Thank you, Mr. Chair, and good evening. Thank you for the invitation to appear before the committee.
The Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, of which I am proud to be a member, is at the forefront of treating patients and families with [Technical difficulty—Editor] traumatic injuries, including firearm injuries and death. As such, we have a unique perspective on how we can work to [Technical difficulty—Editor] trauma of such injuries and deaths.
As well, we are particularly aware that, despite a lot of publicity regarding homicides, three out of every four firearm deaths in Canada are suicides. We think that important element is often missing from the discussion and dialogue around firearm safety. That is one area that we would wish to focus on.
Where there are more firearms accessible, there is increased trauma. There are increased injuries—