R. Blake Brown

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Montréal Mayor Valerie Plante, centre, and Nathalie Provost, left, survivor of the city’s 1989 mass shooting and a gun-control advocate, during a news conference about stricter gun control in Montréal in November 2024. Where are the major parties on gun control this election? THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Where the parties stand on gun control in the Canadian federal election

R. Blake Brown, Saint Mary’s University

Gun control hasn’t been a big issue during the 2025 election like it was in 2021. But it’s still important to assess the gun policies of the two parties leading in the polls.
An image shows the firearms found in the car driven by Gabriel Wortman, the perpetrator of the April 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia that left 22 people dead. It was shown at the Mass Casualty Commission inquiry. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

N.S. Mass Casualty Commission a year later: What recommendations have been implemented?

R. Blake Brown, Saint Mary’s University

Over the past year, Ottawa has had a mixed record in implementing the Mass Casualty Commission’s firearm recommendations. Some provinces, however, have sought to limit implementation.
Friends, family and supporters of the victims of the mass killings in rural Nova Scotia in 2020 react at the release of the final report of the Mass Casualty Commission inquiry in Truro, N.S. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

Nova Scotia’s Mass Casualty Commission calls for stricter gun control laws

R. Blake Brown, Saint Mary’s University

The Mass Casualty Commission into the mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020 makes several recommendations to meaningfully change Canada’s gun laws.
Family and friends follow the casket of 10-year-old Jose Flores after a funeral service in Uvalde, Texas. Flores, an honour student, was killed in the latest elementary school shooting in the United States. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Texas school shooting: How assault‑style rifles and ammunition kill and maim

R. Blake Brown, Saint Mary’s University

The latest mass school shooting in Texas has renewed the debate about gun control. Here’s why gun advocates generally avoid discussing the harm that assault-style rifles can cause.
A woman places a pinwheel in front of a mural dedicated to slain RCMP Const. Heidi Stevenson, a victim of a shooting rampage carried out by a man with unlicensed weapons, in Cole Harbour, N.S., on April 24, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tim Krochak

Nova Scotia mass shooting shows how deadly unlicensed gun owners can be

R. Blake Brown, Saint Mary’s University

Far from just committing ‘paper crimes,’ the mass shooting in Nova Scotia shows the deadly threats posed by unlicensed gun owners.
Les libéraux ont fait la promesse d’interdire les armes de type fusil d’assaut militaire s’il sont réélus. Shutterstock

Voici comment l'arme préférée des tueurs de masse est arrivée au Canada

R. Blake Brown, Saint Mary’s University

La disponibilité de l’AR-15 - et armes similaires - semble dépendre du résultat de la prochaine élection fédérale. C’est aux Canadiens de décider si ces armes doivent rester en vente.
The Liberals have made a major election promise: If re-elected, they'lll ban military-style assault rifles in Canada. (Shutterstock)

A short history of the AR‑15 in Canada

R. Blake Brown, Saint Mary’s University

Some Canadian gun advocates claim military-style assault weapons like the AR-15 have never been used to commit crimes in Canada. That’s inaccurate.
The relationship between guns and masculinity was once sanctioned by governments and businesses, making it entrenched and difficult to challenge. Kyle Johnson/Unsplash

Canada once sold the idea that guns turned boys into men

R. Blake Brown, Saint Mary’s University

The relationship between guns and masculinity was once sanctioned by governments and businesses, making it entrenched and difficult to challenge.
Meaghan Hennegan, who was shot twice during the Dawson College shooting in 2006 in Montreal holds up a board showing assault weapons as she joins other gun control advocates at a news conference on Bill C-71 on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in December 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Should Canada ban assault‑style firearms?

R. Blake Brown, Saint Mary’s University

Canada must decide if modern semi-automatic rifles should be widely available to its citizens. Our current classification system for such guns is irrational.
Far from a knee-jerk reaction to Toronto’s recent mass shooting, fresh calls for tougher gun control laws have a long history in Canada. A man places his hand on his handgun in B.C. in 2014 during the International Practical Shooting Confederation Canada national championships. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Calls for stronger handgun laws in Canada have deep roots

R. Blake Brown, Saint Mary’s University

Calls to outlaw handguns in Canada are hardly knee-jerk proposals in response to violent incidents. Instead, they’re in line with the historic Canadian trend to limit the presence of modern pistols.

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