President's Perspective

Unquestionably, guns pose a danger to public health and safety. Annually in Canada, about 1,300 deaths are caused by firearms. Of these, most (77 per cent) are suicides. Shooting is the most common method of homicide. Only about five per cent of firearms deaths are accidental - but many of them, tragically, are children.

Over time, with progressive gun control measures, the firearm death rate in Canada has dropped from 5.2 per 100,000 in 1970 to 3.8 in 1996. To the Canada Safety Council, as a safety organization, legislation is a proven and obvious countermeasure to help reduce deaths and injuries. The Montreal massacre spurred this Council to support the call for more effective legislation to prevent firearms from getting into the wrong hands.

Of the many issues we have addressed over the past 10 years, gun control was by far the most emotional. Despite the tirades of opponents to the federal government's gun control legislation, we have spoken for the majority of Canadians who have serious concerns about the risks of uncontrolled access to firearms.

Canadians do not want a society where shooting deaths are an everyday occurrence. The Montreal massacre woke us up to that inherent danger. The government's gun control law reflects longstanding Canadian values in support of measures to promote public safety and security.

Return to top of page