Facts and Figures (July - September 2010)

Canadian Firearms Program

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• Firearms licensing
• Firearms registration
• Other CFP Performance Information

Firearms Licensing

Firearms Licences

There are currently three types of firearms licences for individuals in Canada: the Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL), the Possession Only Licence (POL) and the Minor’s Licence. Only the PAL and Minor’s Licence are available for new applicants.

• Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL): allows the licence holder to possess and acquire firearms and ammunition.
• Possession Only Licence (POL): allows the licence holder to possess, but not acquire, firearms, and to both possess and acquire ammunition.
• Minor’s Licence: the only licence available to individuals under 18 years of age. It allows the licence holder to use non-restricted firearms for specific activities such as hunting or target practice.

All businesses and organizations that produce, sell, possess, handle, display or store firearms or ammunition are required to have a valid firearms business licence.

Valid Licences as of September 2010

Province/Territory	Possession Licence	Possession and Acquisition Licence	Minor Licence	Total
Alberta	64,891	147,934	1,391	214,216
British Columbia	78,934	134,934	348	214,216
Manitoba	28,554	49,362	247	78,163
New Brunswick	42,353	29,272	114	71,739
Newfoundland and Labrador	28,971	42,536	129	71,636
Northwest Territories	612	4,412	36	5,060
Nova Scotia	42,470	30,630	1,185	74,285
Nunavut	55	2,877	13	2,945
Ontario	201,959	306,375	3,765	512,099
Prince Edward Island	3,456	2,829	7	6,292
Quebec	176,786	309,108	20	485,914
Saskatchewan	32,490	56,149	85	88,724
Yukon	1,146	4,840	52	6,038
Total	702,677	1,121,258	7,392	1,831,327

Licences per 100,000 population

Province/Territory	Licences per 100,000 Population*
Alberta	6,524
British Columbia	5,206
Manitoba	6,814
New Brunswick	9,836
Newfoundland and Labrador	14,126
Northwest Territories	12,203
Nova Scotia	8,132
Nunavut	9,992
Ontario	4,211
Prince Edward Island	4,632
Quebec	6,432
Saskatchewan	9,169
Yukon	19,880
Total	5,793

* Licences per 100,000 population are calculated using Provincial/Territorial populations from 2006 Census

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Number of Licences Issued (including renewals) in the July - September 2010 Period

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Licence Renewal

A firearms licence for an individual is valid for five years, at which point the individual must renew the licence.

Renewal Statistics for Licence Holders who have Registered Firearms

Quarter	Total Number of Licences Set to Expire During the Period	Renewed	Did not Renew	Renewal Rate for Firearm Owners
2007 Q 4	75,157	58,857	16,300	78.3%
2008 Q 1	77,102	60,711	16,391	78.7%
2008 Q 2	81,816	66,534	15,282	81.3%
2008 Q 3	78,832	61,878	16,954	78.5%
2008 Q 4	71,411	54,032	17,379	75.7%
2009 Q 1	73,261	54,713	18,548	74.7%
2009 Q 2	77,852	58,982	18,870	75.8%
2009 Q 3	76,206	60,138	16,068	78.9%
2009 Q 4	62,618	48,839	13,779	78.0%
2010 Q 1	65,507	50,816	14,691	77.6%
2010 Q 2	66,135	51,395	14,740	77.7%
2010 Q 3	65,393	51,548	13,845	78.8%

Safety Training

Firearms safety training is a fundamental element of the Canadian Firearms Program. To obtain a PAL or a Minor’s Licence an applicant must have satisfied the requirements of the Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CFSC). It is also possible in some cases for a PAL applicant to receive alternative certification. To own or acquire restricted firearms, an individual must satisfy the requirements of the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course (CRFSC) or have been alternatively certified, in addition to having satisfied the requirements of the CFSC. These courses help ensure that those who possess and use firearms are fully aware of their responsibility for the safe handling, transport and storage of firearms.

