Critique of the RCMP's Firearms and Investigative Services Directorate (FIESD) 2014 Annual Report

Abstract

The RCMP has abandoned the traditional definition of a "crime gun" and now relies on a new definition that adds administrative crimes to the traditional criteria that required the firearm to be used or suspected of being used in a violent crime. The new definition includes firearms confiscated from citizens who committed paper crimes, such as allowing their firearms permit to lapse, as well as including "found guns," which includes firearms confiscated by police that are abandoned, such as those found at the residence of a suicide.

Another somewhat misleading term, "gun related crime," is also used in conjunction with "crime gun." A gun-related crime is one where a gun was found at the crime scene. The firearm need not have been used to commit the crime, just found at the scene. This means that any crime at the residence of a hunter, target shooter or gun collector is automatically classified as a "gun related crime," whether violent or non-violent; even if the firearm remained locked up in a safe.

These two terms allow Canadian police agencies to make misleading claims, e.g., "It is a fact that the majority of gun related crimes in our communities are committed with guns that are domestically sourced." This statement contrasts with research that found smuggling to be the primary source of guns used in violent crime in Canada.

Keywords: Firearms Owners, Firearms Licence, Canada, Violent Crime, Statistics, Gun-Related Crime, Crime Gun