PowerPoint Presentation Sterling Prize Presentation

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Gun Control

• Telling the Emperor he has no clothes
• Political marketing
• Gun control
• Academic freedom
• The NRA and methodology
• September 11th opened eyes
• Terrorists, not gun owners

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Myth Number 1

• Criminal violence means guns.

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Criminal violence means guns?

• Violent Crimes (1994)
• TOTAL WITH FIREARMS
• Homicide 596 196 32
• Attempted murder 918 306 33
• Assault 236,364 5,959 3
• Sexual Assault 31,690 50 lt 1
• Other sexual offences 3,812 0
• Abduction 1,130 0
• Robbery 28,888 7,371 26
• Total violent crimes 303,398 18,204 6 of
  violent crimes

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Criminal violence means guns?

• Total deaths with firearms 1,031 100
• Suicide with firearm 818 79
• Murder with firearm 159 15
• Firearm accident 45 5
• Legal intervention 9 1
• 1997 statistics

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Criminal violence means guns?

• Suicides (1997)
• Total suicides 3,671
• Firearms 818 22

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Criminal violence means guns?

• Accidental Deaths (1997)
• Total accidental deaths 8,801
• Motor vehicles 3,042
• Falls 2,622
• Surgical/medical misadventures 193
• Firearms 45 1

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Myth Number 2

• Women are the victims of gun violence.

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Women are the victims?

• Homicide in Canada (1994)
• Total homicides 596
• Involving a firearm 196 32
• Victims
• Male 398 66
• Female 198 33
• Spousal homicides 85
• Women killed by conjugal intimate 65
• Women killed by conjugal intimate
  w/firearm 24Source Special request, Senator
  Anne Cools, her testimony to The Supreme Court of
  Canada

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Women are the victims?

• Homicide in Canada (1999)
• Total 536
• Involving a firearm 165 30
• Committed during another criminal offence 152
• Victims
• Male 67
• Female 33
• Consumed alcohol/drugs 38
• Known criminal record 41
• Accused
• Consumed alcohol/drugs 50
• Known criminal record 62
• Previous conviction for violent offence 60
• Known history of spousal violence 74

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Myth Number 3

• Gun ownership leads to violence

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Gun ownership violence?

• Household Ownership of Firearms
• CITY/TOWN SIZE HANDGUN FIREARM
• Over 500,000 1 11
• 10,000 499,999 4 24
• Under 10,000 6 44
• Source Mauser and Buckner (1995)

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Gun ownership violence?

• Regional Variations in Violent Crimes
• (1994)
• CANADA RURAL URBAN
• Total violent crimes 95,993 9,740 86,253
• Involving firearms 5,929 370 5,559
• Percent 6.2 3.8 6.4
• Sourcespecial request, Stats Can Incident-Based
  Survey 1995.

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Gun ownership violence?

• Urban and Rural Firearm Deaths
• in Canada (1991)
• CITY/TOWN SIZE HOMICIDE RATES
• Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver 2.64
• 50,000 2.15
• 49,999 10,000 2.06
• 9,999 1,000 1.68
• Less than 1,000 2.32
• Source Canadian Firearms Centre Report, Urban
  and Rural Firearm Deaths in Canada

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Myth Number 4

• Guns are not used in self-defence in Canada

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Guns used in self-defence?
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Myth Number 5

• Gun control keeps us safe.

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Gun control keeps us safe?
Trends in handgun homicides in Canada (rates as
percent of gun homicides and total homicides)
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Gun control keeps us safe?

• History of gun law in Canada
• 1935
• handguns registered
• 1977
• required a police permit to purchase a firearm
  Firearms Acquisition Certificate
• ban a large variety of weapons, including fully
  automatic firearms
• eliminated protection of property as a legitimate
  reason for registering handguns
• introduced penalty for unsafe storage of
  firearms
• introduced requirements for Firearms and
  Ammunition Business Permits

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Gun control keeps us safe?

• 1991
• registration of semi-automatic military-style
  rifles
• ban of converted automatic rifles
• ban of high-capacity magazines
• ban of non-sporting ammunition
• new FAC requirements applicants have to
• complete the firearm safety course,
• Fill out the long application form (35
  questions),
• provide a passport-type photograph
• obtain two references (one a wife or spouse)
• mandatory 28-day waiting period
• increased regulations for firearms dealers
• specific regulations for safe storage, handling
  and transportation of firearms
• introduction of firearm safety course for FAC
  applicants

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Gun control keeps us safe?

• 1995
• prohibition and confiscation of over half of all
  registered handguns (so called Saturday Night
  Specials)
• introduction of firearms owners licences
• POL Possession Only Licence
• PAL Possession and Acquisition Licence
• new requirements for PAL applicants have to
• have separate rifle and handgun safety courses
• fill out the long application form (35 questions)
• provide a passport-type photograph
• obtain two references (Plus spouse or former
  spouse)
• new stricter regulations for safe storage,
  handling and transportation of firearms

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Gun control keeps us safe?

• 1995 (continued)
• regulation of shooting clubs, shooting ranges,
  and gun shows
• new regulations for export and import of firearms
• broadening of police powers of search and
  seizure
• suspects of Firearms Act required to testify
  against themselves
• licensing of firearm owners
• January 2003
• All firearms required to be registered

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Gun control keeps us safe?

• Brief Summary of Evaluation Studies of Canadian
  Firearms Legislation Dependent
  Significant Variable Effect
• Scarff (1983) Homicide rate Yes
• Sproule and Kennett (1988) Homicide rate No
• Mundt (1990) Homicide rate No
• Mundt (1990) Armed robbery rate No
• Mauser and Holmes (1992) Homicide rate No
• Mauser and Maki (1998) Armed robbery rate No
• Department of Justice (1996) Homicide rate Yes

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Gun control keeps us safe?
Evaluating 1977 Canadian Gun Legislation
Homicide Rate
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Gun control keeps us safe?
Evaluating 1977 Canadian Gun Legislation
Robbery, Armed Robbery, and Robbery with Firearm
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US vs. Canada Comparison
Sources Juristat, "Homicide in 1992" vol.14, No
4. Crime in the United States1992, FBI
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Gun control keeps us safe?
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Gun control keeps us safe?
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Gun control keeps us safe?
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Gun control keeps us safe?
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Conclusions

• Ready, aim, fire
• Fire, aim, ready
• Fear and freedom
• Cultural diversity
• Thanks to Nora and Ted Sterling