September 13, 2019

Early in 2019, lobby and advocacy group Doctors for Protection from Guns, went on the offensive against law abiding firearm owners; declaring: “the medical and social science evidence supporting common sense gun laws is overwhelming and irrefutable.”

They also made the dramatic and specific call: “Senators, it is time to pass C-71 intact. @BillBlair, @RalphGoodale, and @JustinTrudeau, it is time to implement an assault weapons and handgun ban.”

The Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights has commissioned this review to examine in detail nineteen documents, including academic and editorial works which are claimed to support the above calls to action. This review isolated the Canadian examples, completed an analysis of all the works cited, and provides conclusive evidence that the very sources cited by CDPG contradict the radical claims and proposals which are emphasized.

The CDPG's dishonest representation of the literature as a one sided consensus is beyond the pale. The literature is much more complex than is presented, much missing data and a number of methodological limitations stand in the way of clear conclusions in the US context. In Canada with national records and a clear picture of firearm ownership; there is more clear evidence that further restrictions on firearm ownership are not effective for reducing overall rates of violence.

We hope through this work we can help policy makers, media, and the public; better understand the questions we face as a society. The CCFR is committed to accurate and truthful reporting of the academic work as well as the skillful application of common-sense and wisdom to the social, political, and practical problems facing Canadians, policy makers, and law-abiding firearm owners.