Mental illness, mass shootings, and the politics of American firearms (2015)
Canada is the U.S.&#x27;s neighbour and is probably closer, culturally, than any other nation.  Gun ownership is also high in Canada.  In terms of guns per capita, the U.S. is #1 by a long shot, but Canada is #7 [1].  In Canada, guns owned per capita is one third of what it is in the U.S..<p>Canada also has mass shootings.  The annual deaths from mass shootings per capita in Canada is 0.032, which is about one third that of the U.S. (0.089)  [2].<p>As a Canadian, it&#x27;s actually shocking to see that Canada&#x27;s rate of mass shootings correspond well to the U.S.&#x27;s if you simply control for population and the number of guns owned by that population.  I&#x27;d have expected us to be doing better.  Where gun ownership laws vary wildly in different U.S. states, Canada&#x27;s laws are under federal control and are, hence, consistent.  Where some U.S. states have virtually no requirements of testing or training to own guns, Canada requires gun owners to have mental health checks and complete firearm safety training courses.  Gun owners undergo regular background checks and will have their guns confiscated in short order if they ever commit a criminal offence.  Where many U.S. states permit concealed carry of handguns, handguns are virtually illegal to carry in Canada.  Transporting them from your home to the range is legal, but they must be unloaded, locked, and permits are required for the transport.<p>With all of these additional precautions, Canada really <i>should</i> be doing better.  The harsh reality may be that the number of guns per capita floating around really is an important factor.<p>[1]<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Estimated_number_of_civilian_guns_per_capita_by_country" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Estimated_number_of_civilian_g...</a>
[2]<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;worldpopulationreview.com&#x2F;country-rankings&#x2F;mass-shootings-by-country" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;worldpopulationreview.com&#x2F;country-rankings&#x2F;mass-shoo...</a>