Thank you.
Gun injury and death is an urgent public health issue. The Canadian Medical Association declares that “Firearm-related injuries and fatalities are a major cause of premature and preventable death in Canada.” A 2020 Ontario study shows that over a 15-year period, there were nearly 6,500 gun injuries, and 42% were fatal. Another 2020 Canadian study shows that 10% to 20% of patients with firearm injuries suffer lifelong disability.
Gun injuries stress our economy and public health systems. Many of my patients never go back to work or school because of the physical and emotional trauma they have suffered. The toll on families and communities is unimaginable. Canadians have called on governments to reduce this threat to public health and well-being.
Preventing injury and death from firearms is a multi-faceted challenge that demands evidence-based solutions. Canada needs Bill C-21, with a permanent ban on assault weapons to save lives. Indisputable peer-reviewed evidence from around the world shows that restricting access to guns saves lives. The stronger the measures, the safer it is, and this is irrefutable.
Canada has work to do. We rank ninth of 36 countries in the OECD for firearm mortality.
The gun is the vector of harm and death. This is why assault weapons—firearms that can kill and maim many people in mere minutes—have no place in our communities. Banning these firearms will not necessarily make our society less violent, but it will make the violence less lethal. It has worked in Australia. It worked in Switzerland. It even worked for a time in the U.S.
A similar type of gun, the SKS rifle, which is not currently covered by the order in council, was used recently to kill two police officers in Ontario. A clear line must be drawn to ban all semi-automatic rifles as part of this legislation.
Further, CDPG supports the ban on the sale and transfer of handguns. International research shows that a woman is five times more likely to be killed in a domestic violence situation when there is a gun in the home, most frequently by a handgun. In 2019, the Canadian Femicide Observatory identified firearms as the most commonly reported means used to kill women and girls. All guns, including handguns, can be used to intimidate and control.
Handguns smuggled from the U.S. are not the sole source of crime guns. A handgun stolen from a gun shop in Saskatchewan was used in the Danforth mass shooting.
We support the proposed “red flag” law. Family members, physicians and concerned individuals must have access to an efficient process to quickly have firearms removed from someone who may be at risk to themselves or others.
In Canada, suicide accounts for about 75% of gun deaths. A gun in the home increases adolescent suicide rates by threefold to fourfold. Evidence from other jurisdictions shows that “red flag” laws are effective in reducing firearm suicides.
Most people who survive a suicide attempt do not go on to die by suicide. This is why restricting access to lethal means saves lives. Suicide attempts with a gun are almost uniformly fatal.
Public education and easy access to a confidential process for the removal of firearms would strengthen this bill. New York State offers its citizens an online application reviewed by a judge within 24 hours. We urge the federal government to work with provinces and territories to mandate physician reporting of individuals at risk of harming themselves or others.
The ban on replica guns is good but insufficient. Non-powdered firearms have the speed and force to penetrate skin or eyes and are a source of injury to children and youth. We urge the government to create a strong regulatory framework for these guns. We recommend mandatory warning and education labels on all guns and ammunition at the point of sale, similar to tobacco and other products.
The government must invest in the social determinants of health. I have seen how the traps set by poverty, racism and the lack of opportunity combined with a firearm devastate young lives. I know the government has been listening to community voices. Now it must act.
Finally, Canada would benefit from a deeper understanding of firearm injury. This bill should include a national firearms research and policy centre to study existing and potential solutions to reduce harm from guns.
For 20 years I have been treating patients devastated by firearm injuries and consoling families left behind with immeasurable grief. Our sole interest today is to protect Canadians from gun injury and death.
Thank you for listening to me so patiently. I'm here with my colleagues, Dr. Maggi and Dr. Berger, and we would be pleased to answer any questions.
Thank you.