Violent Crime Involving The Use Of Firearms In Canada Remains Stable

Police-reported data showed that among young people, the use of guns in violent crime is increasing. The rate of youth aged 12 to 17 accused of a firearm-related offence has risen in three of the past four years, increasing 32% since 2002. The overall firearm-related crime rates for youth were driven primarily by robberies. In 2006, 1,287 young people were accused of a violent offence in which a gun was used. They accounted for 2.8% of all youth accused of violence; in contrast, 1.8% of adults accused of a violent offence had used a firearm. Generally, the highest rates of gun violence in 2006 were found in Canada's largest cities. Vancouver had the highest rate among all census metropolitan areas (CMAs), followed by Winnipeg and Toronto. Among youth, however, the rates of violence involving firearms were highest in Toronto and Saskatoon. About three-quarters of the total number of violent victimizations involving guns in 2006 were robbery and assault. Although the incidence of attempted murder and homicide was much lower, about one-third of these offences were committed with a firearm. Adults convicted of a violent gun crime were sentenced, on average, to just over four years in prison, double the typical sentence length of those convicted of the same violent offence where a firearm had not been used. One-quarter of firearm-related victimizations occur in Toronto A total of 1,993 people in the Toronto CMA were victims of a violent offence related to guns in 2006, about one-quarter of the national total. However, in terms of rates which take into account differences in population, Toronto was third highest behind Vancouver and Winnipeg. In Vancouver, there were 45.3 violent offences involving guns for every 100,000 population, the highest rate in the nation and well above the national average of 27.5. Winnipeg's rate was 43.9 and Toronto's was 40.4. Edmonton reported the highest rate of homicide related to guns in 2006, followed by Abbotsford, where the rate was highest during the previous four years. For the third year in a row, Halifax reported the highest rate of robbery involving firearms. Its rate was nearly double those in Vancouver and Toronto, the next highest cities. Provincially, firearm-related violence was higher in the Western provinces than in the East, reflecting the trend in violent crime in general. Rates in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, British Columbia and Alberta were two to three times greater than those in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick in 2006. Saskatchewan and Alberta had the highest rates of homicide involving firearms. Nova Scotia, driven by Halifax, reported the highest rate of robbery committed with a gun. ... http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/080220/d080220b.htm

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