Understanding Canada's Gun Ownership Laws

A deadly mass shooting at a school in British Columbia is likely to increase scrutiny of whether Canada's gun laws should be toughened to prevent further attacks. Nine people were killed and another 25 injured in the attack at Tumbler Ridge on Tuesday, in a remote part of the country that's about 415 miles (667km) north of Vancouver. The suspect was also found dead with a self-inflicted injury, authorities said.

Currently, gun ownership in the Canadian provinces is largely federally regulated by the government in Ottawa, and there are stricter laws in place than in most US states. Mass shootings in Canada are therefore rare, especially compared to its southern neighbour. Still, gun-related killings as a percentage of all homicides are significantly higher in Canada than in England and Wales, or Australia.

Under Canada's Firearms Act, guns must be kept locked and unloaded. Anyone wishing to buy a firearm is subject to extensive background checks and needs to have a licensed permit. As of 2021, more than 2.2 million people - or 7.7% of Canada's adult population - had firearm licenses, with an estimated 10 million firearms in circulation countrywide. Additionally, a national freeze on the sale and transfer of handguns has been in place since 2022.

Mass Shootings in Canada Over the Years

The latest mass shooting follows a string of others over the past decade, including the deadliest incident in Canadian history in 2020, where a gunman posing as a police officer killed 22 people in Nova Scotia.

The history of mass shootings in Canada shows a troubling pattern, including significant events like the Quebec City mosque shooting in 2017 and the 1989 Montreal massacre. These instances have led to various bans on military-grade assault weapons and tighter gun regulations to enhance public safety.