Statistics Canada Follow-up from Nov 22nd, 2023 Appearance at the Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs Bill C-21 ,

An act to amend certain acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms) Question from Senator Boisvenu - Do you have any data related to the use of illegal or unregistered firearms related to crimes? Response The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) survey does not currently collect data regarding the legal or illegal ownership of a firearm in firearm-related criminal incidents coming to the attention of police in Canada. In addition to information from the UCR Survey, Statistics Canada also collects detailed information on homicides in Canada in a separate survey.

The Homicide Survey began collecting data on the origin and legal ownership of firearms in 2019. Registration data also became available at this time. We know from the Homicide Survey that in 2022, the firearm was recovered in just 37% of firearm- related homicides (125 of Firearm-related homicides). Of those where the firearm was recovered, 69% were sent for tracing. This is similar to when 70% were sent for tracing. For 61% of the firearms sent for tracing in 2022, the origin was unknown, meaning they had either not received the results or the trace was unsuccessful.

Further, 20.3% originated from Canada, 17.7% from the US and 1.3% from other countries. Due to a high proportion of unknown values, Statistics Canada is unable to establish legal ownership for the majority of firearm-related homicides. However, information on legal ownership is available for of firearm-related homicides in 2022. Of those homicides, 76% (or homicides) were committed with firearms that were not legally owned.

Further, in 88% of firearm-related homicides for which the information was available, the accused person did not possess a valid firearm licence for the classification of firearms used in the incident (167 homicides). This information was missing for 44% of firearm-related homicides. Collecting information on the ownership and origins of crime guns poses significant challenges. As a starting point, not all crime guns are recovered in a criminal incident, and of those that are, not all are sent for tracing.

There is currently no national database where all trace results are recorded, nor are there national requirements for police services to send crime guns for tracing. Through collaboration with Public Safety Canada, Statistics Canada has completed a feasibility study related to the collection of better data about the origins of crime guns, which includes guns that have been trafficked, or purchased illegally in some other way.

The work included engaging with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police Firearms Committee and other stakeholders in order to make recommendations on how to establish ongoing, national information on the origin of firearms that would inform operations, programs, policies and prevention.

Building on this feasibility work Statistics Canada has now embarked on a Pilot study, with funding by Public Safety, and will be seeking to collect the following data for a reference period of or 4 years: o Number and type of firearms recovered and submitted for tracing o Origins of the firearms (i.e., source country) The objective of this pilot study is to collect national firearm-level information connected to tracing requests made by police services for firearms that come into their possession, in order to examine trends over a 3- to 4-year period.

A descriptive report will be developed and provided to Public Safety in March 2025. This is currently a one-time pilot. Any new and on-going data collection by Statistics Canada related to firearm tracing information would require sustained funding.