Canada Safety Council on firearms safety

I received the following Press info. from the Canada Safety Council this winter, and thought perhaps it would be of interest to hunters and gun enthusiasts.

It is interesting to note that the rate of firearms deaths in Canada has been falling for past 14 years! In 2001, there were 837 firearms related deaths, or 2.70 per 100,000 Canadians. In 2011 (the last year for which statistics are available) 679 Canadians died from shootings.

Despite a growing population, that’s 158 fewer deaths, and the rate was 2.03 per 100,000 – a 25 per cent drop compared to 2001!

 

OTTAWA – Firearms are present in an estimated 17 per cent of Canadian households. There are almost eight million firearms in Canada (or about two firearms for every 10 people). The majority of Canadian firearm owners have long guns, which they use for hunting, sport and wildlife control.

 “Firearms in the home must be stored safely,” says Canada Safety Council president Jack Smith.  The Canada Safety Council recommends locking the firearms in a cabinet, container or room that is difficult to break into, and storing the ammunition separately.”

If you have firearms in your home, or if you’re visiting someone who does, Smith advises you to make sure safe storage practices are in place. The Canadian Firearms Program has a toll-free number you can call to discuss any safety concern related to firearms. 

Dr. Alan Drummond, with the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, says long guns are a major concern for doctors in rural areas, where firearm ownership is more common. “As a rural emergency physician and coroner, I have seen my share of accidental injuries and deaths inflicted by rifles and shotguns,” he says. In his community of Perth, Ontario, he finds that incidents of firearm deaths and injuries increase in situations where an unsafely stored gun is readily available.

For safety reasons, Canadian firearms regulations require gun owners to be properly trained and licensed. The law also requires firearms to be safely stored when not in use. Safe storage includes keeping guns unloaded and locked, with ammunition stored separately or locked up. 

Firearms licences can be denied or revoked if there are public safety concerns and risks. In 2013, the Canadian Firearms Program refused 886 firearms licence applications and revoked 2,497 firearms licences.

If you observe unsafe storage or use of firearms, or have a concern about firearms, call the Canadian Firearms Program’s toll-free (non-emergency) number during regular business hours, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. nationwide, Monday to Friday.

Telephone: 1 800 731-4000

You can also email [email protected].

If you have an urgent or life-threatening concern related to a firearm, call 911 or your local emergency police number.

 

About the Canada Safety Council

The Canada Safety Council is an independent, knowledge-based, charitable organization dedicated to the cause of safety. We provide national leadership in safety through information, education and collaboration. We are Canada’s voice and resource for safety.

 

8 thoughts on “Canada Safety Council on firearms safety”

  1. Just filled-out and mailed my paperwork for my PAL, that was coming to its expiry date.

    See that they still charge $60.00

    Wasn’t that charge abolished at one time?

  2. Also I’ll bet a lot of those firearms deaths are the result of criminal activity not hunting or accidental shootings
    I’d love to see the details, bet we’d catch an untruth or two

  3. Dr. Drummond is full of baloney. Accidental gun injuries are exceedingly rare. As Iggy says, he is treating more farm accidents than anything else. Again, the problem seems to be law abiding gun owners and not criminals, gangs, etc.

  4. Morons can still get a drivers license and there are far more injury and deaths from distracted drivers than guns, even with the criminal element included.
    Gun licenses don’t make people smarter, or safer, just poorer. You can’t license common sense. The good Dr. likes to appear as an expert because ‘he’s seen his share”! We could use his vast expertise and experience with gun related healthcare in Toronto.

  5. There we go again… The Canada Safety Council and Dr. Drummond perpetuating the firearm fear mongering among the uninformed…

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