OTTAWA, ON (March 26, 2026):
Canada’s post-2019 firearm policies have missed the mark – undermining public safety while harming lawful gun owners, related industries, and cultural and heritage traditions.
In Off target: Evaluating post-2019 changes to Canada’s gun control laws, authors Noah S. Schwartz, Ella Duncan, and Korian Deseron reveal how policies such as the handgun freeze and the ban on so-called “assault-style” weapons have failed to enhance public safety.
“The pace of these changes, enacted first through order-in-council, and in the aftermath of tragedies both in Canada and the United States, raises questions as to the extent to which they are supported by evidence,” the authors note.
The authors highlight the broader consequences of current policies, including economic harm to small businesses, shooting ranges, and sporting communities, as well as the disproportionate impacts on Indigenous Canadians who rely on firearms for subsistence. The misguided gun laws also risk deepening regional and urban-rural divides.
To better address gun violence while preserving public trust, the authors urge the federal government to focus on addressing the root causes of gun violence through a “precision policy” entailing:
- Investment in border enforcement and intelligence to combat firearms smuggling.
- Expansion of funding for community-based violence prevention and policing initiatives.
- Improvement of transparency by publishing anonymized data on firearm seizures and licence revocations.
- Replacement of the current firearms classification system with a more transparent, evidence-based model.
- Ending the national handgun freeze.
“Absent a change in course, Canada’s firearms policies will continue to impose real social, economic, and cultural costs while failing to meaningfully improve public safety,” the authors warn.
To learn more, read the full paper here:
Noah S. Schwartz is an assistant professor of political science at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, British Columbia.
Ella Duncan is a social researcher and aspiring elementary school teacher in British Columbia on Stó:lō territory.
Korian Deseron is a fourth-year political science student at the University of the Fraser Valley.
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Skander.belouizdad@macdonaldlaurier.ca