Year	No. of Alternative Certifications	No. of CFSCs	No. of CFSC Students	No. of CRFSC	No. of CRFSC Students
before 1999	23,262	182	1,744	20	119
1999	202	4,590	43,911	1,120	6,501
2000	5,224	9,633	81,290	2,313	12,101
2001	1,414	6,211	57,090	1,685	9,048
2002	3,044	5,239	49,731	1,743	10,060
2003	708	4,176	37,650	1,347	7,844
2004	468	3,899	36,277	1,251	8,201
2005	755	4,273	40,738	1,446	9,028
2006	1,544	4,969	47,540	1,747	10,400
2007	911	5,555	55,688	2,119	13,302
2008	447	6,656	65,561	2,544	17,003
2009	231	6,828	67,069	2,816	19,770
2010*	138	3,814	38,011	1,652	12,124
Total	38,579	66,026	622,300	21,803	135,501

* Up to September 30, 2010

NOTE: These totals do not include the number of individuals who have taken the above courses in Quebec.

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Licence Refusals and Revocations

Licensing of an individual to possess firearms requires a variety of background checks. Applicants are screened to detect potential public safety risks based on information provided with a firearms licence application. Continuous eligibility screening is conducted over the term of the licence to identify any public safety risks that may arise over time. A licence may also be revoked following a court order or a Chief Firearm Officer’s investigation resulting from a call to the CFP’s public safety line (1-800-731-4000).

The Registrar of Firearms is notified of all licence revocations, is responsible for revoking all associated registration certificates, and works to ensure proper disposal of the firearms. For more information on refusals and revocations, please consult the
Firearms Act.

NOTE: Reasons for licence refusals or revocations include: a history of violence, mental illness, potential risk to oneself or others, unsafe firearm use and storage, drug offences, and providing false information.

Licence Refusals by Year

Year	Refused Applications
2005	345
2006	391
2007	438
2008	460
2009	514
2010*	394

* Up to September 30, 2010

Licence Revocations by Year

Year	Licences Revoked
2005	2,286
2006	2,064
2007	1,748
2008	1,831
2009	2,078
2010*	1,652

* Up to September 30, 2010

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Firearms Registration

The registration of firearms links firearms and their licensed owners, thereby enhancing owners’ accountability for safe storage and use of firearms. A centralized, on-line, secure database of firearms information helps police and other public safety officials carry out investigations efficiently and effectively enabling them to quickly trace a firearm to its last lawful owner.

Firearms Registered as of September 2010

Province/Territory	Non-restricted firearms	Restricted firearms	Prohibited firearms	Total
Alberta	873,644	86,505	24,492	984,641
British Columbia	805,931	93,024	28,452	927,407
Manitoba	333,333	17,461	6,117	356,911
New Brunswick	266,864	11,467	5,402	283,733
Newfoundland and Labrador	196,857	3,789	1,596	202,242
Northwest Territories	18,051	1,017	326	19,394
Nova Scotia	284,104	15,760	7,454	307,318
Nunavut	11,599	150	36	11,785
Ontario	2,058,729	180,694	84,980	2,324,403
Prince Edward Island	21,461	1,627	793	23,881
Quebec	1,585,671	55,960	33,559	1,675,190
Saskatchewan	394,979	25,356	8,456	428,791
Yukon	23,123	1,712	393	25,228
Total	6,874,346	494,522	202,056	7,570,924

Firearms per 100,000 Population*

Province/Territory	Firearms per 100,000 Population*
Alberta	29,986
British Columbia	22,539
Manitoba	31,117
New Brunswick	38,904
Newfoundland and Labrador	40,011
Northwest Territories	46,773
Nova Scotia	33,643
Nunavut	39,984
Ontario	19,115
Prince Edward Island	17,579
Quebec	22,175
Saskatchewan	44,313
Yukon	83,063
Total	23,949

*Firearms per 100,000 population are calculated using Provincial/Territorial populations from 2006 Census

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Firearm Transfers

A firearm must be legally transferred whenever it is sold, traded or given to someone else. The registration information must be updated to indicate the new owner, if he or she lives in Canada. This process is referred to as a “transfer” under the Firearms Act.

