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In both Canada and the U.S., police shootings and the use of deadly force tend to generate the most media attention, public interest and controversy in regards to police misconduct.

However, in terms of volume, the police use of deadly force is more of an issue in the U.S. than in Canada. Proportionately, and in absolute numbers, far more people die by legal intervention in the States. One explanation for this difference relates to the availability of handguns in the U.S. as well as the American Constitutional provision to bear arms. In contrast, possession of a handgun is highly regulated and restricted in Canada. Furthermore, Canada has no provision within the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedomsenshrining the right to possess firearms.

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With these parameters, Canadian police officers rarely, if ever, carry their police-service firearms on their days off. Most Canadian police agencies require that personnel secure their firearm at their place of employment when not working. In contrast, it is not uncommon for “off-duty‟ police in the U.S. to be involved in a shooting incident. One study noted that, in some instances, off-duty police officers were the first to attend the scene of a crime in progress and could be the first to confront an assailant with their police-issued firearm in hand. Typically, these off-duty officers were dressed in civilian attire and somehow alerted to shots fired outside their personal residence, or at a commercial centre.