in a country unwilling or unable to confront firearms violence.
But experts and gun control advocates caution that Canada’s relatively strict laws do not fully shield it from violence of the kind that is rampant in the United States. A nation where hunting is common, Canada has one of the world’s highest per-capita gun ownership rates. According to the 2018 Small Arms Survey, there are an estimated 34.7 firearms per 100 people. Canada still trails far behind its southern neighbour, both in gun ownership rates and firearms-related incidents.
Part of that is credited to a gun ownership regime that mandates extensive background checks and requires that guns be kept locked and unloaded. There are no comparable “open carry” laws in the country, gun owners must be licensed and all handguns and most semi-automatic weapons must be registered with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
“When you consider us next to the United States, which is so heavily armed that it’s almost unbelievable, we look pretty good. But compared to other democratic countries, there’s much more we could be doing to address gaps in the system,” said Ken Price, a gun control advocate whose daughter Samantha was injured inRoyal Canadian Mounted Police officers surround a suspect at a gas station in Enfield, Nova Scotia, on 19 April 2020 after Canada’s worst mass shooting.
Turns out it was Canada that needed the wall.