Firearm Transfers by Transfer Method

NOTE: EFAST is a legacy system that is being phased out

Quarter	Telephone	Internet	Paper	EFAST	Total
2007 Q 4	75,156	61,683	0	0	136,839
2008 Q 1	62,086	51,358	1	0	113,445
2008 Q 2	72,632	84,757	0	81	157,470
2008 Q 3	73,853	102,321	0	0	176,174
2008 Q 4	89,997	82,739	0	0	172,736
2009 Q 1	77,943	67,041	0	0	144,984
2009 Q 2	78,766	87,345	0	0	166,111
2009 Q 3	80,124	91,126	0	0	171,250
2009 Q 4	91,155	84,112	2	8	175,277
2010 Q 1	70,017	74,602	2	0	144,621
2010 Q 2	76,672	108,379	0	0	185,051
2010 Q 3	86,845	117,713	1	6	204,565

Firearm Transfers Processed within Service Standard (30 days)

Quarter	Percentage within Standard
2007 Q 4	96.7%
2008 Q 1	94.8%
2008 Q 2	95.2%
2008 Q 3	97.5%
2008 Q 4	96.7%
2009 Q 1	96.5%
2009 Q 2	97.4%
2009 Q 3	97.7%
2009 Q 4	96.7%
2010 Q 1	97.3%
2010 Q 2	97.8%
2010 Q 3	97.3%

NOTE: this figure refers to the mailing of a hard copy Registration certificate to the transferee. The transfer transaction is typically updated in CFIS within a few hours, and the transferee can legally take possession of the firearms at that point.

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Other CFP Performance Information

CFRO Queries

The Canadian Firearms Registry On-line (CFRO) is a subset of the Canadian Firearms Information System (CFIS). The system is available to Canadian police agencies via the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) system to assist them when responding to calls and conducting investigations. As a searchable application, police officers may query the name, address and firearms licence number of an individual, or firearm-related information such as the serial number or registration certificate number of a firearm. CFRO provides police with real-time access to the information they require in their investigative and operational activities.

Average Daily Queries to the CFRO

Type	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Individual Name	1,561	1,820	2,397	4,001	4,262	6,435	7,653	10,492
Address	27	42	1,434	2,268	2,364	2,574	2,842	3,173
Serial#	128	130	143	187	176	203	316	296
Licence#	47	57	74	89	121	140	185	204
Certificate#	20	13	14	15	16	19	19	17
Telephone#	7	9	12	11	14	15	20	38
Other	23	16	17	21	21	22	50	83
Total	1,813	2,087	4,091	6,591	6,973	9,408	11,086	14,302

NOTE: The total may not match the sum of the components due to rounding

Total CFRO Queries by Quarter

Quarter	All Query Types
2007 Q 4	761,419
2008 Q 1	786,464
2008 Q 2	891,157
2008 Q 3	904,637
2008 Q 4	859,184
2009 Q 1	884,649
2009 Q 2	981,407
2009 Q 3	1,088,335
2009 Q 4	1,088,623
2010 Q 1	1,203,619
2010 Q 2	1,335,603
2010 Q 3	1,293,396

NOTE: The numbers from previous quarters have increased between this report and last, due to new data becoming available.

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Total CFRO Queries by Province (July - September 2010)

Province/Territory	Query Count for 2010 Q3	Queries per 100,000 Population*
Alberta	91,929	2,800
British Columbia	240,340	5,841
Manitoba	34,094	2,972
New Brunswick	67,624	9,272
Newfoundland and Labrador	19,667	3,891
Nova Scotia	22,273	2,438
Northwest Territories	4,510	10,877
Nunavut	1,890	6,412
Ontario	730,868	6,010
Prince Edward Island	3,079	2,266
Quebec	53,135	703
Saskatchewan	20,589	2,128
Yukon	3,398	11,188
Total	1,293,396	4,091

*Queries per 100,000 population are calculated using Provincial/Territorial populations from 2006 Census

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Telephone Enquiries

The Canadian Firearms Program operates a call centre located within its central processing site. This centre answers calls from the general public and licence holders relating to firearms licensing and registration.

Telephone Calls Received at the CFP's Call Centre

Year	Average Wait Time (seconds)	Total Number of Calls Received	Number of Calls Answered within 3 Minutes
2004	116	501,603	379,331
2005	113	839,674	629,746
2006	159	1,132,071	740,548
2007	327	1,065,592	358,673
2008	125	975,945	690,585
2009	115	878,608	634,417
2010*	57	423,048	366,384

* Up to September 30, 2010