(Uh) Oh, Canada...: ''Gun killings on rise for 3rd year in a row''

Canada sees 12 per cent spike in homicide rate - 172 of 622 slayings were firearm-related in 2004

The Toronto Star is reporting news that will no doubt shake the gun ban community even more than recent crime explosions in Great Britain and Australia have.

Despite (or perhaps more accurately as a result of) a multitude of gun control laws, and a $2-billion gun registry program that is by all accounts has been a complete failure in meeting its stated goals, gun crime continues to spike.

From the story:

A 12 per cent spike in the national homicide rate last year was paired with a jump in the rate of nationwide gun killings, which rose for the third year in a row, according to a new Statistics Canada report.

In all, there were 622 homicides in Canada in 2004, including 172 firearms-related killings, 11 more gun slayings than in 2003 and 20 more than in 2002.

The rise in the homicide rate comes a year after the rate had reached its lowest point in more than three decades.

The story goes on to remind readers of a violent summer in Toronto — during which the number of gun killings reached 41, surpassing the previous high of 35 set in 1991. The story also tries to reduce the impact of these statistics, noting that in 2004, shootings decreased as an overall percentage of total homicides while stabbing ranked as the number one method of killing. All they manage to do with this statistic is prove that ever really could be eradicated, violence and murder would continue to occur.

Related Story:
Canada: Crime rate 66% higher in Prairie Provinces than in 4 bordering US states