Keep your community safe – It’s your responsibility!

The Canada Safety Council is committed to community safety and crime prevention. Firearms safety is an important aspect of that commitment. Every year, firearms-related incidents claim between 700 and 900 Canadian lives. Through education, our goal is to help reduce preventable firearms deaths in Canada. Do your part to protect yourself, your family and your community.

• Get firearms safety training. Lock and unload firearms, and store ammunition separately.
• Self-harm and firearms thefts are community safety issues.
• Know your options if you inherit a firearm, or have a firearm you no long want.

Training, education, safe storage and responsible gun ownership save lives. This November during National Community Safety and Crime Prevention Month, the Canada Safety Council encourages community members to protect themselves and their loved ones from firearms mishaps – it’s your responsibility!

Quick Firearms Stats

• According to the Department of Justice, more than one in four Canadian households has firearms.
• About 75 percent of gun-related deaths are suicides.
• Suicide attempts using a firearm are particularly lethal, with a 96 per cent completion rate. This compares to overdose attempts, which have a completion rate of 6.5 per cent.
• The average hospital stay related to a firearms injury is 17.7 days, according to the Canadian Medical Association.
• Statistics Canada reports that in 2006, there were more than 3,100 incidents reported to police during which at least one firearm was reported stolen.

Community Responsibility

If you own firearms, take firearms safety training and refresher courses. Always unload and lock your guns. Store the ammunition separately. The purpose of safe storage is to help prevent access to firearms by unauthorized persons; to reduce theft; and to prevent the unintentional discharge of firearms.

To prevent impulsive acts of self-violence, it is vital that guns and ammunition are inaccessible. It is important to reach out to loved ones with mental health issues and to encourage and support them in seeking appropriate treatment. For more information and resources on good mental health, visit www.cmha.ca.

If you have an urgent or life-threatening concern related to a firearm, call 911 or your local police emergency number.

For non-urgent questions, the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program provides a toll-free number during regular business hours. Your call will be routed to the provincial Chief Firearms Officer for appropriate action.

This non-emergency police line is answered from 07:00 to 16:00 (Eastern Time), Monday to Friday.

• Telephone: 1 800 731-4000, ext. 2064 (English)
• Téléphone : 1-800-731-4000, poste 2063 (français)
• You can also email cfp-pcaf@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

Related Information

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For more information, please contact:
Catherine Gaudreau
Communications/Media Program Coordinator
(613) 739-1535 (ext. 228)