0.37 |
2009 | 0.54 | 0.62 | 0.35 |
2010 | 0.51 | 0.49 | 0.34 |
2011 | 0.46 | 0.6 | 0.38 |
2012 | 0.49 | 0.47 | 0.33 |
2013 | 0.38 | 0.55 | 0.29 |
2014 | 0.44 | 0.53 | 0.28 |
2015 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.37 |
2016 | 0.61 | 0.48 | 0.32 |
Note: Populations are based upon July 1st estimates from Statistics Canada, Demography Division. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Homicide Survey. |
In Canada, there were 130 homicides committed using a handgun in 2016, the most since 2005. These accounted for 21% of homicides overall, and 58% of shooting homicides.
Since 1996, handguns have been used in 16% to 21% of homicides each year, except for 1998 (13%).
In the United States, there were 7,105 homicides committed using a handgun in 2016. These accounted for 47% of all homicides.
Census metropolitan area | Year | change since 2009 | change since 2013 | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | ||||||||||||
number | rateVictims of Note 1 | number | rateVictims of Note 1 | number | rateVictims of Note 1 | number | rateVictims of Note 1 | number | rateVictims of Note 1 | number | rateVictims of Note 1 | number | rateVictims of Note 1 | number | rateVictims of Note 1 | number | rateVictims of Note 1 | |||
Canada | 7,305 | 28.6 | 5,997 | 23.2 | 5,707 | 21.9 | 5,776 | 21.9 | 5,126 | 19.2 | 5,681 | 21.0 | 6,809 | 24.9 | 7,201 | 26.0 | 7,660 | 27.3 | decrease | increase |
St. John's | 16 | 8.4 | 16 | 8.2 | 26 | 13.0 | 7 | 3.5 | 28 | 13.8 | 18 | 8.8 | 15 | 7.3 | 19 | 9.1 | 25 | 12.0 | increase | decrease |
Halifax | 170 | 43.2 | 118 | 29.6 | 165 | 41.0 | 171 | 42.0 | 104 | 25.4 | 80 | 19.3 | 67 | 16.1 | 61 | 14.4 | 107 | 24.8 | decrease | decrease |
Moncton | 22 | 16.2 | 12 | 8.7 | 40 | 28.6 | 55 | 38.8 | 27 | 18.9 | 35 | 22.6 | 24 | 15.4 | 66 | 41.8 | 47 | 29.5 | increase | increase |
OttawaVictims of Note 2 | 316 | 34.0 | 199 | 21.2 | 160 | 16.8 | 142 | 14.7 | 159 | 16.3 | 165 | 16.7 | 155 | 15.6 | 216 | 21.3 | 209 | 20.2 | decrease | increase |
Kingston | 26 | 16.3 | 10 | 6.2 | 8 | 4.9 | 12 | 7.3 | 14 | 8.5 | 9 | 5.4 | 11 | 6.6 | 10 | 6.0 | 20 | 11.8 | decrease | increase |
Peterborough | 14 | 11.7 | 16 | 13.2 | 10 | 8.3 | 18 | 14.8 | 26 | 21.3 | 5 | 4.1 | 19 | 15.5 | 18 | 14.5 | 11 | 8.8 | decrease | decrease |
TorontoVictims of Note 3 | 2,056 | 40.7 | 1,151 | 22.4 | 1,151 | 22.1 | 1,086 | 20.5 | 955 | 17.8 | 1,391 | 25.6 | 1,616 | 29.4 | 1,837 | 32.9 | 2,032 | 35.7 | decrease | increase |
HamiltonVictims of Note 4 | 190 | 36.0 | 186 | 35.0 | 180 | 33.6 | 182 | 33.6 | 123 | 22.5 | 150 | 27.2 | 141 | 25.4 | 177 | 31.6 | 220 | 38.7 | increase | increase |
