Canadians Doubtful Handgun Freeze Will Reduce Crime, Federal Research Finds

Stock image of a gun. Brett_Hondow/Pixabay

Canadians are doubtful that cabinet’s national freeze on handgun imports and new sales will actually reduce crime in the country if handguns used in committing crimes are illegally smuggled into Canada, federal research finds.

In-house research by the Privy Council Office (PCO) last fall asked survey respondents about their general views on handguns in Canadian society and whether they believed the federal ban on these firearms would bring down crime.

“While almost all participants supported the overarching goal of reducing the prevalence of crimes involving handguns and decreasing the overall number of handguns in circulation, a number were skeptical as to whether a national freeze on the buying and selling of handguns would be effective,” said the Oct. 7 PCO research report titled “Continuous Qualitative Data Collection Of Canadians’ Views” obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter.

The PCO’s findings were drawn from federal focus groups commissioned under a $2.4 million contract with The Strategic Counsel.

The federal government announced a “freeze” on handgun imports in August 2022 and cabinet banned the buying, selling, and transferring of new handguns in Canada through an order made on Nov. 9 , 2022, under the Firearms Act.

Ottawa has yet to pass Bill C-21, An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms), which will authorize the handgun ban order by cabinet.

The PCO’s research found that most Canadians do not believe handguns belonged in Canadian society apart from individuals “working in law enforcement or a similar field.”

The research also found that the “smaller yet significant number” of respondents who questioned the effectiveness of cabinet’s handgun ban largely felt that most handgun-related crimes were perpetrated by criminals who had obtained their firearms.

“As such, this action would do little to address the issue,” the research said.

“Furthermore, several of these participants reiterated concerns that this measure was unfairly restrictive towards law-abiding gun owners, specifically those who partook in pastimes such as sport shooting or collecting.”

Gun Crime

All research respondents also said they believed the federal government should prioritize countering gun smuggling and trafficking, and many saw illegally sourced firearms as being the biggest contributor to gun crime in Canada currently.

The PCO’s report released last October followed a similar report it released last June—which found similar results.

The June 2022 report said that most respondents felt “unsure as to the practicalities and realities” of banning handguns, with some saying they believed the ban would have “little to no effect on the prevalence of firearms-related crimes.”

A number of major Canadian city police chiefs also expressed their doubts about the effectiveness of the policy at the time. And the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police said in June 2022 that “restricting lawful handgun ownership will not meaningfully address the real issue,” calling for “intensified border controls” to help stop the illegal flow of firearms from the United States.

However, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has maintained that the handgun ban will reduce gun crime.

“Handguns are the weapon of choice in most firearm-related crimes, which is why limiting the number of handguns is a critical part of our plan to protect Canadians from gun violence,” said a statement issued by Trudeau’s office in October 2022.

Andrew Chen contributed to this report.