Despite Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s calls earlier this year for stricter gun control, including new measures to counter gun smuggling from the U.S., a new report suggests that the majority of guns used in crime in Canada actually come from within the country.
According to data from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, a full 61 percent—nearly two-thirds—of guns used in crime in British Columbia were domestically sourced. Guns from the U.S. made up a subset of the remaining 39 percent, which included all smuggled guns. The Indo-Canadian Voice found that these figures apply to the other provinces as well.
While nearly half the crime guns recovered are pistols, law-abiding citizens must go through a complex licensing and training process to obtain one, as handguns are considered “restricted firearms.” It’s already illegal to carry any firearm for self-defense. Why would anyone believe that further restricting the rights of citizens—while criminals continue to obtain firearms despite already-strict laws—is going to help?