St.Catharines-Niagara | 119 | 27.0 | 64 | 14.5 | 73 | 16.5 | 58 | 13.0 | 65 | 14.6 | 63 | 14.1 | 44 | 9.8 | 69 | 15.2 | 65 | 14.2 | decrease | decrease |
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo | 84 | 16.4 | 93 | 18.0 | 90 | 17.2 | 114 | 21.5 | 81 | 15.2 | 70 | 13.0 | 67 | 12.4 | 107 | 19.4 | 120 | 21.4 | increase | increase |
Brantford | 21 | 16.0 | 20 | 15.1 | 25 | 18.8 | 23 | 17.2 | 38 | 28.1 | 14 | 10.3 | 25 | 18.2 | 26 | 18.7 | 32 | 22.7 | increase | decrease |
Guelph | 8 | 6.5 | 6 | 4.8 | 5 | 4.0 | 13 | 10.2 | 15 | 11.7 | 9 | 7.0 | 15 | 11.5 | 11 | 8.3 | 8 | 5.9 | decrease | decrease |
London | 115 | 23.7 | 118 | 24.1 | 95 | 19.3 | 94 | 18.9 | 63 | 12.6 | 53 | 10.5 | 61 | 12.0 | 82 | 15.9 | 60 | 11.4 | decrease | decrease |
Windsor | 75 | 25.0 | 66 | 22.1 | 67 | 22.4 | 49 | 16.3 | 51 | 17.0 | 43 | 14.3 | 68 | 22.5 | 70 | 22.9 | 82 | 26.6 | increase | increase |
Barrie | 13 | 9.5 | 17 | 12.2 | 11 | 7.8 | 17 | 11.9 | 27 | 18.7 | 14 | 9.6 | 18 | 12.1 | 26 | 17.2 | 30 | 19.5 | increase | increase |
Greater Sudbury | 31 | 18.8 | 20 | 12.1 | 19 | 11.5 | 10 | 6.1 | 20 | 12.1 | 16 | 9.7 | 19 | 11.5 | 9 | 5.5 | 16 | 9.7 | decrease | decrease |
Thunder Bay | 14 | 11.7 | 24 | 20.0 | 14 | 11.7 | 8 | 6.7 | 14 | 11.5 | 17 | 14.0 | 23 | 19.0 | 11 | 9.1 | 27 | 22.4 | increase | increase |
Winnipeg | 295 | 38.9 | 304 | 39.7 | 306 | 39.4 | 247 | 31.2 | 243 | 30.3 | 230 | 29.1 | 290 | 35.8 | 396 | 49.8 | 473 | 58.4 | increase | increase |
Regina | 58 | 27.3 | 56 | 25.9 | 57 | 25.8 | 45 | 19.8 | 60 | 25.7 | 63 | 26.4 | 76 | 31.4 | 155 | 62.5 | 116 | 45.7 | increase | increase |
Saskatoon | 95 | 36.1 | 100 | 37.0 | 77 | 27.8 | 109 | 38.1 | 65 | 22.0 | 91 | 30.0 | 143 | 46.3 | 98 | 30.8 | 157 | 48.1 | increase | increase |
Calgary | 434 | 35.5 | 410 | 32.9 | 319 | 25.2 | 280 | 21.4 | 301 | 22.1 | 336 | 23.8 | 442 | 30.7 | 359 | 24.4 | 446 | 29.9 | decrease | increase |
Edmonton | 306 | 26.2 | 295 | 24.8 | 312 | 25.7 | 347 | 27.9 | 345 | 26.8 | 389 | 29.3 | 593 | 43.7 | 532 | 38.5 | 404 | 28.7 | increase | increase |
Kelowna | 38 | 21.3 | 44 | 24.3 | 32 | 17.5 | 34 | 18.4 | 29 | 15.5 | 40 | 21.0 | 35 | 18.0 | 40 | 20.2 | 31 | 15.4 | decrease | decrease |
Abbotsford-Mission | 63 | 36.9 | 61 | 35.3 | 36 | 20.7 | 33 | 18.7 | 36 | 20.2 | 39 | 21.6 | 61 | 33.2 | 31 | 16.4 | 45 | 23.6 | decrease | increase |
Vancouver | 773 | 33.6 | 772 | 32.9 | 578 | 24.4 | 711 | 29.5 | 561 | 22.9 | 565 | 22.7 | 680 | 27.1 | 519 | 20.4 | 416 | 16.2 | decrease | decrease |
Victoria | 57 | 16.4 | 30 | 8.5 | 34 | 9.6 | 31 | 8.7 | 31 | 8.6 | 20 | 5.5 | 23 | 6.3 | 24 | 6.4 | 34 | 9.0 | decrease | increase |
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey. |
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