The number of regulated handguns and rifles in Canada continued to climb in 2018 to a total of nearly 2 million across the country, a long-awaited report from the commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police reveals.

From a total of 912,498 restricted handguns and semi-automatic rifles that were registered in 2014, the growing popularity of sport shooting at target ranges combined with gun owners adding to their number of restricted firearms led to a surge of 73,767 more guns being registered in 2018 than in 2017 — to a total of 1,164,197.

Although the numbers include businesses as well as individuals, the number of firearms owned by individuals far exceeds the number owned or held by businesses.

From 2016 to 2017, the number of registered guns increased by 67,802.

The acquisitions took the total of registered firearms, including restricted and prohibited semi-automatic rifles and handguns, to 1,164,197 in 2018, the report states.

The RCMP data include both handguns and semi-automatic rifles, neither of which can be used for hunting, but the number of handguns, close to one million, far exceeds the number of rifles.

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Restricted firearms totalled 983,792 in 2018, while prohibited firearms, which can generally not be transported outside of a the owner’s dwelling, totalled 180,405, down from 2017.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair received the report from RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki, who is also commissioner of firearms and took over the commissioner’s post last year as the report would normally have been in the preparation or planning stage. The RCMP told iPolitics recently the tabling delay was due to the October federal election.

The report falls in the midst of a raging campaign by gun lobbies and gun owners against the government’s plan to ban certain semi-automatic rifles that were originally designed as military grade combat guns for the military in the United States or eastern Europe.

The plan, stemming from the Liberal platform in last year’s federal election, includes federal support for metropolitan areas that might decide to ban handguns within their jurisdiction.

Alberta and British Columbia gun owners have the highest number of restricted and prohibited guns per capita, with 218,305 of the weapons in Alberta and 209,316 in B.C.

Ontario gun owners have the highest number of restricted handguns and rifles by province – a total of 365,006 restricted handguns and rifles and 73,949 restricted and prohibited handguns and rifles. As with the total number of regulated handguns and rifles throughout Canada, the number of restricted and prohibited handguns in Ontario far exceed the number of restricted and prohibited rifles. That data is disclosed through access to information requests submitted to the RCMP.

*This story has been updated with data from 2016 and 2017.