February 2002

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Guns and Crime in Canada: A Quiz

by Gary Mauser

1. The typical murder victim in Canada is a woman killed by a firearm.
           q  True        q  False

2. Have gun murders increased or decreased since the federal firearms registry began operations in 1998?
           q  Increased     q  Decreased     q  Stayed the same

3. How many women are killed with firearms each year in Canada by their husbands, boyfriends, ex-husbands, or ex-boyfriends?
           a) under 30
           b) around 50
           c) around 100
           d) more than 200

4. Have fatal firearm accidents increased or decreased in Canada over the past twenty years?
           q  Increased      q  Decreased     q  Stayed the same

5. How many fatal firearm accidents occur each year in Canada?
           a) under 50
           b) between 50 and 100
           c) over 100

6. How many suicides involving firearms occur each year in Canada?
           a) under 500
           b) between 500 and 1,000
           c) between 1000 and 1,500
           d) over 1,500

7. When Canadians decide to commit suicide, they usually use a gun.
           q  True        q  False

8. A rural Canadian household is more likely to have a firearm than an urban Canadian household.
           q  True        q  False

9. Homicide rates are higher in urban Canada than in rural Canada.
           q  True        q  False

10. When were handguns first registered in Canada?
            a) 1930s
            b) 1940s
            c) 1950s
            d) 1960s

For the answers, see below

Answers to Guns and Crime in Canada

1. False. The typical murder victim is a man. Guns are only involved in about one out of three murders.

2. Increased. Gun murders have risen 21 percent; handgun murders now account for almost 60 percent of firearms murders.

3. a) under 30. Twenty-four women were killed by a current or former lover with a gun in 1994, the last year statistics are available.

4. Decreased. From almost 100 fatal firearm accidents each year in the 1980s to under 50 in the 1990s.

5. a) under 50. In 1998, the most recent year statistics are available, there were 31 firearm accidents.

6. b) between 500 and 1,000. In 1998, the most recent year statistics are available, there were 818 firearms-related suicides.

7. False. Firearms are involved in less than 25 percent of suicides.

8. True.

9. True.

10. a) 1930s. Handguns were first registered in Canada in 1934.

How did you do? Give yourself one point for each right answer.

0 - 3 You know less than you think.
4 - 7 Not bad. Give yourself a pat on the back.
8 - 10 Congratulations! You know way more than most Canadians!

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