▲Every time a mass shooting happens in the United States, people ask why. And although ownership of guns in Canada is relatively high and shootings do happen, they pale in comparison to the United States.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been almost 400 mass shootings in the US in 2024—with over 80 of them taking place in schools. In Canada, there were only two mass shootings and no school shootings at all in 2024. One of the reasons for this gap in statistics may be the difference in gun regulations between the two countries. In Canada, for example, to own a gun you must complete a course and undergo a criminal background check.

▲Adjusted for population, America's firearm-related homicide rate is seven times higher than Canada's firearm homicide rate.

▲There are 10.6 firearm-related homicides per 100,000 people in the US. In Canada, there are 3.6 firearm-related homicides per 100,000 people.

▲All gun owners must have a valid firearm licence to legally own a gun in Canada. There are different licences for different classification of firearms.

▲To obtain a licence in Canada, gun owners must complete a course and undergo a criminal background check.

▲Guns are classified as "non-restricted," "restricted," and "prohibited" in Canada.

▲All guns that are classified "restricted" and "prohibited" are required to be registered with the federal Canadian Firearms Registry.

▲"Prohibited" guns are not forbidden, but are only available to those with "prohibited" gun licenses.

▲Guns with a barrel length less than 105 millimetres (4.1 in) or that discharge .25 or .32 calibre ammunition require a "prohibited" gun licence.

▲Shotguns and rifles that have been altered so that the barrel length is shorter than 457 millimetres (18.0 in) or so that the overall length is 660 millimetres (26 in) require a "prohibited" licence.

▲Fully automatic weapons and converted automatic weapons like ones using a bump stock to discharge in a semi-automatic manner require a "prohibited" licence.

▲All versions of military-grade weapons like the AK-47 and FN-FAL require a "prohibited" licence.

▲The SSS-1 Stinger, a gun that can fit in the palm of your hand, and similar designs require a "prohibited" licence.

▲Any gun that shoots a dart or other object carrying an electric current requires a "prohibited" licence.

▲There are hundreds of specific guns listed by name, including types of shotguns, carbines, rifles, pistols, and sub-machine guns that require a "prohibited" licence.

▲Even after obtaining a licence and registering a gun, "prohibited" firearms must be kept unloaded at home and when in transit, and must be out of view while being transported.

▲There is special transportation paperwork for leaving your home with an unloaded "prohibited" firearm, even when taking it to a shooting range.

▲Though federal regulation on automatic and military grade weapons exists in the US, access to guns varies state to state.

▲The federal restriction on buying military grade weapons doesn't apply at gun shows, where guns of any type are sold to anyone over 18-years-old.

▲There are 26 states where Americans can openly carry a gun of any kind, anywhere. There are another 20 states that allow openly carrying firearms either in a rural area or with a licence. There are only five states where openly carrying guns is not legal.

▲Some magazines are illegal in Canada no matter what the size, but generally anything more than five rounds in a magazine is against the law north of the border.

▲Ammunition designed to pierce body armour is illegal in Canada.

▲Flechette rounds, that spread into the body like metal arrows, are illegal in Canada.

▲Any replica that is intended to look like a gun is illegal in Canada.

▲Any mechanism designed to change a firearm's trigger to give it a semi-automatic capacity is illegal in Canada.

▲Silencers or devices that muffle the sound of firearms are illegal in Canada.

▲Explosive or incendiary rounds are illegal in Canada.

▲Here are the guns that require a "restricted" licence in Canada.

▲Guns that can be operated in a semi-automatic manner require a "restricted" licence.

▲Any firearm that can be folded and fired or telescoped and fired requires a "restricted" licence.

▲Hand guns with barrel lengths longer than 105 millimetres (4.1 in) require "restricted" licences.

▲High Standard Model 10, Series A shotgun, and the High Standard Model 10, Series B shotgun and variations require a "restricted" license.

▲M-16 and their variations require "restricted" licences.

▲The AR-15 requires a "restricted" licence.

▲All other firearms not mentioned only require a "non-restricted" licence.

▲Canada used to have even tougher gun regulations, which were scrapped by the Conservative government in 2014.

▲Canada previously had a mandatory registry for all guns that weren't hand guns, called the Long Gun Registry.

Gun laws in Canada compared to the US

How the two countries differ in gun control

13/12/24 por StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Gun

Every time a mass shooting happens in the United States, people ask why. And although ownership of guns in Canada is relatively high and shootings do happen, they pale in comparison to the United States.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been almost 400 mass shootings in the US in 2024—with over 80 of them taking place in schools. In Canada, there were only two mass shootings and no school shootings at all in 2024. One of the reasons for this gap in statistics may be the difference in gun regulations between the two countries. In Canada, for example, to own a gun you must complete a course and undergo a criminal background check.

But this is just one of many rules that keep gun crime in Canada much lower than in the US. Click through this gallery to find out more and to understand the difference in regulations between the two countries.