The measures of success for the firearms control program are as follows:
(a) Number of refused or revoked from December 1, 1998 to December 11, 2002.
Applications refused:
Licences Revoked
(b) As of January 4, 2003, 74p. 100 of licensed firearms owners have acted to comply with registration.
(c) It is possible to submit a firearms registration application only by paper registration form at this time, however, the CFC is looking at new on-line services to be provided in the near future.
(d) 5,893,447 firearms have been registered as of January 4, 2003.
(e) Polling released by Gallup Canada on November 27, 2001, reveals that 76p. 100 of Canadians, a majority in every region of Canada, favour “the requirement that by law all firearms in Canada need to be registered with the federal government”. The result is very consistent with other polling in that and prior years.
(f) The rate of firearms accidents has declined from 129 in 1970 to 31 in 1999. (Source: Statistics Canada: Causes of Death). Registration links a firearm to its rightful owner. It works to enhance accountability for one’s firearms, for example, by encouraging safe storage, which helps reduce gun theft and accidents.