International Action and Canadian Obligations

International Comparative Research on Legislations, Regulations and Procedures to Acquire, Possess, Sell and Transfer Rifles and Shotguns
This report compares Canada’s firearm licensing, ownership, transfer and sale requirements to those in ten other countries as well as the European Union. The countries studied each tackle the question of gun control and curbing illicit trafficking in different ways and at different levels. The resounding observation is that Canada stands alone in weakening its controls on rifles and shotguns. To read the report, click here.

International Perspectives on Gun Control
Small arms in the hands of civilians pose serious challenges for security in numerous settings, including war and violent conflict, states in transition, and ‘peaceful’ nations. From a human security perspective, it is clear that as many if not more civilians are killed with small arms in the context of crime than “conflict” and in many contexts – for example, Colombia or Haiti – criminal violence is inseparable from political violence. Learn about international action on the global gun epidemic.

The Illicit Trade in Small Arms: Addressing the Problem of Diversion 
Canada has a proud history of international engagement and working to prevent the trafficking of illegal firearms worldwide has long been a part of that, though in recent years this position has been slipping away. Over the last decade, considerable attention has been paid to the global problem of the illicit trafficking of small arms. This paper will analyze the points of diversion and potential mechanisms to prevent diversion using a demand-and-supply framework. Concrete cases are examined to understand the contributing factors and ways in which the Programme of Action of the United Nations addresses these.