6/29/2005

Statistics Canada says that they can't find any impact of Canada's Gun Laws on Really Anything

This is a real surprise.

Mr. Garry Breitkreuz [Member of the Canadian Parliament]:

Since 1995, what have been the actual public safety improvements achieved as a direct result of the Canadian Firearms Program and Firearms Registry including: (a) the number of violent crimes solved; (b) the number and type of violent and non-violent charges laid; (c) the number and type of convictions obtained; (d) the number and type of firearms seized from criminals; (e) the reduction in the total number of homicides; (f) the reduction in the total number of domestic homicides; (g) the reduction in the total number of suicides; (h) the number of lives saved; (i) the respective reduction in violent crime; and (j) the number of firearms returned to their rightful owners?


BREITKREUZ NOTE: The following was only available in hard copy and had to be re-typed from the original.

STATISTICS CANADA RESPONSE TABLED WITH JOURNALS BRANCH

Statistics Canada’s Uniform Crime Reporting Survey and Homicide Survey collect data from administrative records of police-reported criminal incidents. The Youth and Adult Court surveys collect data from administrative records of cases appearing before criminal courts. Trends in crime statistics can be influenced by many factors including socio-demographic and economic changes, legislative and program changes and changes in police practices. The specific impact of the firearms program or the firearms registry cannot be isolated from that of other factors. [Statistics Canada emphasis]